4 February 2024 - Filey, Bridlington & Flamborough Thornwick Bay

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Lapland Bunting, Snow Buntings, Slavonian Grebe, Velvet Scoter, Great Northern Diver, Purple Sandpipers, Waxwings

Had a good day out with Stu over at Filey and Flamborough. We started at Filey where there had been Snow and Lapland Buntings recently. We wandered around the cliff top for some time but without any buntings to show for it. We were put onto a drake Velvet Scoter by a local chap, and although quite distant we did get the salient features. Quite a few Rock Pipits were around and on the Brigg itself we found a couple of Purple Sandpipers as well as Knot and Turnstone. Heading back up towards North Cliff we found the Slavonian Grebe in the corner of the bay, and from the same position, a Great Northern Diver. There were plenty of Shags on the sea, as well as a number of Red-throated Divers. Offshore a few Gannets went past, and we saw the obligatory Fulmars.

As we headed back inland from the brigg, we suddenly disturbed a Snow Bunting from just a few yards away, and for a minute or two we had good views as it fed amongst the grass tussocks before mysteriously disappearing, though we didn't see it fly. Carrying on we went in search of Lapland Bunting in the stubble fields, but walked quite a distance without any luck. Then as we wandered back along the edge of the stubble field we flushed a bunting which flew up, round and then landed about 20 yards away, hidden amongst the tussocks. Stu scanned and managed to pick the bird up, and it was indeed a Lapland Bunting. I managed some rather obscured record shots, and the bird then flew again, circling high and landing somewhere in the middle of the stubble.

Flushed with success we decided to head to Bridlington Hospital where there had been 8 Waxwings. As we arrived it was starting to drizzle, but we could see the Waxwings perched up in a tree by the entrance to the hospital. We decided to park in the hospital car park but by the time we'd managed to park up and get out of the car, the birds took flight and flew out of sight. We had a wander but couldn't see anything, so decided to head for Thornwick Bay with a view to trying again on the way back.

At Thornwick Bay, the drizzle continued but we decided to make the walk up the edge of the cliff to the spot where two Shorelarks had been around. We got absolutely soaked, and didn't see any Shorelarks, but the disappointment was tempered by seeing a flock of around 60 Snow Buntings in the stubble fields, including a few white headed males.

So that was it, apart from a couple of pork pies and some hot soup. On the way back we did encounter a large flock of Fieldfare (with some Redwing) feeding in a roadside field, which we stopped to admire.

Rock Pipit, 1/640 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 5000