The following November sightings reports arrived just too late for our final print deadline…
East Yorkshire
Highlights: An Isabelline Wheatear was an excellent record at Spurn (4th) and a superb Pied Wheatear was there (8th). A Cattle Egret visited Sunk Island (7th), with possibly the same bird near Skeffling (15th). Two Dusky Warblers were at Spurn (13th), with another at Flamborough the same day. A Desert Wheatear was at Bempton for the final week.
Flamborough: The month opened with a Mediterranean Gull (3rd) and managed two Great Grey Shrikes, six Waxwings and a Bearded Tit (7th). The sea had a Black-throated Diver, a Great Northern Diver and three Pomarine Skuas (5th), with six Pomarine Skuas and seven Velvet Scoters the following day. The momentum was kept up by three Black-throated Divers, two Long-tailed Ducks, 14 Pomarine Skuas and a Glaucous Gull (7th). There were three Great Grey Shrikes (8th). Waxwings rose to 17 (9th) and a Hooded Crow appeared (10th). A Wood Lark flew over (12th), when a Yellow-browed Warbler also showed. Bean Geese reached a record 21 and White-fronted Geese peaked at 38. A Great Grey Shrike, a Firecrest and two Bewick’s Swans turned up (16th). Up to 26 Snow Buntings, five Lapland Buntings and 24 Twite were noted and a male Hen Harrier lingered. Another Firecrest arrived (19th). Eight more Bewick’s Swans moved through (23rd). A useful seawatch (28th) produced a Great Shearwater, a Slavonian Grebe, 164 Little Auks, five Pomarine Skuas and three Great Northern Divers. A Grey Phalarope, a Red-necked Grebe and three Great Northern Divers were viewed (29th).
Spurn: There were two Shore Larks, a Red-necked Grebe and 35 Twite (1st). There was a Hooded Crow (5th), a Black Guillemot, a Waxwing and 15 Little Auks (6th) and two Great Grey Shrikes and a Leach’s Petrel (7th). A great day (8th) produced an Artic Redpoll, a Pallas’s Warbler and a Wood Lark. A Richard’s Pipit, seven Waxwings and two Bewick’s Swans were in the area (9th). A new Richard’s Pipit came in (12th), along with a Great Grey Shrike and a Long-tailed Duck. A Grey Phalarope and a Pallas’s Warbler were seen (14th). White-fronted Geese reached 142 and there were 23 Bean Geese. Up to 12 Snow Buntings and seven Lapland Buntings were found. A Great Northern Diver (18th), a Yellow-browed Warbler (19th) and a Grey Phalarope (20th) were identified. Several Hen Harriers were spotted. The month ended with six Pomarine Skuas (27th) and a Leach’s Petrel and four Little Auks (29th).
Other sites: A Great Grey Shrike was at Sunk Island (4th), when a Richard’s Pipit was at Grimston. A Bean Goose paused at Barmston (9th). A Waxwing was in North Cave (8th), with another in Hull (12th) and four Waxwings in Hornsea (19th). Hornsea Mere hosted a Slavonian Grebe and a Black-necked Grebe, while three Bewick’s Swans stopped off (13th). A Richard’s Pipit was found there (18th), along with a Smew (25th), while up to 80 White-fronted Geese were present. White-fronted Geese peaked at 53 at Tophill Low (16th), which also hosted a Smew (from 9th) Bittern (27th). Three Bean Geese and 36 White-fronted Geese were around Rimswell (15th). A skein of 59 White-fronted Geese rested at Mappleton (24th). A party of 18 Snow Buntings were at Sunk Island (25th) and a Hooded Crow was near Holmpton the same day. Six Little Egrets visited Leconfield (29th).
Ian Marshall (01482 627446)
West Yorkshire (Castleford & Pontefract)
Beal Carrs highlights: In a fairly quite month, the 5th produced several notable records including a drake Pintail, two Whooper Swans, 500 Golden Plovers and 2,000 Pink-footed Geese heading eastwards in a half-hour period. Fifty-five Stock Doves were seen (10th) and a Little Grebe was present (12th) when a Kingfisher and two more Whooper Swans were also seen. Fifty Linnets fed on a sugar beet field (13th) and a Buzzard passed north-westwards (18th). A drake Red-crested Pochard arrived (21st), staying until 23rd. It reappeared on the 28th. Also on the 23rd a flock of 100 Tree Sparrows was noted and three Goosanders were seen. A Hen Harrier flew through at close range (24th) and a Corn Bunting was seen briefly (25th).
John Wint
