Eastern promise unfulfilled

Decent winds over the last few days has resulted in a spattering of good birds on the East coast but clear evening skies meant many moved quickly on, me and Mark started the day at Flamboroughs South Landing where a Red Flanked Bluetail had been seen yesterday but it seemed very quiet this morning, not much of anything, mid morning found us on the beach photographing waders etc when news came on the pager that one had just been trapped and released at the car park, we rushed back up there but the bird had flown back into thick cover and wasn’t seen again, not while we were there anyway, we did get good views of a Yellow Browed Warbler while we waited around though. A walk along Old Fall hedge later proved fruitless apart from a couple of Tawny Owls calling in the Plantation so we headed off to Filey where a Grey Phalarope had been seen off the Brig this morning, not there this afternoon although a large Common Scoter flock had four or five female Velvets with them, another disappointing day really. We called off at Castle Howard Lake on the way home as a drake Ferruginous Duck had been found there this morning, it was still present this evening although mainly sleeping, still a very smart bird and a good one for the York area.

Flamborough Rock Pipit

Filey Rock Pipit

Distant Fudge Duck in the failing light and asleep most of the time