The weather forecast for birds this weekend looked perfect. I needed to pick up a new moth trap from my friend's house in Scarborough, which he had made for me. With south-easterly winds predicted and a significant influx of migrants on the east coast, Jenna and I booked a hotel and travelled across on Friday afternoon. However, when we woke up on Friday morning, there had been a mass clear-out of birds, and the forecast had changed for the weekend. Despite this, we were determined not to let it stop us, so we made our way to Scarborough.
After picking up my new trap, we found a safe place for our traps overnight: the cliffs beneath Scarborough Castle.
As dawn began to break, the air was surprisingly warm for such an early hour. Together, we were treated to a beautiful sunrise.
Scarborough Castle
We then headed for are traps we had put out.
I was thrilled to discover three new moths for my list, including both species of Ranunculus, which are on the wing in this area at this time of year. After a great morning of trapping, we returned to the hotel for breakfast.
After leaving Scarborough, we stopped at Bempton RSPB, hoping to see a Barred Warbler and a Yellow-browed Warbler, which had been reported. However, the weather had worsened significantly, and the wind had picked up; there was no sign.
Bempton Cliffs
Only birds of note were the usual flock of Tree sparrows around the main reception building and a good number of Gannets on the cliffs.
Gannets are always a pleasure to see up close.
After a beautiful start to the day, the rain had now set in, so we started the long journey home. I'm sure I'll be back on the East Coast before the autumn is out!
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