4th to 5th September

A brief let up of the recent strong north-westerly wind during the morning of the 4th made for a more pleasant days birding and allowed a few seabirds to filter out from the North sea. The most notable was a Great Shearwater which passed west early afternoon while also recorded during the days sea-watching efforts were 4 Sooty Shearwaters, 612 Fulmars (including a blue phase) and 450 Gannets. The Greenish Warbler spent a second day around the Observatory while a Barred Warbler at Sandbach was also thought likely to have been a lingering bird. Wildfowl continue to pass with 111 Wigeon and 93 Teal counted while other species in numbers worth mentioning included 60 Black-tailed Godwits, 19 Ruffs, a Greenshank, a Wood Sandpiper, 2 Whinchat, 2 Lesser Whitethroats and 6 Willow Warblers. The cool, northerly wind was back all day for the 5th and with it came the joint earliest returning Snow Bunting on the coast at Birdesness. There wasn't too much else seen with a Rosefinch at Holland gardens perhaps the bird from earlier in the week, singles of Tree Pipit, Whinchat and Pied Flycatcher the most notable other passerines and 11 Sooty Shearwaters and a 'blue' Fulmar passing on the sea.

 Snow Bunting (photo George Gay)

 Sooty Shearwater (photo George Gay)

Whinchat (photo Stephen Rutt)