Taiga Flycatcher, Flamborough Head

A Taiga Flycatcher was found at Flamborough on the 4th of November, unfortunately, a pre-arranged blood test prevented me from going the following day. However, with regular reports of the bird's continued presence throughout the day, Brian decided he was heading north early this morning.

We left at 4.30am with a plan to drop in at North Cave Wetlands and hopefully catch up with a Green-winged Teal that had been present since the 22nd of October. We parked up and headed along the footpath towards Turret Hide. The hide overlooks Island Lake and as soon as we entered the Green-winged Teal was found around the small island right in front of the hide. This was my first visit to this reserve and is one I would very much like to explore more thoroughly on another visit.

Footpath leading to Turret Hide

View from Turret Hide overlooking Island Lake

Green-winged Teal

Having received no news either way on the Flycatcher, we decided to head off to Blacktoft Sands and hopefully connect with the long-staying White-tailed Plover.  Having seen the Rainham bird in 2010 we hadn't needed to visit beforehand. However, it was now only 20 miles from our location so it was an easy decision to visit. As with the Green-winged Teal, the White-tailed Plover was seen as soon as we entered Xerox hide. We were watching the bird feeding alongside Redshank and Dunlin when news came through that the Flycatcher had been found.

White-tailed Plover

We left Blacktoft Sands soon afterward and headed North-East, arriving at the car park along South Sea Road around 11am. A short walk from the car park and we are looking at a Red-flanked Bluetail. It's flitting about at the back of a group of trees adjacent to the car park. Further along, the path is a larger group of birders all intently focused on the top of nearby trees trying to locate the Flycatcher. We joined them and were soon enjoying our first views of the bird among the tree canopy. With patience and following the bird's movements we enjoyed some excellent views. It remained high up in the canopy for the majority of the time we were present but did venture lower on occasions. It was also nice to hear it call several times.

Taiga Flycatcher

We left for home but encountered car troubles on the way. Luckily we were able to get Greenflag recovery and eventually arrived home at 2.30am via three service station drop-offs and pick-ups.