Late October 2011

October 31st: Flying southward were 23 Pink-footed Geese, 84 Gannets and 24 Kittiwakes. The Spoonbill and a Kingfisher were notable.

October 30th: 5 Bullfinches were interesting. A Woodcock, a Hen Harrier and the Spoonbill were around. South went 34 Whooper Swans, 68 Pink-footed Geese, 3 Great Skuas and 650 Woodpigeons.

October 29th: Movers included 17 Pink-footed Geese east and a Great Skua south. 2 Black Redstarts, a Crossbill and a Rough-legged Buzzard were the best of the rest. The Spoonbill was still present.

October 28th: More movement. South flew 3 Whooper Swans, 484 Pink-footed Geese, 2 Little Gulls, 2250 Woodpigeons and a Lapland Bunting. Variety was provided by 2 Goosanders, a Shag (not common here), 34 Gannets, a Firecrest trapped and the Spoonbill.
October 27th: The Black Swan reappeared, and the Spoonbill lingered. 2 Crossbills and a Firecrest were other notables.

October 26th: The Spoonbill, 2 Hen Harriers and a Yellow-browed Warbler were still around. A Rough-legged Buzzard and a Crossbill went south. 50 Goldcrests were prominent.

October 25th: An even better day. More winter thrushes were around and more finches flew south, including 6 Crossbills. 150 Pink-footed Geese east and 402 Brent Geese were the best wildfowl. 3 Hen Harriers, a Woodcock, a Spoonbill and a Woodlark were around. A Pallas's Warbler was found near the Heligoland trap. Other good birds were a Firecrest trapped and 2 Yellow-browed Warblers.
October 24th: An improvement. A juvenile Sabine's Gull appeared at the Seacroft end, and also offshore were 275 Gannets and 3 Great Skuas. A Goldeneye and a Wheatear were the best of the rest.

October 23rd: The Black Swan reappeared on Jackson's Marsh but otherwise low numbers predominated.

October 22nd: A few finches went south but the only other notable new bird was a Kingfisher.

October 21st: The best birds were 19 Whooper Swans, 387 Gannets south, 3 Peregrines and 2 Bearded Tits.

Mid October 2012

October 20th: A Black Swan on Tennyson Sands was a curiosity. Other good birds were 2 Jack Snipes, a Hen Harrier, 54 Whooper Swans and 2 Crossbills. Southward movement included 412 Skylarks and 486 Goldfinches.

October 19th: Hen Harrier numbers increased to 2, and a Goosander, 2 Pomarine Skuas and a Yellow-browed Warbler provided variety. 65 Whooper Swans and 670 Pink-footed Geese flew south.

October 18th: Further southward movement included 2870 Woodpigeons, 930 Goldfinches and 3 Crossbills. Other good birds were a Jay, 23 Whooper Swans and a Hen Harrier.

October 17th: Wildfowl included 18 Whooper Swans, 176 Pink-footed Geese and a Pale-bellied Brent Goose. South went 200 Gannets, a Little Auk, 2400 Woodpigeons, 890 Goldfinches and a Lapland Bunting. A Hen Harrier and 29 Crossbills added interest.

October 16th: Interesting birds ringed were a Cetti's Warbler netted at Aylmer Avenue and 7 Grey Partridges caught in the Heligoland trap. Southward movers included 425 Skylarks, 585 Goldfinches, 236 Skylarks and a Lapland Bunting. Other notable birds were 2 Peregrines, 250 Goldcrests, 8 Crossbills and 2 Yellow-browed Warblers.

October 15th: A bit quieter today. Pink-footed Geese numbered 338, and other noteable birds were a Hen Harrier, a late Hobby south, 3 Great Skuas south, 160 Goldcrests, a Garden Warbler trapped, 8 Crossbills and a Yellow-browed Warbler.

October 14th: Numbers of Pink-footed Geese increased to 235, and of Brent Geese to 250. A Long-eared Owl was new in, and a Hen Harrier, a lateish trapped Reed Warbler, a Great Grey Shrike, 2 Yellow-browed Warblers, 4 Ring Ouzels, a Lapland Bunting and 18 Crossbills added variety. Goldcrests increased to 120 and winter thrushes were quite numerous.

October 13th: A lot of good new birds arrived. A Scaup, 4 Velvet Scoter, a Hen Harrier and 2 Woodcock added a wintery feel. Scarcer birds were represented by 3 Bean Geese south, a Woodlark, a Firecrest, a Little Owl (uncommon here), a Grey Shrike Spp (probably a Great Grey Shrike), 2 Yellow-browed Warblers and a Red-breasted Flycatcher (north of Aylmer Avenue). Movers included 17 Crossbills, 12 Whooper Swans and 60 Pink-footed Geese, while Brent Geese built up to 214.

October 12th: More winter thrushes appeared, with a Ring Ouzel to add variety. A Redstart was trapped. 30 Whooper Swans and 11 Pink-footed Geese were on the move. A Kingfisher and 5 more Crossbills south were of note.

October 11th: A good number and variety of finches were moving, including 37 Crossbills. 4 Whooper Swans went south and Goldcrests numbered 45.

Early October 2011

October 10th: Generally lower numbers of most species. The Pectoral Sandpiper relocated to Jackson's Marsh. 2 Goosanders were around.

October 9th: Good wildfowl were 4 Whooper Swans, 20 Pink-footed Geese, 198 Brent Geese and a Goosander. A Red-necked Grebe went south. Goldcrests increased to 101. The Pectoral Sandpiper was relocated on the Mere.

October 8th:  Fair movement of usual seabirds, with 9 Pomarine Skuas and a Black-throated Diver being the highlights. Good waders were 3 late Little Ringed Plovers, 3 Purple Sandpipers and a Jack Snipe. 113 Pink-footed Geese and 85 Goldcrests were prominent.

October 7th: A Black-throated Diver flew north, and 3 Crossills, a Snow Bunting and a Lapland Bunting south, while 175 Pink-footed Geese were on the move. Other good birds included 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 11 Great Crested Grebes, 7 Great Skuas, a late Willow Warbler, 2 Wheatears, a Purple Sandpiper and a Green Woodpecker. A juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper was found on the Mere.

October 6th: The only notable birds were a Sooty Shearwater, 370 Pink-footed Geese and 80 Gannets south.

October 5th: A first-winter Yellow-legged Gull and 51 Goldcrests were the best birds.

October 4th: Southward went 5 Great Skuas, 1200 House Martins and 6 Lapland Buntings. 5 Wheatears, a late Lesser Whitethroat, a Mediterranean Gull and 3 Pomarine Skuas added variety.

October 3rd: Offshore were 15 Arctic Skuas,  while 2 Long-tailed Skuas and 2 Pomarine Skuas headed south. Other notables were 90 Goldcrests, a Hawfinch and a Mediterranean Gull.

October 2nd: 210 Pink-footed Geese were moving and 4 Crossbills went south. A late Whitethroat, a late Whinchat, a Wheatear and a Little Owl were interesting.

October 1st: Southward movers included 21 Arctic Skuas, a Long-tailed Skua, 18 Pink-footed Geese and 3 Crossbills. Goldcrests numbered 78. A Hawfinch and a Lapland Bunting were around.