June began well with a northerly blow from the previous two days, providing excellent seawatching conditions. The first spring Long-tailed Skua since 2021 flew north on the 1st. Interestingly, the last two spring records occurred on similar dates, with single birds seen on June 2nd in both 2016 and 2021. Other notable sightings that day included a Little Gull, 19 Puffins, a Black-throated Diver, four Great Northern Divers (plus another in the Humber), over 100 Fulmars, and 17 Manx Shearwaters. A young male Hen Harrier flew south, while a drake Garganey was on Kilnsea Wetlands.

There was some light passage over the sea on the 2nd, but the surprises came from the land. Two Redwings were in Church Field, and an escapee Rose-coloured Starling appeared in Syke's Field, bearing a captive metal ring. A singing Icterine Warbler was in the Observatory garden before roaming around Kilnsea on the 3rd. On the 4th, a Bee-eater was on Easington Straight before flying north.

On the 6th, an Osprey flew north, and a male Red-backed Shrike appeared in the Holderness Field area. The 7th produced another northbound Osprey, and the Red-backed Shrike was still present. However, the highlight of the day was a second-calendar-year male Montagu's Harrier that flew south in the afternoon. A female Red-backed Shrike was found on Easington Straight on the 9th, remaining until the 11th. On the 10th, 16 Puffins and 82 Manx Shearwaters flew past over the sea.

The 15th brought the first four-figure Swift count of the year, with 1,595 flying south, along with another Osprey sighting. A Bee-eater flew south past the Warren on the morning of the 17th, and a male Red-backed Shrike was found along the Canal on the evening of the 18th. Two Crossbills flew northwest on the 21st, and over 1,300 Swifts flew south on the 22nd. A surprise Marsh Warbler was trapped and ringed at the Warren on the morning of the 24th, while a Curlew Sandpiper was spotted at Beacon Ponds. On the 25th, three Wood Sandpipers were seen flying south together.

Little Gulls gradually increased in numbers on Kilnsea Wetlands during the latter half of the month, peaking at 62 on the 27th, when a Red Kite flew south. Strong south-westerly winds produced a spectacular Swift day, with at least 10,292 flying south, along with a few groups of returning waders. This Swift count is the highest since 2020 and only the fourth five-figure count in the last 16 years. 

July started as it meant to go on, with a Pectoral Sandpiper coming "in-off" the sea at Beacon Ponds, found again by the Little Tern staff on shift. There were also the year's first Roseate Terns on Kilnsea Wetlands, with three present. The 3rd produced the first rarity of the month in the form of Spurn's second Least Sandpiper, which stayed on Kilnsea Wetlands for a couple of hours in the afternoon before flying off south. A Roseate Tern reappeared on the 5th, marking the start of sporadic sightings throughout the month. A Garganey and a Wood Sandpiper were on Kilnsea Wetlands on the 6th. A juvenile Black Redstart frequented gardens in Kilnsea on the 7th. A juvenile Cattle Egret flew south over Kilnsea Wetlands on the 8th, alighting on the Humber saltmarsh off the Canal area. A Scaup was on Beacon Ponds on the 11th, along with two Caspian Gulls on the Wetlands, while a Velvet Scoter flew south in the morning.

On the 14th, Spurn’s first twitchable Gull-billed Tern arrived on Kilnsea Wetlands for a short period before flying off south towards the Humber but was unfortunately not relocated. A Black Tern appeared on the 15th, as did a mother and calf Humpback Whale, which stayed for a few days. Incredibly, the year's first Great Skua flew north on the 16th, highlighting the drastic decline in the species' population over the last few years. Spurn’s first-ever Black-winged Pratincole appeared briefly on Kilnsea Wetlands on the afternoon of the 18th but quickly flew off south before most local birders saw it. Fortunately, the bird returned after a short while and was seen by everyone present. It then fed, hawking insects, over Easington Village for a while in the evening. Along with the Pratincole, there were two other firsts for Spurn: White-letter Hairstreak and Common Dolphin were also recorded.

A Curlew Sandpiper was on Kilnsea Wetlands on the 21st, marking the start of a good run for this species, while the modern-day Little Tern record count was broken, with 304 recorded. A locally notable record of Bittern appeared on the 23rd, dropping into the Long Bank ditch. An Osprey and Little Stint were recorded on the 24th, the latter staying for a few days, while Curlew Sandpipers peaked at six between the 25th and 27th. A Black Redstart was at the Point on the 27th. On the 28th, a ringtail Montagu’s Harrier flew south past the Warren in the morning, while the Bittern reappeared the following day, landing in the Canal. Also on the 29th, the Black Redstart at the Point reappeared, and five Caspian Gulls were on Kilnsea Wetlands. The month ended similarly to how it began, with more good wader finds: an adult White-rumped Sandpiper was briefly on the Humber mud as the tide dropped, and an adult or near-adult American Golden Plover was there on the 31st.

Visible Migration

What was mostly a very poor June for visible migration was highlighted by one large Swift day, with over 10,000 birds heading south on the 27th. On this particular day, a full-day watch was completed. Up until 14:30, only 3,000 Swifts had been logged, but in the last seven hours, they averaged 1,000 birds an hour, making for some impressive spectacles for the observers. The autumn wader passage also began with a trickle of Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, and Redshank, continuing over the remaining days of the month. The 28th saw 2,308 southbound Swifts, and the month as a whole was successful for southbound Starlings, with 3,944 taking the leap to Lincolnshire. Hundreds of these were caught and ringed, showing from ringing recoveries that they are seemingly taking short journeys, with birds from Flamborough, and our birds heading to Bempton, Cleethorpes, and Worksop.

July started slowly, with the first day of significant passage not taking place until the 7th when 1,800 Kittiwakes, small numbers of assorted waders, and 147 Sand Martins flew south. On the 9th, with a moderate easterly wind, some over-sea passage was induced, with 445 Common Scoter, 25 Teal, double figures of seven wader species, and an impressive 147 Manx Shearwaters, all heading south. The wind swung south-west the following day, inducing plenty of southbound passage with 6,645 birds logged moving. Highlights included 10 Tufted Ducks, 2,119 Swifts, 45 Whimbrel, 54 Curlew (plus 10 "in-off"), 21 Black-tailed Godwits, 2,780 Kittiwakes, two Hobby, and 234 Sand Martins, while 80 Shelducks flew east out to sea.

The 15th brought the first slight Swallow passage of the autumn, with 80 moving south, along with 22 Whimbrel. A light southerly on the 18th brought some southerly passage, with 175 Swifts, 68 Oystercatchers, 30 Redshanks, 53 Sanderlings, two Marsh Harriers, 126 Sand Martins, 120 Swallows, 170 Starlings, and 18 Yellow Wagtails, among the highlights. The following day had similar conditions but little movement apart from 200 Swifts. The next day was more of the same, with a similar number of hirundines but an increased number of waders on the move, led by 204 Whimbrel and 162 Knot. The wind shifted slightly more westerly on the 22nd, resulting in 518 Swifts, 138 Oystercatchers, 52 Whimbrel, 271 Redshanks, 91 Turnstones, 90 Knot, 248 Sanderlings, 391 Dunlin, 108 Sand Martins, 228 Swallows, and 22 Yellow Wagtails heading south.

A push of 465 Starlings flew south on the 27th, while a ringtail Montagu’s Harrier flew south the following morning. The 29th was quiet, apart from an early push of 87 Sanderlings and 300 Dunlin south, along with a Wood Sandpiper. The 30th brought 72 Whimbrel south on an otherwise quiet day. The last day of the month proved productive for moving Whimbrel, with 276 flying south, while 440 Common Scoters came "in-off" the sea and went west up the Humber, starting their dusk overland migration. July produced nearly 40,000 moving birds, the best month of the year so far.