After a Rufous-Tailed Robin turned up at Flamborough Bird Observatory 4 or 5 days prior, I had been dying to visit the east coast but had not had the opportunity. Getting away from various responsibilities as soon as I could, I found myself taking a day off on the Monday and heading down towards the coast in the hope of seeing some migrant goodies.
With a smattering of rare birds turning up during the rare couple of days of easterly winds that took place the previous week, there were still some rarities left to be seen. The kicker, however, was that a major storm had hit UK shores over the previous couple of days. Although conditions were beginning to improve, the forecast still looked bleak - a risk that I was willing to take for the sake of a twitch.
After a long drive to Flamborough which lasted north of three hours, I arrived onsite in conditions of light rain and some wind. I quickly made my way to the area where the Robin had been seen. Thirty or so birders were stood hoping for a glimpse of the bird in the ravine - apparently it was significantly less busy than the previous days due to the weather and it being during the working week. Viewing conditions were less than ideal, with the area where the Robin was frequenting being comprised of deep shrubbery and brambles, providing plenty of cover for the bird from the rain. Indeed, the main hope was for the Robin to expose itself in the open ravine. Whilst a few people caught tantalising glimpses of the Robin - helped by the smattering of thermal technology that several birders had brought along - I failed to see much of anything. Two brown birds at one point flew out of some shrubbery and back into cover again, but the view was too poor to make a claim for having seen it. After ninety minutes or so of trying, and the weather becoming almost unbearable, I decided to cut my losses and head on towards Bempton Cliffs in the hope of seeing the reported Pallas's Warbler and warming up.
Upon arrival at this next site, I was greeted by some RSPB volunteers who reported that the bird had been showing well, and that 'everybody has seen it'. Considering I was very damp and my morale was rather low, this news provided me some much needed hope. Standing in the car park with a few other birders in the pouring rain, we waited for the bird to appear whilst the rain continued to pour: once more to no avail despite the bird showing 5 minutes before my arrival. With the bird then glimpsed further down the nature trail, I trundled up the path in hope - but was disappointed once more, with a flock of Long-tailed Tits and a single Redwing being about the only consolation. I was really beginning to accept that it was just one of those miserable twitches where nothing goes right. At this point, the thought of a warm toast, a cup of tea, and a slice of cake, was the only thing that cheered me up. So I headed into the visitor centre to fill my stomach and dry off.
After this much-needed morale boost, I was tempted to head back to the car but thought I'd give it one last look. By some miracle, the elements had decided to clear and there was a brief respite from the rain. A pair of birders in the car park pointed me in the direction of where the bird had just been seen, and sure enough the Pallas's Warbler was flitting quickly through the hedges just the other side of the feeding station. We enjoyed brief views of this stunning little bird that had made its way to Yorkshire all the way from Siberia, as it associated with the local Tree Sparrows in addition to a single Blue Tit and Goldcrest. Given how tough-going the day was, I was absolutely made-up with this sighting as it comprised a lifer for my list and a saving grace before embarking on what would have otherwise been a very demoralising 3 hour drive back to Liverpool. A fantastic end to what was ultimately a testing day's twitching against the elements...
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