The most unusual and fascinating birds which visited Yorkshire in 2024

It was first seen near the visitor centre at the RSPB' Bempton Cliffs reserve on September 25th and at first was thought to be an Arctic warbler., But , after its calls were recorded and analysed the bird's true identity was revealed and many hundreds of birders made the journey to see it.

This bird breeds in China and North Korea and normally winters on the Malay peninsula so was a very long way off course.

Flamborough had another rare warbler at the same time, an Eastern Olivaceous warbler was seen near the lighthouse on October 2nd, only the second Yorkshire record.

Further up the coast a Two-barred warbler was discovered at Saltwick Nab on October 2nd by birders who had just been ro see the Pale-legged leaf warbler.

It breeds in eastern Siberia and Mongolia and normally winters in Indo China and Thailand and was only the third seen in Yorkshire and 13th in Britain.

Spurn had its share of rare waders including two Least sandpipers and a Black-winged pratincole

Inland the highlight must be the remarkable discovery of a first-winter Scarlet tanager, a rare vagrant from North America in gardens at Shelf near Halifax. After it was photographed and the images put out on Facebook there was huge interest not only from birders but the public as a whole with the story featured on TV local and national bulletins even in Australia.

The normally quiet cul-de-sac where the bird was seen was filled with hundreds of birders and a side benefit was a collection bucket which raised a healthy sum for the BBC's Children in Need appeal

The Atlantic weather depressions brought exceptional numbers of other North American vagrants but, as might be expected , the majority ended up in Ireland or South West England and Wales.

However, there have been exceptional numbers of Ring-necked ducks with a Yorkshire record count of five together on Wintersett reservoir,

A drake American wigeon has also ben seen in the Lower Derwent Valley while two Blue-winged teals in full breeding plumage, were together at the Tophill Low reserve from April, raising the suggestion, as yet unconfirmed, that they might have bred.

It will be exciting to see if this pair are back at Tophill again in the New Year.