THE best find in September was a Crane at Nosterfield, one of only a handful ever recorded in the area. Standing nearly 4ft tall these magnificent birds are now breeding regularly in Britain again with populations in the Norfolk marshes and on the Somerset Levels but they remain rare visitors elsewhere.

September’s wader passage turned up an excellent range of species. Best sighting, and as predicted last month, was a Pectoral Sandpiper at Nosterfield. This must now be one of the best sites in the whole country for this American species. A good supporting cast at the reserve and nearby Lingham included two Little Stint, three Curlew Sandpipers, six Spotted Redshank, 13 Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit and a Jack Snipe. Jacks are scarce autumn/winter visitors to the area but are notoriously difficult to see, sitting in dense vegetation and often not flushing until you almost literally walk on them. In contrast this bird stayed in the open and allowed excellent views of its distinct "bobbing" action as it fed. Newsham also recorded a good wader movement with the highlights being three Little Stints, Avocet, Spotted Redshank, Green Sandpiper and a group of 11 Ruff. Up to ten Ruff, half a dozen Green Sandpipers, Greenshank and Whimbrel were the highlights at Scorton quarry.

Birds of prey were also on the move with the highlights being regular sightings of Peregrine at Nosterfield and two more at Over Silton. Two Marsh Harriers were at Newsham and another was seen over Grinton Moor with Red Kites spotted at the latter site and at Nosterfield.

One of the early signs of autumn is the arrival of Meadow Pipits in lowland areas. I assume most of these move off the local moors to the milder conditions of the vale. A notable movement mid-month saw about 100 birds at Thorpe Farm, 30 plus at Morton on Swale bridge and a remarkable 650 over Nosterfield. The latter were picked up by a visible migration enthusiast. "Vis Mig" is a specialist branch of birdwatching where the observer stays in one place and records all the birds moving over. It demands a high degree of patience, excellent knowledge of different species but also good hearing as many birds are picked up on their calls as they fly over.

Other sightings of note in September included four Little Egrets at Morton on Swale, two at Nosterfield and singles at Croft and Great Langton. A magnificent total of six Barn Owls were seen hunting at Nosterfield where at least two Twite were picked out among the large Linnet flock there. A Black Tern was a good autumn find at Newsham and the first skein of Pinkfooted Geese, around 150, were seen passing over there on the 26th.

Looking at October, this is the main month for the arrival of winter visitors. The most numerous will be the "winter thrushes", Fieldfares and Redwings, but keep a look out for Whooper Swans as they move through the area en route to The Fens.

Another species that might be noticeable in October is the Jay. This colourful member of the crow family is a rather uncommon and localised species in this area but there have been large numbers of birds arriving from the continent. I have already had reports of birds from areas that don’t usually hold the species and I imagine many more will be arriving over the next few weeks.

If you are fortunate enough to come across an unusual or unidentified bird I would be very happy to hear from you at nickmlinden@gmail.com.