Yorkshire in Autumn

The Yorkshire coast in autumn is a thrilling experience for birders, as thousands of migrants pass through on their southward journey. You never know what might turn up and we hope for something unusual amongst the hundreds of common migrants - or a real rarity even, as many great finds have occurred at this time of year. We shall enjoy a ringing demonstration from the Observatory at Spurn and visit other coastal migration hotspots, plus but some fabulous wetlands and other habitats on this single centre holiday with minibus transport.

"Too many to mention, but I did love climbing the lighthouse at Spurn Head, seeing the view and appreciating the sweep of the spit. Places full of waders and ducks, just lovely to see and not knowing what might turn up the next day" Jill Patrick, 2022

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Date Cost Availability Deposit Single Supp	04 Oct - 11 Oct 2025 £2565.00 12 Spaces £500.00 £475.00 Book Now

Leaders

Julian Sykes and Ailie Brown

Day 1	Meet at our hotel in time for our evening meal - 7 nights at Tickton Grange Hotel, Beverley
Days 2-7	Exploration of the migration hotspots of Spurn Point, Flamborough Head, Filey Brigg and Bempton Cliffs. We’ll also seawatch from headlands and visit Blacktoft Sands for wetland and reedbed birds, plus visit the Yorkshire Wolds and the Robert Fuller Art Gallery
Day 8	After breakfast we say our farewells

Weather	Can be extremely variable at this time of year, so come prepared for everything from rain and wind, to calm autumnal sunshine!
Walking	Mostly easy walking on level paths up to 3 miles, with perhaps a little more if rarities require it!
Meals	All included from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on Day 8.
Insects	Unlikely to be a problem at this time of year.
Accom	Double, twin and single rooms all ensuite. A transfer to the hotel can be arranged from York train station.
Group	12

An excellent chance to visit birding hotspots and witness the autumn migration. Potentially 1000’s of birds on the move - from geese to Goldcrest and everything in between!

	* Visit Yorkshire’s autumn migration hotspots - Spurn, Flamborough and Filey
	* East Yorkshire’s premier RSPB sites such as Blacktoft Sands and Bempton Cliffs
	* Yellow-browed Warbler, Barred Warbler, Bearded Reedling and Short-eared Owl
	* Visit Wildlife Artist Robert Fuller’s gallery in the stunning Yorkshire Wolds
	* See bird ringing first hand at the Flamborough Bird Observatory during ‘migweek’
	* A ‘unimog’ tour to Spurn Point and climb the lighthouse
	* Great accommodation and Yorkshire hospitality with birding on the doorstep!

Day 1	We meet up at our hotel in time for dinner and a chance to discuss the coming week. Our ‘well-placed’ accommodation means that most of the sites we shall visit are an hour or less away.
Days 2-7	The Yorkshire coast at this time of year is a thrilling place!! Thousands of birds are on the move and to witness this mass migration as birds head south along the coast is a wonderful experience. We have timed this trip to enjoy migration in action, with common migrants still passing through in good numbers, but also the chance of something a bit rarer - or with luck - very rare indeed!! East Yorkshire has become renowned as the place to witness autumn migration and has several sites from which to experience this massive annual movement of birds. Spurn Point is perhaps the most famous - its unusual shape acting as a funnel, which concentrates birds as they move towards the point. Whilst this can be weather dependent, the birding here can be astonishing, with large numbers of common migrants such as pipits, thrushes, finches, Robins and Goldcrests and often plenty of scarcer species too, with double figure numbers of Yellow-browed Warblers and the chance of species such as Richard’s Pipit, Firecrest, Wryneck, Shorelark, Lapland Bunting and more. What is more, we shall get an insight into how research on migration is carried out and see birds in the hand, with a ringing demonstration at Spurn Bird Observatory. We shall also cast our eyes seawards as, at this time of year, Filey Brigg and Flamborough Head provide excellent seawatching opportunities. We’ll look out for Manx and Sooty Shearwaters, Arctic, Long-tailed and Pomarine Skuas, divers and flocks of seaduck and geese. Like Spurn, these sites can also be the first landfall for high numbers of birds, with thrushes and Bramblings coming in off the sea and all three sites have had more than their fair share of national rarities. Each day we shall be keeping an eye on ‘what’s about’ and will be in touch with local birders, so plans may alter rapidly if something very special is found. Anything can turn up, but some years are incredible, such as 2016 when Siberian Accentor, White’s Thrush, Eastern Crowned Warbler, Isabelline Wheatear and Black-browed Albatross were exceptional finds. We can’t promise the same rarities necessarily, but we can promise an exciting time searching for the unexpected, with the opportunity to polish our skills when it comes to our less familiar warblers, whilst looking out for gems including Pallas’s and Dusky Warbler. Yorkshire has some fabulous Reserves and habitats, wetlands, cliffs, forest, coast and estuarine marsh. We’ll visit Blacktoft Sands, where the wetlands and reedbeds are superb at this time of year. Wader passage will include common species such as Dunlin, but should also include Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Black-tailed Godwit and Ruff. Marsh Harriers hunt over the reeds, where ‘pinging’ flocks of Bearded Tits can be seen and if we are very lucky, perhaps a Water Rail or Bittern will appear. At Bempton Cliffs, the huge seabird colonies will have departed, but some of the thousands of Gannets that nest here will still be present at this time of year. This spectacular place can also provide the chance to see migration and amongst the common migrants, we’ll be on the lookout for shrikes, flycatchers, or scarcer warblers. We shall also introduce you to some newer and less well known, but equally impressive, birding hot spots on our daily outings. East Yorkshire is a varied county, with rich agricultural land providing ideal feeding grounds for large numbers of Lapwing and Golden Plover. The subtly rolling hills of the Yorkshire Wolds, providing habitat for Barn Owls, Skylarks, Red Kite and Brown Hare, feature in a lot of David Hockney’s recent work. We plan to visit Robert Fuller’s wildlife art gallery and get a ‘behind the scenes’ tour of some of the ingenious ways he spies on his local wildlife. His paintings sell all over the world and his trademark, highly-detailed images, have been adopted by the RSPB and the National Trust.
Day 8	After breakfast on our final day we say our farewells. You may wish to extend your holiday by spending time in one of Yorkshire’s historic towns or explore further up Yorkshire’s east coast, to places such as Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay.

Just some of what we hope to see..

Brambling	Little Owl	Yellow-browed Warbler
Redwing	Short-eared Owl	Barred Warbler
Bearded Tit	Woodcock	Red-backed Shrike
Marsh Harrier	Water Rail	Ring Ouzel
Sooty Shearwater	Red-throated Diver	Rose-coloured Starling
Pomerine Skua	Pink-footed Goose	Firecrest
Little Gull	Dark-bellied Brent Geese	Red-breasted Flycatcher
Jack Snipe	Whooper Swan
Spotted Redshank		Brown Hare
Black Redstart	Scarce migrants such as:	Harbour Porpoise

"Being shown round Robert Fuller's wildlife garden by the artist himself was a real privilege"
Joan Hunter

"Too many to mention, but I did love climbing the lighthouse at Spurn Head, seeing the view and appreciating the sweep of the spit. Places full of waders and ducks, just lovely to see and not knowing what might turn up the next day"
Jill Patrick

"Visit to seaside (for landlocked client!). Tawny Owl at Robert Fuller gallery. New species for me was Yellowhammer, common but delightful to see that jewel of colour inside a hedge"
Shenagh Gilliard

"3 lifers and excellent views of many other species"
Don Mills

"So many birds! Both common and rarities like the Yellow Browed Warbler. There was an abundance of Goldcrests and tens of thousands of Redwings flying in…not to mention the geese honking overhead. Altogether a wonderful week of wildlife especially appreciated in this difficult year"
Sue Aldam

"Beautiful coastal areas, Flamborough, Bempton Cliffs and stunning Spurn. Excellent visit to the Robert Fuller Gallery. Lucky to see the bird ringing at Flamborough, fantastic close up views of Goldcrests, Long Tailed Tit, Redwing"
Margaret Mowbray

"The highlight of the trip has to be the "Unimog Safari" to Spurn Point. The combination of an excellent YWT guide and the chance to climb the decommissioned Lighthouse were outstanding."
John Duerden

"Watching a Robin singing through the scope. Watching two Yellowhammers through the scope. A baby Barn Owl in a tree just a couple of feet away from me in the grounds of the Art Gallery. The sunrise on the first morning. A Goldcrest and a Firecrest at the ringing station."
Wendy Castine

"Meeting Robert Fuller at his gallery and learning of his life's work with Mustelids and as a wildlife artist; On first seeing the Yorkshire Wold; Watching Short-eared Owls hunting and Hen Harrier feeding in close proximity; Watching a mixed flock of waders in smokey murmuration on Spurn; Watching Tree Sparrows being ringed at Spurn Bird Observatory; Watching the guides manage the elderly guests."
Annie and David Erdman

"It was a cracking start to the holiday when I got my target species on getting out of the van at the first location on the first day and then on nearly every subsequent day, some birders may say it was only Tree Sparrows but they were my first and to actually see them up close in the hand at Spurn Observatory was amazing. The long hunting display by the Short-eared Owl at Spurn was also very special. But of course there was also the magnificent flying display by the large flock of mixed waders, close views of a Hobby, a Hen harrier bringing in a kill to eat, the inspirational Robert Fuller Gallery wildlife gardens and the secret quarry with five species of raptors in a few minutes in glorious sunshine lighting them up, it really was very difficult to pick just one magic moment. The holiday exceeded my expectations and I wish I could have stayed for another week the time just flew by. Oh well there is always next year perhaps at a different time. I must also mention how well the group gelled together which was wonderful, very friendly, rounded off the holiday nicely."
Brian Wheeler

"Robert Fuller's wildlife garden was a revelation. Spectacularly close views of a Kingfisher eating its catch. The quarry where we saw Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine, Buzzard and Red Kite within the space of a few minutes. Being so close to the release of a young Gannet."
Melanie & John Parker

"The visit to the Robert E Fuller Gallery was an unexpected highlight. Robert was so good to spend such a lot of time with our group. He talked about his passion for wildlife as well as his art. He showed us round his wildlife garden culminating in the sighting of a roosting Tawny Owl. Before we left loaded with goods from the Gallery shop, Robert told us of a nearby quarry where Peregrines could be found. When we visited the quarry we saw not only a Peregrine but 4 other species of raptor in 5 minutes - Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and Red Kite. Seeing these birds in perfect light was a great treat - bird watching doesn't get better than this."
Marilyn Freed

"Gannets. Watching a Short-eared Owl out searching for his supper. Exploring Spurn Head, its an area I've been aware of all my life but this is the first time I'd been. I enjoyed the day in the Wolds, both the area as a whole and our visit to the gallery and all that included. I did like watching Oyster Catchers and Turnstones going about their business as well."
Sarah Sharland

"Sea watching at Flamborough Head. Tawny Owl. Visit to Robert Fuller's Gallery. Seeing more of Yorkshire by driving through the Wolds and seeing David Hockney landscapes."
Angela Woodrow

"Sally and Julian worked hard to show us the delights that East Yorkshire has to offer - sea-watching, shores, woodland, open land, RSPB hides and reed-beds for divers, gannets, kittiwake and scoter, marsh harrier, owls, wader flocks with the odd passerine or more and the delight of a 3 Flycatcher day: Spotted, Pied and Red-breasted; even a recalcitrant rosy-coloured starling was winkled into view - all great stuff! Many thanks."
Sara & Roy Cowley

"Seeing birds in hand at the ringing station and the enthusiasm of the guides and helpfulness/friendliness of the whole group."
Susan Bradbury

A family-owned Georgian country hotel set in 16 acres of gardens, fields and woodland. With its own private driveway, lounges and 21 individually designed bedrooms. There is an elegant restaurant offering good quality, locally sourced british cuisine.

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