Sunny Spindrift and Sanderlings

A beautiful sunny morning again, but a tad on the nippy side at just 2 degrees C as I stepped out of the house heading for the sea front. It was a bit breezy but I didn't think it was windy enough to generate the impressive spindrift that I saw coming off the wave tops.

On the beach a couple of Sanderling and a Turnstone were running about looking for food. The Sanderling were very confiding and came to within 10 yards, so cue a lot of snapping from yours truly.

Too many Sanderling photos? Nah, not enough I reckon!

Last one honest

As I walked up south cliff hoping to see a Stonechat ot two, a Stonechat appeared as if summoned by magic beyond my understanding 😊 It didn't hang around though and disappeared over the hedgerow just as quickly as it had appeared. I could hear it but couldn't see it, so I let it be and walked on into the sunrise. The bird was a fair way off so a bit of cropping was needed to get a reasonable image.

Stonechat briefly on South Cliff

Nothing else was showing so I retraced my footsteps and strolled along the prom as far as Stream Dike, then wandered along the side of that until it crossed the path that took me to KP. Stream Dike is a really frustrating water course! It is the outflow from Hornsea Mere so the water level fluctuates depending not only on how much is overflowing from The Mere, but also how the sluice gates are set. Another variable is the fact that when the tide is in, the mouth of the outflow pipe on the beach is under water, so the water has been known to back up in the stream - making the water level artificially high. This time last year you could almost guarantee seeing a Kingfisher along there, but this year I haven't seen a single one. They are still on The Mere but they aren't venturing along Stream Dike, at least I ain't seen one if they are. Likewise Grey Wagtail - almost every time I passed I saw a Grey Wag earlier in the year but they have disappeared now.

KP was cold and quite windy so although I had a quick chat with Jon, who confirmed there wasn't much about, I didn't linger. Straight back home for tea and toast? Yes please.