Autumn Is Here

 I've been walking down to the sea front most mornings before going through to the Mere. There have been lovely sunrises in and amongst.

Sunrise over the wind farm

Sunrise is an obvious subject for dramatic photos and I don't mind being obvious 😂

I also don't mind it if the weather is bad as it means there are fewer people out and about to disturb the wildlife...

Mind you, it would take a lot of effort for any of us landlubbers to disturb these beauties as they swam past Hornsea. A pod of around 15 Bottlenosed Dolphins on their way south.

Bottlenosed Dolphins

Whooper Swans have been passing through en route to their wintering grounds, these two flew south before veering south west over South Cliffs.

Whooper Swans off the sea front

Cloud formations are sometimes more interesting than the wildlife and these lenticular clouds were forming nicely last Tuesday until they just blew away on the wind.

Small lenticular clouds forming off the sea front

Pity they dispersed, as they can be spectacular when they have the right conditions to extend their size and shape. These photos were taken in 2011 back where I used to live on the Pennines and show perfect formations of these clouds.

Lenticular clouds over Stoodley Pike

Same day as above with the clouds just forming

 Things have been relatively quiet at the Mere recently with Scaup, Common Scoter and Whooper Swans the pick of the sightings. These birds have been keeping their distance but they have ventured a little closer to the shore once or twice.

Drake Common Scoter

Female Common Scoter

 Numbers of wildfowl are building now on the Mere as we approach winter. Goldeneye are flying in, mainly females with just 2 drakes spotted by yours truly to date, and Gadwall are increasing too.

 

Gadwall off second field

Gadwall changing direction

 Wassand wood has also been quiet as autumn wears on, with no migrants reported at all yet. The residents have been keeping their heads down too so I was happy to watch a Treecreeper feeding.

 

 

Treecreeper in Wassand Wood