Flycatchers, Terns and a Dipper in the hand

A visit to the beach here in Hornsea on a sunny morning is always a treat, even more so when there are Sandwich and Common Terns to be seen. Sandwich Terns stop over on their migration and usually hang around for a week or two. They can be heard all along the sea front but I usually see and hear them from Rolston Cliffs, however, these photos were taken on the groynes by Longbeach.

Sandwich Tern off Hornsea beach

Sandwich Tern and Common Terns

As I was out walking last Sunday I had a message from John L saying there were Spotted Flycatchers over at Wassand. As I haven't managed to photograph these birds at The Mere this year I hurried over to see if they were still around. Luckily they were. Although John said he'd seen 4+, I only managed to get 3.

Spotted Flycatcher at Wassand Hide car park

The birds showed well for about 20 mins then they drifted away. Unluckily a few folk turned up at the car park and missed them by just a few minutes.

On Tuesday of this week the Lower Derwent Valley team and a few of we volunteers went to Forge Valley and Hackness at Scarborough for a day working on the scrub, but we also spent a good while seeing what could be caught and ringed on the Derwent. Although we saw Kingfisher and several Grey Wagtails, we only managed to catch one Dipper. This was a special bird for me to see at close hand as Dippers used to nest on the stream close by our previous house and I've seen them hundreds of times. It was a real treat to be within toouching distance!!

Dipper showing nictating membrane over the eye

Dipper - a special moment to see one so close

Sea Watch

I tried an hour of sea watching again this morning. The weather was warm and bright with a slight westerly so I didn't expect to see anything extraordinary, and once again my expectations weren't exceeded :)

A Buzzard drifting along the cliff top was a sight I didn't expect! Lovely, especially with the morning sun on its wings.

Then a pair of Stonechat landing on the fence while I was on my way to the cliff top brightened up the morning too...

A Whitethroat was chattering away at me as I passed but I didn't care - I carried on and tried to ignore it.

I sat down on my tripod stool and set up the scope so I could see the sea without any long grass interfering with my view and waited for anything to pass by.

Time.

Time passed by. As it does, and as I expected really. Herring Gulls, Cormorants, Black-headed Gulls...and then the hoped-for sound of a Sandwich Tern :) Marvellous, just the best thing ever when your target bird shows up. 12 of them landed on the tide line (ebb tide) and a few more were fishing further out.

Sandwich Terns on the beach

Poor quality pics as they were taken with the phone camera through the scope. I always expect a better image quality, but as I don't use a gadget to attach the camera to the scope I can't expect any better.

I watched as a few Cormorants flew through then I followed one with the bins and it landed on the large buoy to stretch and dry its wings. I often see them perched on the buoys but this is the first time I've seen one actually land there.

Cormorant drying its wings

I will get a thingy to attach to the scope eventually though. I have one from the early days of digiscoping circa 2006 (and it's a Kowa to match my scope too) but the quality has always been disappointing.

Along with the usual and expected birds I saw 3 Common Scoter flying South. A sign of things to come when Autumn migration gets underway properly.

One final wildlife event to mention and for me it's a biggee - I saw a dolphin or porpoise today!!!!!!!!  Yes. A real life cetacean off Hornsea. No photos to prove it, but it breached a few times as I watched through the scope. Got the phone onto video and recorded through the scope for ages but it never came up again in the area I was watching.

So, copy that if you want, anyone from Hornsea who's reading this!?! Go out and look and try and get a photo before I do. There's a challenge for you...but remember, I saw one first even though I haven't made it known on "mainstream" media ha ha ha :(

A walk to Wassand Hide

Dry, sunny and breezy this morning and a temp of about 14 degrees C when I set out for my walk to the beach, then KP then on to the hide at Wassand.

I am still hoping for the passage of Sandwich Terns to happen. In the previous 5 years I've been here in Hornsea the Sandwich Terns have appeared off the beach in mid to late July and stayed around for about 3 weeks. Apart from two sightings of Sandwich tern in bad weather with northerly winds, they have been absent.

On to Kirkholme Point then!

Last night there were about 350-400 Little Gulls on the Mere, but they were distant, over towards Lady Island rather than flying near Swan Island. This morning there were about 30 still hanging about with a few on the boat jetties.

Little Gulls on the jetty

Along the south side of KP I saw a duck with a white flash at the base of its bill. Possible female Scaup...no, not this time of year, so a female Tufted Duck then.

Female Tufted Duck

Although autumn passage is still in its infancy, you never know whether something has dropped in overnight so a check of the water line around KP is always a must. Nothing this morning though. On to the south side of The Mere and to the hide.

There are still a few Sand Martins mixed in with the Swallows and House Martins but Swifts were absent today.

Warblers have been keeping their heads down recently, most notably the Cetti's - I haven't heard a Cetti's since 22 July!! They will soon finish their moult (or their sulk) so I look forward to hearing their noisy song again soon.

Into the hide and the only birds to see were Mute Swans. After a few minutes a Marsh Harrier came into view, calling continuously. Looks like a new juvenile which may or may not have hatched here on The Mere.

6 Great Crested Grebes swam by from the west end, the last of which was a juvenile. Again, it may have hatched here but then again it may have just flown in as part of the dispersal process.

Juvenile Great Crested Grebe

As it was pretty breezy I didn't expect many butterflies and I wasn't overwhelmed by their presence. A couple of Speckled Wood, several Large White and a Red Admiral was the list seen today.

Walking back through the wood Long-tailed Tits seem to have had a good breeding season as they were everywhere.

Hornsea Mere sunset

What a fantastic sunset over the Mere tonight as I settled in to watch the Little Gulls arrive.

The Yorkshire Wolds Way: Part 1 Hessle to South Cave

OK. It isn't Hornsea but it is a walk :) To paraphrase a friend of mine - my blog, my rules! This is a long entry so you may want to get a drink before you start :)

Friday 28 July 2017 dawned clear and bright, dry and warmish. Perfect walking weather.  Also perfect was the fact that our daughter was leaving our house at 06:30 to head home and she would drop me in Beverley in good time for me to catch the 07:14 to Hull and onwards to Hessle.

The rail system worked well and I arrived at Hessle station on time and in good spirits. I had a good supply of food and drink to sustain me through the day, at least until my nearest and dearest picked me up at South Cave!!

Off I go then, on my bit-by-bit walk through The Yorkshire Wolds. I've already done a fair portion of the middle parts with friends over the months but you can't beat doing a more complete version.

The start of TYWW

There were lots of people around the path when I got near The Country Park Inn but only 2 of them (and their dog) proved to be Way Walkers. A few hundred yards in and the path was nice and empty, allowing me to concentrate on putting one foot in front of t'other and to enjoy the scenery and the wildlife. Going past the pub there is a lovely marker stone (the twin of which I hope to see on Filey Brigg) which isn't the start of the walk, it's just that there isn't room for it where the walk does start.

The Humber Bridge

A nice marker but not actually the start of the walk

Along the Humber Estuary path, walking was clear and easy, sharing this bit of the Way with the Trans Pennine Trail has its benefits as it is really smooth so the bikers can ride along in comfort. No mountain bikers passed me on this bit - obviously too easy for them.

Writer's note: you will pick up later in this narrative that some mountain bikers get on my frups. Not all mountain bikers, just those that don't have the brain power to suss out that a footpath is different to a bridleway. A bridleway is usually wide enough to allow two people, or a pedestrian and a cyclist, to pass each other reasonably easily and safely without having to step out of the way. Not always the case but 95% of the time I've found this to be true. Footpaths however come in all shapes and sizes. More later :)

Under the bridge and onwards.

Under the Humber Bridge

At the Reed Pond I had a decision to make as the tide was coming in, and the path gets submerged at high tide. I chickened out and took the alternate path through North Ferriby rather than risk a soaking or worse.

Grey Heron on the Reed Pond

The incoming tide

Negotiating the A63 junction was a bit of a nightmare as it isn't immediately obvious where the path goes after you cross the bridge but I got there in the end.

The route hadn't been particularly scenic up to now, apart from the Humber Bridge of course. I was looking forward to the next stretch of the walk to Welton and beyond which promised to be more pastoral and enjoyable.

A long gentle climb took me to the top of the hill past Greystones Pit and the scout camp with Welton not too far away...

09:47 up the hill to the scout camp

There were reasonable views over the estuary from the path as it wound westwards into Bow Plantation then down into Welton which is the first Wolds-type village on the route.

Views over the Humber estuary from above Welton

The village itself went past in a bit of a blur really. Lots of new build houses with one or two interesting bits of detail on older properties to look at.

I walked past a lovely old pond and onto the road that takes you up through a short stretch of woodland into Welton Dale, which is really nice and secluded. The first taste of a typical Wolds dale with steep sides and sheep or cattle quietly grazing.

Welton Dale

Woodland to the left as you walk through the dale

At last, somewhere to sit for a breather

I took advantage of a fallen tree to have a rest stop and a well-earned drink with some of the snack food Lin had provided to ensure I didn't die of hunger in the outback of deepest Yorkshire:)

On reaching the top of the dale the scenery changed to typical agricultural land with rolling hills and wide vistas. A fine sunny day helped the views and the crops were ripening nicely as I approached Brantingham.

Passing by Waulby Manor Farm there is a small dam with lots of wildlife. These Little Grebes took my attention for quite some time, as I hadn't seen nesting Little Grebes so closely since I left our old home nearly 3 years ago.

Little Grebe and a young 'un

Along the path towards Brantingham I came upon the place where a photo had been taken in my guide book - it'd be rude not to get the same view into my camera wouldn't it!!!

11:50 Brantingham 1 mile away

As it was nearing midday I could feel the pangs of hunger gnawing away at my stomach so it was time to find somewhere to sit and tuck in to my sarnies. There is a definite dearth of seating opportunities along Part 1 of TYWW so when one present itself you'll do well to make the most of it - so I did.

Lunch location

About 10 miles into the walk, walked 1.2 miles to get to Hessle

A bench! Lunchtime :)

Nice bit of wood carving in the shape of an acorn

 There are some great views from the hill overlooking Brantingham, both towards West Yorkshire and over the Humber

Another estuary view

Another signpost

Brantingham village

After hearing so much about this village and its church I found myself hurrying down the hill, or hurrying as much as I could with full belly. Brantingham is a lovely spot and the church is very well tended and beautiful. Worth a few minutes of anyone's time if you're in the vacinity.

 All Saints church

Up the hill out of Brantingham is a walk on the road rather than on footpaths. It isn't particularly busy but I wasn't expecting to have to trudge up the road when there's a lovely wood on either side. Only a couple of miles to go now though.

Here is where I had a bit of a do with mountain bikers. The footpath was very narrow with brambles and nettles either side, and it was steep with several blind bends. It was clearly marked no cycling so I wasn't really surprised when 4 mountain bikers came down as I was going up.

The usual thing happened. I said do you think it's safe to cycle down here, given you shouldn't be on a footpath anyway. They said f*** off, or some such witty banter. As long as they get their kicks by risking their necks going down a very steep footpath it doesn't really matter if other people may get hurt in the process does it.

Rant over. Off to South Cave :)

A pile of poo - pity that Comma butterfly got in the way

The final part of the route was down hill to South Cave but there were still great views over the estuary and down to South Cave itself, and a nice old way marker to enjoy too on the way past Great Wold Plantation.

South Cave

Barley field

A few more steps and I was out of the fields and onto the road at the end of the first part of TYWW. The sun was still shining and I was hot and a bit tired, but elated too at having started on the enjoyable task of doing the whole of the Wolds Way.

End of part one at 13:20

1.2 miles to the start then 13 miles on TYWW

 However, the best was yet to come. As I waited by the road for Lin to pick me up at the arranged spot, I started to realise something wasn't right. We've driven up and down the road to South Cave many times and it's usually busy...and surely the road is wider than the one I was looking at...and I've never actually noticed the sign before....bugger, it's the wrong road Gromit!!!! I was on the B road from Little Weighton rather than on the A1034 where I'd said I'd be.

I couldn't ring Lin to tell her of my mistake as she was driving. I had about 15 minutes to get over to the right place before she breezed by looking for a worn out old bloke by the side of the road.

I made it by the skin of my teeth, and I'd been lounging by the cemetary (very apt!) for all of 2 minutes when Lin appeared. So the day's total was 15.3 miles and my knees told me they'd been busy. A wonderful walk and I'm already planning part 2.