Thursday 10th March light NW Misty, cloudy with
some brighter periods . . . and cold
Past the
harbour hoping for an Iceland gull but not getting one, I follow the
cycle path and then the road to Flamborough. To North Landing I
search the fields along the cliff edge for the reported Richard's
pipits. There are only two other birders doing the same, a couple who
have just started birding, Steve and Judith from Wakefield. With
three large fields scanned after a couple of hours, with some time
spent enjoying the massed ranks of kittiwakes and guillemots on the
cliffs, and enjoying watching gannets, auks and fulmars flying past,
I head back to the bike for lunch.
One thought on the way back to the bike; how did that tyre get on top of that stack?
Steve and Julie had left an hour
or so ago and as I reach the first field, the field nearest to the
cafes and car park, a crow lands in it. I use my binoculars and
experience another 'oh there it is' moment. Richard's pipit
goes onto the year list.
I text
Phil, The Oracle, the good news and he asks how many. Looking back I
can see there are two of them. Brilliant, a possibly tricky to get
scarcity is seen.
Now there
has been a bittern seen close by each evening for a while and Phil
suggests seawatching and then the bittern. I have other ideas. There
is a surf scoter twelve miles away at Filey. I set off to find it.
An hour
and a half later, and after meeting two lovely couples who are out
either walking the dog, Lise and Dave or birding, Julie and Trevor
who used to live on Fetlar. I cycle along the cliff top and easily
find the first winter male surf scoter. 120 miles in the last three
days is well worth it. Two very good birds are added to the year
list. Result!
I chain
the bike to a fence and clamber down the muddy cliff to get to the
shore. I am interested in the rocks that I have seen from the top and
want a closer look. Does anybody want to hazzard a guess at what the
coral-like structures are in the limestone?
The surf
scoter is a little closer and seems to like the company of a
greta-crested grebe. I sit down on some rocks and am surprised when I
hear a loud cough. Now twenty feet away are two small seal cubs!
They're staring at me but aren't too concerned. They yawn and roll
and stretch. To be so close to two such wonderful animals is, here
comes that favourite word of mine, a privilege.
So the
year list is 183, which is still twenty two ahead of this time last
year. Almost coincidentally the 182nd bird I saw last year
was surf scoter at Hoylake on the 14th of April.
23.95
Miles 1099 feet elevation up 1012 feet elevation down
No comments:
Post a Comment