Bempton, the return of the seabirds

Hearing that the seabirds had returned to Bempton cliffs we decided to make our first visit of the year.

The car park was quite busy and really the overflow area needed to be used but we were lucky enough to find a parking space.

Sunday was one of those beautiful spring days with hardly a breeze and a big blue sky. We expected things may be different on the cliff tops but found the air was just as still and ended up returning our warm clothing to the car, it was a day for summer gear.

 

 Tree sparrows could be seen near the visitor centre.

As we made our way towards the viewpoints the air was full of the sound of Skylarks.

At Staple Newk we could see the Gannets had returned. They are an amazing bird both in appearance and behaviour.

Every year there are thousands of seabirds nesting at Bempton. Even though Gannets, Guillemots, Kittiwakes, Fulmars and Razorbills have their fans most visitors scan the cliff face to see Puffins. 

It is a bit early in the year to see many but you can see a couple amongst the Gannets in this photograph (click on the photo to view a larger version).

To me they are an added bonus at Bempton and I do not favour any species over another. They are all part of the whole experience but there is no doubting the popularity of the Puffin.

Jackdaws are very common on the cliff tops. I love their blue eyes.

This one was keeping a close eye on me.

Looking down to the base of the cliffs we could see an angler. He was quite a distance from the safety of the sands of Filey bay and as the tide was coming in I wonder how he got back. There are some treacherous looking "get downs" known to the locals with ropes and ladders so maybe he used one of these to climb back up.

The high cliffs mean that often we are looking down to birds in flight.

They need little space to build their nests or rear their young.

The RSPB have installed some cameras to give a closer view. It is a good job these Razorbills are not shy.

The sea was very calm. This sailing boat was having to use engine power.

Groups of Gannets kept flying past.

Kittiwakes, Guillemots and Razorbills bobbed about on the sea below them.

Most of the birds kept low down but some like this Fulmar would venture higher up towards the cliff tops.

Or like these gulls, venture above.

Large numbers of Ladybirds were present. This one had found a good spot to catch the sun although being bright red it wasn't well hidden.I quite liked the way the fence post mimicked the cliff face.

We made our way back to the car park. Unfortunately the ECO cafe is not at Bempton anymore and we had to make do with drinks from the RSPB shop, still we had worked up a thirst and were grateful for the tea, coffee and the limited snacks on offer. A cafe would no doubt do very well here.

Some of the birds hang around the picnic tables in the hope of food. These two pigeons had other things on their mind though and were engaging in a courtship routine.

There is no doubt that Spring has arrived.

Upsetting the Balance

For one reason or another my nature walks have been few this year. Today however I was under strict instructions from Mrs WoldsEnd to get out into the fresh air and enjoy what was a perfect spring day. 

There was hardly a cloud in the sky and a very light breeze. The early morning frost had gone and the temperature was rising. 

Off I went to Allerthorpe Wood.

On arrival I was met with this notice next to a bird feeding station with instructions not to feed the birds due to the food attracting rats.

It seems well intentioned people have upset the balance. I wonder where the rats will go now - they are only wild animals trying to survive so maybe they will find more food in the nearby piggery.

A little further along this Tree sparrow was fortunate enough to have found some food.

There was plenty of activity from the Grey squirrels

I carried on with my walk enjoying the warmth from the sun and the blue sky

I was not the only one enjoying the sun

There were quite a few birds high in the trees but this Goldcrest was lower down.

The peaceful day was interrupted by the sound of heavy machinery and it seemed some work was being carried out in the woodland. I headed back altering my route to avoid an area from which the sound of voices and chainsaws emanated.

First Visit

Carp Lake

It seems like ages since Mrs WoldsEnd and I had a nature walk. We were busy most of last year with our new cottage on the coast. It is only a few miles from Bempton Cliffs but we had little time for more than a couple of quick visits there and even less time to venture out to other places.

Seeing good weather forecast for Saturday we decided to get out and visit a new place for us - North Cave Wetlands . 

It is one of those places that we have been wanting to visit but have not got around to it. On arrival we were encouraged by the sound and then sight of geese.

Setting off to walk round we were met by a member of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and encouraged by him telling us what we may see (the Marsh Harrier managed to avoid us!) and also future plans to enlarge the reserve. Although it is free entry I was pleased that I was a member as it seems they spend the money well.

 Turret Hide

There are a number of hides and a new one being built. We gave these a miss as we wanted to explore the reserve and anyway they seemed rather busy. Walking along the path the sound of the birds was only occasionally interrupted by traffic on the road that runs along one side of the reserve. There were a couple of feeding stations attracting Tits and Finches together with some rabbits.

Sitting on a bench we saw some Long-tailed tits who stayed awhile until disturbed by a couple deep in conversation. It was such a peaceful day that any noise made the birds in the surrounding trees fly away.

Most of the waterfowl were well away from the public areas having a mid-afternoon snooze.

Occasionally however some birds would take to the sky.

With temperatures dropping we walked along the track at the side and stopped at The Wild Bird Cafe for some warming drinks.

The sun had decided to pop behind some clouds but as we walked to the Turret hide it came out again.

Some of the geese became restless and flew away to the surrounding fields.

North Cave Wetlands is a super reserve that we have been missing out on but after our first visit we are determined to return on a regular basis. If you do visit please consider joining the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust - you will see what good work they do.

As the sun went down we returned to the car and a friendly Great tit bid us farewell

Filey Bay Sunset

Filey Bay Sunset
Originally uploaded by Wolds End

As there wasn't a cloud in the sky where we live, Mrs WoldsEnd and I popped over to Filey Bay. Approaching the coast we found that the clouds started just out to sea and in the distance we could see heavy showers.

As the sun went down behind us the light reflected onto the clouds creating this effect. The colours were amazing - this is not a photshop effect this is what it was like for just a few minutes until the sun set and took the wonderful light with it.

In search of Tufty

As a small child I was a member of the Tufty club - a brilliant idea by whoever thought of it as they made children take notice of road safety using a series of animations featuring a Red squirrel called Tufty Fluffytail that were narrated by Bernard Cribbins. Sadly since those days squirrels are mainly grey and so am I.

There are still pockets of Red squirrels remaining and I do occasionally see them in the Lake District but in the last few years they have been encouraged to thrive in woodland just outside Hawes in Wensleydale. A Red squirrel trail has been created and although 9.5 miles in total the prospect of seeing Red squirrels had Mrs WoldsEnd and I driving to Hawes and setting off on the walk.

A Nikon D300s and 300mm F4 made the rucksack quite heavy but off I went with a Nikon P7000 hanging round my neck. We were soon enjoying the countryside views.

Stopping to empty the contents of a flask we were passed by a flock of sheep being herded up the country lane. I just managed to rescue my rucksack before the sheep dog cocked his leg!

The road was littered with sheep droppings so we thought it quite funny that somebody had thought a dog waste bin was needed in this spot - I wonder how much that cost.

Climbing up a hill the views got even better.

The route took us through a field with cows. 

Passing the main group of standing cows and calves we were a little shocked to see a large bull a few feet away from us. Thankfully he turned out to either be friendly or not bothered to do anymore than watch us pass.

On reaching some woodland we heard the noise of heavy machinery as tree felling operations were underway. Looking at the map we saw a footpath through the wood that would avoid this and soon came across the sign showing us the way. In the midst of the wood we found the path blocked by wind fallen trees with a notice telling us to follow the tape around - the tape had also suffered from the ravages of the weather and was not easy to follow but we eventually found the path again. On leaving the wood we were pleased to see footpath signs across the fields but they deposited us in a farm yard and we could not find the route. Thankfully the friendly occupants of the farmhouse were outside enjoying the warm weather and helped us on our way. We rejoined the trail crossing a stream and quickly crossing a field to avoid the horse-flies that tried to bite before we noticed them.

Shortly after that we reached the Red squirrel viewing point and were very pleased to see one near the feeder. As the squirrels appeared so did thousands of biting midges making it quite an ordeal to stand still with a camera. The light was not good and as I was using a 1.7 teleconverter on the lens (thereby loosing 1.5 stops of valuable light) I had to increase the ISO as much as I dared and use a slow shutter speed - it is very difficult to keep a camera and long lens steady when being bitten by thousands of midges. I endured the ordeal until I could stand it no longer and got some photos. I noticed the squirrels having a good scratch so maybe they were also being bitten. Midge repellent will be essential for our next visit!

 The feeder has been especially designed to deter Grey squirrels the sheep skull is for the squirrels to gnaw on for calcium.

With our mission accomplished we set off back - choosing the road to avoid the forestry work and bull and using Tufty's best road safety advice.