South Landing, Danes Dyke, Bridlington

Another unplanned trip. Initially I thought I'd go to Bempton, but upon checking the weather with a cold northerly I decided to stay on the Flamborough area, but walk on the sheltered, shouthern side of the peninsula. I got the train to Bridlington and then the C14 coaster to Flamborough. On the way I watched the increasing number of Kittiwakes settling onto their nest sites and starting to call. Herring Gulls and Lesser Black-backed are well known urban gulls, not so Kittiwakes (other than the famous colony on the Tyne bridge in Newcastle). They are charismatic, endangered birds and we should celebrate them, but instead people put netting on roofs to deter them, which ends up entangling gulls and their chicks.

This Kittiwake is not moving from her nest on King Street, but it is a risk to nest by the netting as either the parents or the chicks can become entangled.

This Herring Gull wasn't as lucky. It probably was a long and painful death.

This Kittiwake displayed on its downpipe. They use very narrow ledges, but this one is quite ambitious!

After a short bus ride I got to Flamborough. The tide was rising and I had 3 hours before high tide. It was not a very high tide, so that left plenty of time to walk to Danes Dyke by the base of the cliff, which should take half an hour. When I got to South Landing, I was surprised about the amount of sand on the beach (top shot). This was the case much of the walk, which made it for a much nicer one underfoot, as I alternated walking on chalk boulders and walking on quite compact sand. It was relatively quiet bird wise, compared to the winter.

Whitethroat at South Landing.

Great Black-back Immature showing its bulky bill.

Displaying Stock Dove.

Rock Pipit.

As I was approaching Danes Dyke, I noticed hundreds of sand hoppers, jumping up the beach ahead of the rising tide. Some got stopped by chalk boulders, and they would pile up in front of the boulders and slowly make their way up. I walked around Danes Dyke until high tide. Walk on the dry bed of the beck, had a coffee and recorded the wonderful ferns. The calls of a Nutchatch called my attention and Imanaged to find it and take some photos. An Early Purple Orchid was also quite a nice and unexpected find.

The bottom of the ravine.

Unfurling Male Fern.

Unfurling fronds of Hart's Tongue Fern.

Ferns everywhere under the greening canopy.

A bed of flowering and pungent ramsons at the sides of the path.

Nutchatch upside down.

And right way up. There are also Nuthatches at Sewerby, but few other places in East Yorkshire have then.

Early Purple Orchid.

The wind didn't bother me much in the sheltered south side of the peninsula. It was cold even in the sunshine.

A Green Tiger Beetle was hunting on the beach. Until a wave took it away!

Pied Wagtail. I love the white canvas of the chalk rocks at Flamborough.

Oystercatchers.

Whimbrel.

Wheatear.

Turnstones. A group of 22 fed and roosted on the beach.

One of two Purple Sandpipers fed with the Turnstones.

The Yorkshire Belle.

Crow and Rabbit.

A brisk walk along north beach and I soon was back at Bridington. The tide was still quite high and after a walk around the harbour I walked back to the station to catch my train back.