Shearwaters and whales from Staithes

Every few years, I do enjoy a boat trip, despite getting seasick easily. This Sunday, me and some friends had booked a Seabird and cetacean watching boat trip with Yorkshire Coast Nature, led by Richard Baines. The boat, with skipper Sean, sailed from the picturesque village of Staithes at 9 am. We were going to be six hours at sea, looking for pelagic seabirds and cetaceans. There was some light wind from the NW and the sea was a bit choppy, but it was mild and pleasant to be out. After a brief light shower to start with, we had some long sunny spells and great visibility. 

In the last few years, the North Yorkshire Coast has become a cetacean hot spot. In particular, Minke Whales and Bottlenose Dolphing gather close to shore in the late summer for the herring and mackerel spawning season. Other species are seen more occasionally. On the trip, Sean kept a close eye on the boat's radar for signs of spawning fish, and on the horizon, scanning for feeding gannets, which are visible from long distances. Once we were out at sea, Richard started chumming, throwing pieces of fish off the boat to attract pelagic birds. Some of these, like Shearwaters and Fulmars, have a keen sense of smell, and can hone in on the free feast. That's probably what attracted a group of Sooty Shearwaters to our boat. I had never seen them so close and for so long, my best views from another pelagic trip from Bridlington, were very distant. Not only they had close by fly passes, but one of them landed right by us. 

One of two Dunlins at Staithes Beck.

Grey Wagtail.

Leaving Staithes.

The boat's radar showing a spawning aggregation (the orange and red blobs at the bottom of the screen).

Gannet flyover.

Anglers at work.

Two Sooty Shearwaters.

Sooty Shearwater. A photographical challenge today on a choppy sea rocking the boat, I'm pretty pleased I managed, with a lot of straightening photos for the blog!

Sooty Shearwater.

Fulmar.

We had gotten as far as five miles out. It was time to head back to have a hot drink and cake provided by Sean sheltered at Runswick Bay. As we headed towards land, the views of the rugged North Yorkshire coast, with the towering cliffs of Boultby, the tallest in England were breathtaking. We saw the Grey Seal colony at Kettleness, with many seals bobbing by the rocks.

Guillemot. 

Young Guillemot following dad. There were fledgling Guillemots and Razorbills calling or following their fathers closely.

An aggregation of gulls feeding just as Sean showed us a column of emerging sand-eels.

Kittiwake, only a few by the coast, the rest having moved offshore to the open sea.

Great Black-backed Gull. Much more numerous than Herring Gulls once we were far from the coast.

Seal colony at Kettleness.

Razorbill.

Bobbing Grey Seal.

After the break, we went back to an area where a Minke had been seen the day before. A butterfly flew in from the sea and we followed it as it flew towards the land. Just at that moment, the dark back and dorsal fin of a whale surfaced, Minke! This was my first baleen whale ever, just before heading back to harbour, when we thought we were going to miss out on the whales! The Minke Whale surfaced in front of us five or six times, giving everyone a chance to spot it. Surprisingly quick, a brief short blow, and in a couple of seconds, the back and dorsal fins emerged and disappeared under water. We managed to take some photos of the dorsal fin, which was quite distinctive (top shot) with a blunt tip and a nick on the trailing edge. Richard has made some research and compiled and named distinctive local whales, and amazingly, we could identify the whale as 'Bitse', a whale that hadn't been seen in the area for many years (since 2013!). Later on, we spotted another whale surfacing a couple of times. Sean explained how the presence of the whales is related to the abundance of fish and spawning and showed spawning mackerel and hatching sand eels on the boat radar. Whale MacDonalds indeed!

We even finished with a rainbow.

Back at Staithes, ready for our lunch to top up an unforgettable day!

Holderness: Garton, Fitling, Humbleton and Sproatley

This is the last of the planned walks of the Holderness series. A warm day with an easterly wind and wispy high clouds, I get the three buses to Garton, actually four, as just short of the last stop, we are asked to leave the bus and board another one! At least it's a quick change and I get to Garton by 9:20, the earliest that can be done with public transport. I take back lane and then Humbleton Road towards Fitling. A Kestrel hunts from a stack of straw bales, whilst a young Buzzard calls over a copse. 

Kestrel.

A promise of a cofe turns to nothing, as the Spotted Duck cafe is not open on a Monday.

Black Bryony, their heart-shaped shiny leaves obvious on the hedges along the route.

The hamlet of Fitling sits between two minor single track roads, connected by a third. I take the route around the hamlet, which includes a caravan site, fishing ponds, stables and farms. Swallows and House Martins fly about. House Sparrows have a dust bath on a rough track. There is a flock of about 50 Rooks with a few Jackdaws and a Greylang feeding on a grassy field. Many young birds are more obvious than the adults: Robins, Whitethroats and Pheasant. This time of the year, with adult birds moulting, they tend to stay out of the way. 

Painted Lady.

Moorhen on fishing pond at Fitling.

Young Robin.

Chaffinch.

Rooks.

The arable fields are all harvested, the straw in bales or stacks.

Returned Common Gull.

Young Pheasants.

The single track road heading north towards Humbleton Road.

Adults and young Swallows.

Linnet.

I follow the road to Humbleton. It is getting to the middle of the day and the tarmac increases the feeling of heat. It is not too busy, which is good. The fields feel parched and there is not much of interest. At Humbleton, I head for St Peter's Church (top shot). The churchyard is very inviting, the lovely gate opened, Feral Pigeons and Jackdaws call from the church tower. I have my packed lunch sitting on one of the niches in the shade of the church, watching Migrant Hawkers hunt by the trees.

A lovely set of well kept cottages.

And one in need of TLC, the front door covered on an overgrown cotoneaster. 

A wonderful tree as I leave Humbleton.

I take Lelley road, which is not too busy, and I'm relieved at the sight of the bridleway sign, which meanders along ditches and fields all the way to Sproatley. I check the time, I'm making good progress to catch my bus to Hull. I have a bit of time, which I spend on the churchyard at Sproatley and the field just south of the church.

Bridleway sign from the road.

The view from the briddleway.

Ruddy Darter.

A pond with Bullrushes is the home of some Reed Buntings.

Friendly horse on a paddock near Sproatley.

I welcome the sight of this bench on the outskirts of Sproatley.

Looking back from Sproatley.

A dead mole on the path.

A Migrant Hawker landed for a quick rest near Sproatley Church.

And this is the end of this series of walks celebrating south Holderness and its wildlife. I will link back to these walks when I walk in the area in the future, which I most certainly will do!

Holderness: Burstwick and Burton Pidsea

A sunny, warm day with little wind, I take the 75 bus to Burstwick and leave the bus just before the village to have a look at the pond south of it. Two Emperor Dragonflies are hunting over the water and along the hedgerows. Domestic Geese, Mallard, a juvenile Black-headed Gull and Pied Wagtails is all I see. I walk across the village and take the public right of way along Burswick Drain. By the bridge over the drain there is a small patch of long grass and I do some recording of butterflies and grasshoppers. A pair of Common Blue butterflies are nice and also some Roesel's Bush-cricket. All along the drain in the stretch along the golf course, there are plenty of butterflies. As I get to Thack Carr Bridge, I see a Brown Hare running top speed towards me. I freeze and the hare seems to realise I'm there, does an incredible U turn and runs away. Later I spot two hares on the fields of the Carr. A Curlew flies away and lands beyong that field. The heat haze is strong and the photos not great, but there are about 9 Curlew feeding at Thack Carr. 

Juvenile Black-headed Gull.

Common Green Grasshopper.

Female Common Blue Butterfly.

Male Roesel's Bush-cricket singing.

Brown Hare.

Ruddy Darter.

I get to Braemere Drain and cross the new bridge. Six bay horses feed on the paddock, one of them watching me intently. I reach Fielden Lane, a busy road and turn right towards Burton Pidsea. A huge flock of Rooks and Jackdaws takes flight, apparently spooked by a hunting Buzzard. I take Back Lane and walk to St Peter and St Paul church, a 12th century, Grade 1 listed, building, the construction with cobble and stone dressings and some brick. There is a small park by the church, with wildlife garden features. It's time to turn round, but to make it more interesting I walk back by Greens Lane and then join Burstwick Drain by the golf course and make my way back to Burstwick bus stop.

Horse at Braemere Farm. 

A large flock of Rooks and Jackdaws flew up and away from...

...a Buzzard.

St Peter and St Paul church at Burton Pidsea.

A pair of Swan Geese and two goslings was an odd sight at Burton Pidsea.

Mill at Burton Pidsea. 

Yellowhammer.

I had never seen a field planted with Fennel.

Linnet.

Curlew at Thack Carr.

A Swift over Burstwick.