A trip to Speeton Sands

We spend the morning at Speeton Sands. There has been a gap in the weather and it's very pleasant, long sunny spells, with just a light breeze. It is almost low tide, and as we climb down the cliff onto the beach, we watch Gannets and Sandwich Terns diving for fish not far from the shore. Squadrons of Guillemots and Razorbills move to and from Bempton Cliffs. From the hillside a Chiffchaff sings.
 We search for fossils on the clay at the base of the cliffs, and for a long while we find nothing. Then we reach an area of slate grey clay and find a cluster of belemnites, some of them the smallest I've seen. Later we find another good patch and a large fragment of an ammonite.
 We walk until the base of the chalk cliffs and then turn round. A young seal is on the edge of the rising tide, trying not to get splashed by the waves, oblivious to us. It looks healthy, so we leave it alone.
 By the caravan park, we watch a pair of wagtails courting, the female not too welcoming to the male's courtship dance.

The descent to the beach, with Filey Brigg in the distance.

Gannet diving

Sandwich Tern

View of Bempton Cliffs

The first fragment of belemnite we found.

Pied Wagtail

Shag

Kidney Vetch, Anthyllis vulneraria.

A group of Greater black-backed gulls

 A couple of shots of the young grey seal

Male Pied Wagtail displaying to the female.

A pair of swallows collected blades of grass for their nest lining.

A selection of the belemnites found showing the range of sizes.