Withernsea to Sand-le-Mere walk

 A day of sunny spells and northerly wind, I'm curious to visit Withernsea, mainly to find out what happened to the stranded Sperm Whales, almost a year on. I get to Pier Road about 9:15 and as I step out of the car, a Woodcock flies over and dips on the trees beyond. I fail to refind it, but it's a good way to start the day. I walk to the promenade and scan the sea. A flock of ducks flies over in off from the sea, I can't distinguish any particular features, maybe they are Gadwall. Shortly after, a Short-eared Owl is being pestered by Herring Gulls offshore. Signs of migration everywhere! As I start my walk on the beach itself, a rainbow appears and then grows. It looks like I'm going to walk inside the rainbow (top shot). Predictably, this materialises into a very fine drizzle which fortunately, only lasts a few minutes.

Flying ducks.

Short-eared Owl.

Short-eared Owl and Herring Gull.

There is always a pair of Kestrels hunting along the cliff at Owthorne, today wasn't an exception. Here is the male.

I scan ahead, looking for some sign of the stranding of the pod of young male Sperm Whales. Finally, I get to the only sign remaining, looking like a large chunk of skull.

A collapsed section of the cliff.

Common Gull.

There is a flock of about 17 Ringed Plovers ahead on the shoreline.

Ringed Plovers.

Sanderling.

The pair of Kestrels hovering.

Is it a bank vole or a field vole?

I walk around the now disappeared mere at Sand-le-Mere. I stand at the embankment and look at the low lying basin with Tunstal drain crossing it. I see a vole scurrying into a metal fence post. I crouch and wait for a little while and it eventually pops its head up for a photo. Unfortunately, there is no trace of the submarine forest that was so well exposed last time I was here last year. Despite the low tide, a thick layer of sand is now covering it, only a section of peaty mud with some roots is exposed.

The low-lying basin of the old mere.

Reed Bunting.

The slope to the beach at Sand-le-Mere.

The last remains of the last boat at the boat compound at Sand-le-Mere.

I have my lunch near the Greenwich Meridian crossing, on the low lying slope at Sand-le-Mere. On the walk back, a small bird flies over calling 'chew, chew' I get a glimpse of the black and white wings, it's a Snow Bunting, my first this year!

A clay sequence with signs of roots, probably to be found under the peat of the mere is the only exposure at Sand-le-Mere.

A Great Black-backed Gull back at Withernsea.