Train trip: Filey Brigg

I hadn't been at Filey for a couple of years, and I missed the Hull Nats trip last weekend, so in view of the sunny weather, I decided to do a train trip there today. The 8:21 service was cancelled due to a broken down train, so before catching the following train I did a bit of plant recording around the city centre. The train trip went without a glitch, but the delay meant that I had missed the chance of walking to the Brigg by the coastal path. A beautiful blue sky, and a stiff southerly wind, with a pleasant temperature. I started by walking on the edges of the Country Park by the cliff. Aided with the bat-detector, it wasn't long before I spotted my first Long-winged Coneheads on the long grass fringing the cliff (top photo). Their abundance and presence of nymphs indicate they've been here a while.

Male Long-winged Conehead.

Female Long-winged Conehead.

Roesel's were also calling around the pond, but I failed to spot any. These records are the first of both bush-crickets in Filey and the only ones between a record in Bridlington a few years back and the ones from Scarborough a couple of weeks ago. It shows how under-recorded bush-crickets are!

The view of Carr Naze and the Brigg.

Small Tortoiseshell.

After the successful bush-cricket recording. I walked along the beach until the start of the rock-pools. A female Kestrel was hunting over the cliffs, the southerly wind creating a strong up-draft at Carr Naze, that the Kestrel took advantage of. 

Kestrel, perched on the up-draft on the edge of the cliff.

No chance of walking along the rocks to the Brigg, the tide was already quite high. I had an early lunch at the cobble ramp in the town. Sandwich Terns flew back and forth along the beach. A cormorant sat on a groyne marker post. Some people were swimming, kids squealing excitedly chasing waves. After lunch, up I climbed the steep incline of the ravine and I walked north along the cliffs. Gannets and rafts of Razorbills sat on the balmy water, sheltered from the wind.

Gannet.

Razorbills.

I returned to Carr Naze via the country park, a fresh comma basked on a hedge.

Comma.

Past high tide now, but still too early to cross along the coast. I decided to walk down the steep and narrow footpath half-way down Carr Naze. This is a sun trap that is often great for insects. Common Field Grasshoppers basked on the path itself. A Meadow Pipit wasn't happy with me interrupting whatever it was doing.

Meadow Pipit.

Common Centaury.

I got safely to the waters edge. A couple of dead Guillemots floated on the tide-line, some of about 8 dead auks I saw today, possibly avian flu? There were a couple of scrambling spots where the waves lapped the cliffs, before I made it to the Brigg. A Wren flew ahead of me. Cormorants sat on the rocks with roosting Oystercatchers. I sat on the rocks for a while watching a dozen Common Terns fishing north of the Brigg just by the shore, amongst Guillemots and Razorbills. They were very successful getting small silvery fish.

Juvenile Common Tern.

Razorbills.

Sandwich Tern, facing the wind.

Guillemot.

Guillemots.

Common Tern.

It was time to head back to the station, aiming for the 16:16 train. On the way back three Rock Pipits and a lovely Wheatear.

Rock Pipit.

Wheatear.

Wheatear.

I take the steep, eroded path up Carr Naze. It is less scary going uphill, and I avoid the slippery intertidal path just after high tide.

Train trip: Scarborough to Crook Ness

 

I took the train to Scarborough for a walk along the coastal Cleveland Way. The day started a bit misty, but warm, and soon the sun was shining and the light breeze atop the cliffs made for a wonderful summer feel walk. I headed straight for Scalby Mills, as I was keen to explore two ravines, Scalby Mill and Crook Ness. Both have a southerly aspect and I was wondering if an undiscovered population of Dark Bush-crickets might be lurking there. I'll give you the answer now: no Dark bush-crickets were found, however, there were other bush-cricket surprises!

Looking back with Scarborough Castle on the horizon.

It was nice to see a female Common Field Grasshopper jumping down from a concrete post and start to lay eggs on the soil. This is the only grasshopper species seen, but it was plentiful. 

Long-winged Conehead habitat by the road.

Of course I had taken my bat-detector along. The first surprise was Long-winged Cone-heads on a patch of grassland by the road just up from the Scalby Mills pub. This wasn't a very large surprise through, as we saw the species at Ravenscar, a more northern location. Long-winged Cone-heads were calling all along the walk, they seem very established as they've been there for a while. Unfortunately the high temperatures meant that they weren't showing much, so no photos, just sound recordings of them.

I cross the bridge over Scalby Beck, always picturesque and much better on a sunny summer day!

View while climbing the small valley to carry on the Cleveland Way.

From the sea came the wailing calles of Oystercatchers and Curlew. Cormorants dried their wings on rocks as the falling tide exposed them and Grey Heron stood by rock pools having a go to pond dipping.  

Grey Heron.

The walk gets more interesting as I start picking the first Roesel's buhs crickets on the grassland over Scalby Beck. They are numerous and the habitat forms a long strip along the path, so their whirring accompanies me along. Although I try to triangulate their position with the bat detector, I fail to spot any, probably also hiding inside the grass tussocks. When I get home I check and find these are the first Roesel's in VC62 and some of the northernmost in the UK.

The views of this walk are truly spectacular!

An interpretation board for Scalby Lodge ponds. No water was visible from the footpath.

Curlew.

I'm very pleased to spot a few Wall Butterflies basking on the footpaths... 

or feeding on Creeping Thistle.

Arriving to Crook Ness.

The interpretation board has fallen to the ground. Interesting to read that the track to the beach along the ravine was used to collect building materials with donkey and cart. The cliffs are quite high and this is one of the few access points to the beach. The ravine is very narrow and steep, and there is a trickle of water on the beck. Ferns clothe the sides of the ravine, but it is very enclosed and as soon as you are on the beach it feels very dry. The only orthopterans to be seen or heard were Common Field Grasshoppers.

Common Field Grasshopper.

I have my packed lunch on a large boulder overlooking the sea. I'm quick, as there is a long way back to the train.

The bottom of Crook Ness.

There are reeds, but not many brambles at the bottom of the ravine.