Train trip: Wilsthorpe Dunes

Before the wind picked up in the afternoon, it was a relatively mild day with the sun breaking between light clouds. I had planned to head to Bridlington and walk along the south beach to Fraisthorpe, but I was so entertained exploring the dunes by the Park and Ride and Wilsthorpe that I never made it there. I had long wanted to explore this lovely stretch of dunes, a rare habitat of the East Yorkshire coast where there is little erosion and the sand accumulates with plenty of natural vegetation, and as I found, plenty of insects.

I catch the 8:01 train to Bridlington and I head towards the harbour. It's high tide. As usual, there are Turnstones everywhere, Redshanks on their usual roost on the outer wall, and the first of several surprises: two Red-throated Divers fishing just outside the harbour south wall, later one inside the harbour at low tide. 

Herring Gull long calling near the station.

Oystercatcher roosting.

Great Black-backed Gull.

Juvenile Red-throated Diver.

Adult Red throated Diver winter plumage.

Dunlin.

Turnstone.

Knot

Sadly, there were many dead Guillemots on the beach, about 8 carcasses, and some individuals in the water looked weak. This one got stranded on the beach as the tide ebbed. Someone came with a cloth and bag and picked it up.

Amongst the dunes

I walk along the south beach to reach the dunes by the Par&Ride and Wilsthorpe. The sunshine is getting insects out, so I take the chance and explore the dunes. 

An Ivy Bee on a dandelion. They seem to be in active expansion!

A female Long-winged Conehead catching the sunshine on a wall. I managed some recordings of males calling too.

The male of a pair of Stonechats on the dunes.

Rabbit with Mixomatosis. Many rabbit warrens.

Looking north towards Bridlington.

One of a number of Common Field Grasshoppers.

These crows harassed this young gull as it was feeding on something by the trick of pulling its tail. The gull was not impressed and after a while, it took off.

Another view of the dunes.

As I take my lunch sitting on an anti-talk defences as the dunes fizzle out into the cliff by Fraisthorpe, I notice hundreds of Kelp Flies were gathered at the top of the beach.

A crow checks the mud this man had dug out in search for worms.

Some horse riders at the beach.

A Pied Wagtail had it easy catching flies as there were so many.

Time to walk back. I walk on the beach this time. There is some migration off shore. Some Wigeon fly south and five Eiders north. The most astounding thing is to watch an Arctic Skua chasing a common gull across the s beach! Pity it was too distant for good shorts.

The tables turn and the gull appears to chase the skua.

The skua, probably an Arctic Skua, flies towards the sea.

One of six Guillemots in the harbour at low tide. 

After a hot drink at a cafe, I head towards the train station to catch my train back.

Summer in October at East Park

It was unseasonably warm today, we reached 22 oC, and the sun shone. I walked to East Park as the warmth in the air contrasted with the flocks of Redwings migrating overhead. A Little Egret flew over Beverley Road.

As I got to East Park I heard the Rooks calling from the oaks. Thousands of acorns carpeted the road, is a mast year, when oaks in an area produce a bumper crop of acorns. The Rooks will be busy visiting the oaks, filling their bills with acorns, and transporting them to cache somewhere else, as they don't come to the ground at East Park.

 

It was a surprise to find two Coot families with young chicks. Will they have enough time to raise them?

The parents were visiting regularly with tiny bits of food to offer the chicks.

There were two Cormorants in  the lake today. This one flapped its wings vigorously.

A female Gadwall was on the central island...

...with two Teal.

Two terrapins were enjoying the sunshine in the branch by the zoo island.

I like how they stretch their feet behind them when basking, they remind me of seals!

At some point five Migrant Hawkers were patrolling the boardwalk. The only dragonfly species I saw. No Willow Emeralds today.

This male stopped briefly.

I notice that the Water Lettuce that we spotted on the lake a month ago, is doing well and the clumps are spreading. Their tiny flower is visible in this one.

A growing clump of water lettuce. This is one of the worst invasive aquatic plants in tropical and subtropica areas, but it is not thought to be able to survive our winters, so when released it behaves like an annual. Lets hope that any seeds won't survive either.

One of the Great Crested Grebe parents with their young. The young were skorkelling and diving following the parents' behaviour.

A Comma, a Red Admiral, several Speckled Wood and two whites was the butterfly list today.

On the way back I visited the trunk at Rockford fields. There was a single Roesel's female basking. There were many Roesel's calling, more than Lomg-winged Coneheads. I spotted this make on his perch.

Speckled Wood.

This large terrapin was on the drain, watching me as I took her photo.

Train trip: Bempton Cliffs

 

After finding bush-crickets in Scarborough and Filey I was keen to see if they were around Bempton, as they were no records of them there. I took the 8:21 train trip to Bempton and got there without hitches this time. The weather was sunny on the way there, but windy, and soon after I arrived, dark clouds gathered and it started to rain. I pushed towards the cliffs and was very surprised to find that there were still Gannet chicks on the cliffs, just a handful, but at least two were still downy.

A very late, downy 'guga'

A busy Gannet 'shelf'.

These two young gannets looked ready to fledge.

A pair of Great Black-backed gulls loafing on the exposed rocks on the ebbing tide.

Shag.

Herring Gull.

Pink-footed Geese. Several skeins flew south coming in from the sea. About 10 House Martins flew north.

Another late species, a single Blue-tailed Damselfly.

Willow Emerald, now breeding in the reserve pond.

Many Common Darters around, particularly along the wildlife paths.

Red Admiral, very plentiful this year.

The sun shone after a while, and I got the bat detector out. Weather was very cool, but soon the sunshine encouraged a Long-winged Conehead to call. I even managed to spot him and a female, basking nearby. No sign of Roesel's though.

Long-winged Coneheads.

As I searched for the bush-crickets, I was told there was a Short-eared Owl perched nearby. It was indeed, very active looking around and preening.

Short-eared Owl.

Short-eared Owl.

Kestrel.

A large flock of Goldfinches roamed across the fields, with a smaller one of Linnets. The wind was picking up so I headed back to the visitor centre for some lunch before heading back to the station.