Train trip: Bridlington North Beach

Blue sky, crisp frost and light breeze, I take the train to Bridlington, aiming to get to the Sewerby Steps and back. The Gypsey Race is in spate, I've never seen it flowing so strong.

I can't help but to have a peek on the south side of the harbour wall before heading north. A Purple Sandpiper and an Oystercatcher are the highlights.

Purple Sandpiper

Oystercatcher.

The waves are strong on south beach, and there is a lot of mist in the air. I'm glad I'm heading north!

Cormorants on the South Beach.

At the harbour there is a flock of Dunlin bathing. It's almost low tide.

Dunlin.

I move onto the north promenade. A pair of Turnstones are squabbling for a dead crab, but a crow arrives and picks it for a bit, before leaving it again to the Turnstones. 

There are many freshwater seepages and streams across the beach and a group of gulls are having a bath on one of them.

This is a seepage on the soft cliff, where the deposits from the water have hardened sand into some kind of sandstone. The water flows over it and the sandstone has rims holding the water in.

This is tufa stone, the deposits have hardened around horsetail stems. There are a lot of horsetails on this area of the cliff.

Now the cliff looks like a conglomerate of gravel. One of the holes near the top is the best rabbit burrow in Yorkshire: south-facing, with wonderful sea views and safe too atop the cliff (plenty of grass on clifftop)

There were many Robins on the cliffs, two of these were chasing, but they they settled for a few minutes and got my first photo of three Robins!

I get to the Sewerby buried palaeobeach, where the cliff line goes under the glacial till. There is little to see today as there has been recent till falls onto the chalk edge.

A pair of House Sparrows came down to the beach to feed on seaweed. I've seen this behaviour before, maybe seaweed has some minerals that are lacking in their more terrestrial diet.

As usual, a Rock Pipit near the Sewerby steps.

A good day for basking on roofs.

I climb the steps and head back to Bridlington Station along the cliff top.

There are a lot of Redshanks in the harbour looking ready to roost.

Train trip: Scarborough Harbour and Rotunda Museum

I wanted to visit the Rotunda Museum to see some of its Pleistocene fossils for an upcoming walk, so I took the 8:21 train and was at the Rotunda for its opening time at 10:00. I spent a very interesting hour looking at the collections and cabinets. An addition since the last time I visited is the Walrus skull found at Reighton Sands in 2018, which now takes place of pride in the museum gallery.

The stunning building of the Museum in its scenic setting from the Spa Bridge.

Bone harpoons and stone axe and flint arrowheads. 

The Reighton Walrus skull.

The Rotunda ceiling.

There is a stiff northerly wind, but it's sheltered in the Harbour. I soon spot a Great Northern Diver. The Great Black-backed Gull gives an idea of its size. There are sunny spells and it's not ideal to photograph the diver against the light, so I move to the Lighthouse pier, where the views are much better.

There are two GN Divers, an immature, which has a beautifully patterned, fresh plumage.

Immature GN Diver.

Immature GN Diver.

Adult GN Diver.

This is the adult, which is moulting into its winter plumage. It got a crab and is about to swallow it after removing all the legs.

Then I got a very nice surprise, a Black-necked Diver. A few birdwatchers have told me it was about, but it surfaced just under the pier, really close, so I got brilliant views, and a lifer!

Black-necked Diver.

Black-necked Diver. It headed to the entrance of the harbour and it was soon lost from view.

Lobster Pots.

House Sparrow. They love the lobster pots.

A Grey Seal on the surf.

After lunch the divers got a bit sleepy and went together out of the harbour for a snooze.

A view of Scarborough South Bay from Spa Bridge.

 

A walk on the south of Beverley

I took the bus to Beverley and started my walk at Victoria Road by Normandy Av and weaved my way along green lanes towards Willow Lane. This was a walk of the wet side of Beverley, including various springs, becks, drains, Beckside and the River Hull.

A Chiffchaff was calling from the bushes and I managed a record shot..

This is a spring at Keldmarsh, the water bubbling from the sandy bottom in various places. I follow the stream along Willow Lane, there are still several mature White Willows along it and large patches of Water Startwort. There is a lot of house building in this area, making the OS map quite obsolete. I carry on via Long Lane until the Minster, and then make a stop at Flemingate.

The Keldmarsh beck along Willow Lane.

Water Starwort.

Moorhen.

Beverley Minster.

A Jackdaw inspects under a gutter, but then moves some leaves out of the way and gets a morsel it had probably cached there before.

After a hot drink and a snack I continue along Flemingate towards Beckside. I had never walked this western end of Beckside. I continue, checking the information panels about history and heritage of Beverley Beck.

Old restored barges at Beckside.

Crane and anchor.

Mallard at Beverley Beck.

Blackbird feeding on crab apples.

I cross under the road bridge. It has been cloudy, mild and still, but now it started to drizzle. A Kestrel is flying around Figham Common calling loudly and flushing the Starlings and Goldfinches. It eventually lands atop a tree. The Beck looks more wild now (top shot), but it is straightened and embanked, it was probably very marshy in the confluence of the river Hull and the Beck before the embankment was built.

Figham Common with cows and gulls.

A posing Blackbird.

More photos from the common.

Rook

I get to the lock between Beverley Beck and the river Hull.

River Hull.

Cormorant fishing in the River Hull.

Time to turn back. I find some Water Soldier plants in Beckside. They are more plentiful near the lock, but I find another near the start of the canal. There are old records of this native species in Beverley, but it hasn't been seen for a long time. It will be interesting to see if it comes back next year. It might just be a release, as the plant is sold as a pond ornamental.

Water Soldier.

Beverley Beck.