Holderness: Seaton, Wassand and Hornsea

A cool, sunny and breezy day, I get bus 24 to Seaton and walk to Wassand and along the public right of way on the south side of Hornsea Mere to Hornsea. Seaton has a small common or green and a village pond. A Moorhen skulks on the margins. Plenty of finches, with Linnets, Goldfinches, Chaffinches and Greenfinches in the village. I cross the busy A1035 and then I'm in the Wassand estate. A large pond holds Greylag, Moorhen and Little Grebe. A Kestrel flies away and then I hear raptor calls, there are two Marsh Harriers, one of them showing very well.

Seaton village pond.

Peacock.

Little Grebe in the Wassand pond.

Wassand pond.

New lambs with ewe.

Marsh Harrier.

Skunk Cabbage in bloom, a plant that can become invasive and favours wet woodland. Seems to be doing very well here by a ditch.

The first distant view of the mere. Also the top photo, with a curious old coppice stool with still some life in it.

Another pair of Marsh Harriers displaying.

Lund.

Skylark rising.

Reed Bunting singing.

The mere.

I get to Hornsea and join the Transpennine trail on the old railway line, finishing at the old railway station, which is the start of the long distance trail. I get my lunch at the Bay Tree Kitchen and then walk to the beach until the end of the sea defences, before getting my bus back home.

The Old Railway station.

Station and monument to the Transpennine trail.

Stream Dyke, the outflow of Hornsea Mere.

At the end of the Hornsea Defences, the sea is eroding the boulder clay cliffs creating an embayment between Mappleton (in the distance, also defenced) and Hornsea.

Some of these static caravans are sticking out of the cliff edge. I don't fancy their chances!

St. Nicholas Church.

 

Hornsea Mere and Wassand

 I went to Kirkholme in the morning, and then had a walk around Wassand Estate. Kirkholme was dominated by a very large flock of moulting Canada Geese resting with a few Greylags and the usual hybrid/domestic geese assortment. The noisy Jackdaw flock included many juveniles, and hirundines and swifts flew overhead. As I approach the point, a flock of Canadas swims in a line with the backdrop of Swan Island (above). No Little Gulls on the jetty, just some mallards and Black Headed gulls.
 A family of swans provided some entertainment. First, the male was preening on the shore, feathers falling to the ground as he vigorously, and noisily! rubbed his flanks, chest and belly.

A little further, by the jetties, the female and three cygnets. One of them giving the impression that it already felt quite grown up, as it was chasing the mallards, that were more or less its size. The quarrelsome cygnet approached me and I offered my hand. It hissed and pecked me several times! I won't be messing with it when it grows up.
 At Wassand, despite the overcast sky and drizzle, many Ringlets and Meadow Browns on the wing around the meadows, with Common Blue Damselflies. Just before I left, I spotted a Jay and watched it on a large oak before it flew away.

The lone black swan 

Cygnet chasing duck

Just before hissing at me.

Jetty

Canada greylag hybrid goose

A curious young Jackdaw

Chinese goose greylag hybrid

Rabbit in Wassand (as all the following photos)

Male Common Blue damselfly

Meadow Brown

Female Common Blue Damselfly with lunch

Ringlet

Half a mole? on the side of the path. Head and front legs missing.

Bird List (Kirkholme)

1. Black Swan        
2.  Black-headed Gull        
3.  Blackbird        
4.  Blue Tit        
5.  Canada Goose        
6.  Carrion Crow        
7.  Chaffinch        
8.  Collared Dove        
9.  Coot        
10.  Cormorant        
11.  Dunnock        
12.  Greenfinch        
13.  Greylag Goose        
14.  Greylag Goose (domestic)        
15.  Herring Gull        
16.  House Martin        
17.  House Sparrow        
18.  Jackdaw        
19.  Lesser Black-backed Gull        
20.  Long-tailed Tit        
21.  Mallard        
22.  Moorhen        
23.  Mute Swan        
24.  Pochard        
25.  Reed Warbler        
26.  Sand Martin        
27.  Song Thrush        
28.  Swallow        
29.  Swift        
30.  Tufted Duck        
31.  Woodpigeon        
32.  Wren     

Bird list (Wassand)

1. Blackbird        
2.  Blackcap        
3.  Blue Tit        
4.  Carrion Crow        
5.  Chaffinch        
6.  Chiffchaff        
7.  Dunnock        
8.  Goldcrest        
9.  Goldfinch        
10.  Great Spotted Woodpecker        
11.  Great Tit        
12.  Greenfinch        
13.  Herring Gull        
14.  House Martin        
15.  Jay        
16.  Magpie        
17.  Moorhen        
18.  Pheasant        
19.  Robin        
20.  Song Thrush        
21.  Stock Dove        
22.  Swift        
23.  Woodpigeon        
24.  Wren     

Hornsea Mere and Wassand Estate

A fine morning, with sunny spells and a light breeze, I make a first stop at Kirkholme Nab in Hornsea Mere. The place is strangely deserted, much different from the weekend. The mixed flock of Mute Swans, geese, coots and Mallards still expects to be fed, but I disappoint them today. I spot a Grey Heron on a tree on the shore opposite, and she is joined by two more later. Lone Cormorants come and go, and a couple of immature Great Crested Grebes hassle one of the adults for food. No sign of the Little Gulls or terns this time. As I watch the mere with the binoculars, I notice a large flock of hirundines flying high over the lake. They are barely visible by eye, and must be refuelling by feeding on insects. I don't manage to identify them to species. A dragonfly, possibly a Migrant Hawker hunts by the shore. Jackdaws mob seagulls or the other way round: its hard to tell.

I move onto Southorpe road and I park at the end. I start towards Wassand Hall. The paths are muddy and the grass wet, and I soon have wet feet, but in compensation it is quite warm. There is a mix of meadows and copses, with the occasional glimpse of the mere in the distance. There are many Speckled Wood butterflies, some Commas and a Red Admiral, which I flush on the way there and back. Over the meadows, Migrant Hawkers hunt. As I approach the trees, I hear the startled alarm of a Jay, and I manage to spot if flying in between trees. A Chiffchaff sings and in the way back I spot a family of Goldcrests, at some point I also hear a male singing. Two Great Spotted Woodpeckers on the conifers top the woodland bird count.
On coming back, I see that a boy and his mum and a dog are looking under my car. The woman explains there is a white rabbit under the car. Indeed there is, a fluffy, immaculately white rabbit with blue eyes. After a few minutes, we manage to catch it. The woman seems quite happy to have found an extra pet while walking the dog. We are quite far from houses, so the presumably the escaped pet rabbit has hopped quite a way.

Great Crested Grebe adult followed by begging immature

Swan Island with two Mute Swans

Red Admiral

Speckled Wood

Comma basking

Old Ash tree. Most of a side of the trunk was missing and the root ball was very large 

The path from Wassand towards Southorpe Road

Bird list

1. Black-headed Gull   
2. Blackbird   
3. Blue Tit    
4. Canada Goose    
5. Carrion Crow    
6. Chaffinch    
7. Chiffchaff   S - Singing male
8. Coal Tit    
9. Coot    
10. Cormorant    
11. Feral Pigeon    
12. Gadwall    
13. Goldcrest   S - Singing male
14. Goldfinch 4   
15. Great Crested Grebe 4   
16. Great Spotted Woodpecker 2   
17. Great Tit    
18. Grey Heron 3   
19. Greylag Goose    
20. Herring Gull    
21. House Sparrow    
22. Jackdaw    
23. Jay    
24. Kestrel 1   
25. Magpie    
26. Mallard    
27. Moorhen    
28. Mute Swan    
29. Pheasant    
30. Pied Wagtail (yarrellii)    
31. Robin    
32. Rook    
33. Sparrowhawk    
34. Treecreeper    
35. Tufted Duck    
36. Woodpigeon    
37. Wren