Yorkshire Three Day Birdwatching Trip Seabirds And Much More
A Gannet over RSPB Bempton Cliffs, Yorkshire, a superb place to enjoy birds.
Our annual visit to Yorkshire is always a brilliant trip and this year again proved what a wonderful location the area is for a Birdwatching Trip. On Friday we travelled across to RSPB Blacktoftsands Nature Reserve, picking up Noreen from her home and Will and Prissilla from Goole Railway Station. At the reserve we met Roger and Rita, so we had a full team for our three day trip. We visited three of the hides at this wetland reserve and enjoyed great birds. One of the first birds we watched was a lovely Bearded Tit. This delightful orange bird was feeding out in the open on mud below the reed-bed and we all had super views through the Leica telescopes. What a wonderful start to our Birdwatching Trip! Six male Ruff, in various stages of moult from their amazing breeding plumage, showed off alongside Lapwings and a nice selection of wildfowl. Giving the Bearded Tit a good run for bird of the day was a stunning Barn Owl. This beautiful bird posed on top of an old shack in full view just wonderful! The owl even turned around allowing us all views of both back and front, wow! In a nearby nest-box we could just see a large Barn Owl check through the entrance hole.
Greenshank – great to see returning migrant waders on their way back.
At the next hide we had great views of two Green Sandpipers and a leggy Greenshank. At the third hide we visited it was the Marsh Harriers that were the highlight. These most graceful raptors, at least four birds, floated over the reeds in the sunshine.
Tree Sparrows were easy to see visiting the feeders near the entrance to the reserve and we also enjoyed Reed and Sedge Warblers and singing Reed Buntings. A super start to our three day trip.
We had a superb lunch and then visited North Cave Wetlands a Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Reserve. The whole area is reclaimed gravel workings and now, thanks to great management work, is full of wildlife. An Avocet was feeding in the shallows in front of the first hide, lots of Lapwings here too. Both Great crested and Little Grebes were on the deeper pools along with Pochard and Tufted Duck. Many Sand Martins were whizzing low over the pools and we saw a Kingfisher flash past twice really close to one the hides. We watched Common Terns feeding and then landing on the man-made rafts in the lakes. An inspirational place all created from an industrial site.
Over to Buckton on the coast close to RSPB Bempton Cliffs and we settled into our wonderful house where we would stay for two nights. This barn conversion has all en-suite bedrooms, a lovely lounge and huge gardens at the rear making it a perfect home from home for our tours. Then down to a great restaurant for a delicious dinner and lots of talk about birds we had seen and what we might see the next day.
Next morning we took a pre-breakfast walk along a lovely lane that runs down the side of the house. A glorious morning with clear blue sky and warm sunshine we could not have wished for a better day. Lapwing chicks were feeding around the edge of the duck pond and a Shoveler was a surprise on this tiny pool. Common Whitethroats and Yellowhammers sang from the hedgerows and showed off in the sun. A Sparrowhawk soared overhead and two young Kestrels practiced their flying skills at a nest-box. In the distance we could see Gannets and Fulmars flying over the sea-cliffs giving us a hint what was to come later. A superb cooked breakfast, cooked by the house owners for us, went down very, very well indeed after our walk.
Puffin, always puts a smile on your face, especially in the sunshine.
Breakfast enjoyed we headed down to RSPB Bempton Cliffs where the sun shone and the sea sparkled blue – a perfect day! Tree Sparrows where around the visitor centre along with two Kestrels on the nearby telegraph wires. We walked down the edge of the massive cliffs and had our first taste of the seabird spectacle that is Bempton Cliffs! Kittiwakes were crowded onto the ledges just below us and had frame filling views of the chicks through the telescopes. Our first Puffins here too – always a pure joy to watch and new bird for some of our group so a special thrill. We walked along the cliff top soaking up the incredibly close views of the thousands and thousands of birds! The Gannets were just fantastic hanging in the air almost at touching distance with huge numbers on the cliff ledges with their white puff balls of chicks. All the time the air was full of birds coming and going and the calls of the seabirds just a magical experience. Common Guillemots and Razorbills were packed on the cliffs too and we had such close views right below the viewing platforms. More Puffins were all along the cliffs and we never tired of seeing these colourful auks, so funny to watch. Smaller numbers of Fulmars were here too some flying past with their stiff-wings.
The views of Gannets here at Bempton are just amazing, eye-to-eye!
Offshore we watched huge numbers of birds feeding, thousands of Kittiwakes formed massive feeding frenzies and we were thrilled to see Gannets plunge dart-like into the sea throwing up plumes of water into the air. Yet another wow moment on a day full of wow moments.
The coastal scenery here in Yorkshire is amazing, here Flambrough Head.
We also visited nearby Flambrough Head where more Puffins entertained us just below the footpath, just amazing views! Stonechats and Linnets were in the brambles here and both Skylarks and Meadow Pipits sang above us. Atlantic grey seals were in a small bay below us the water so clear we could see them underwater. The coastal scenery here is just beautiful, especially in the sunshine. Another lovely meal rounded off a super day full of so many birds.
Kittiwake colony in the early morning sunshine at Flambrough Head.
Day three of our Yorkshire Birdwatching Trip and we again headed out for some pre-breakfast birding. Back to Flambrough Head, again in sunshine with no clouds to be seen, and we did a short sea-watch, lots of birds on the move but all seemed to be the local resident species. Puffins posed on the cliff edge just below us along with Razorbills, Common Guillemots, Kittiwakes and Shags flew past. Another super breakfast went down very well indeed and then we packed up and headed north.
More Puffins on day two, you can never see enough Puffins!
Wyekham Forest was our next destination, a real chance of habitat, from towering sea-cliffs to forested hills. The trees around the car park held plenty of Siskins, Coal Tits and calling Goldcrests. As we walked through the trees to the viewpoint we heard Crossbills calling but they didn’t show for us. At the viewpoint there is an amazing panoramic view across a valley and forests and in the distance moorland, a spectacular place. It is also well known as a raptor viewing area. Within a few minutes we were watching a Common Buzzard soaring over the valley, good start. A pair of Bullfinches put in a brief appearance and a Blackcap sang in the trees nearby. But we were here to look for raptors and a female Goshawk soon soared into view, this muscular hawk showed off very well staying in view for a long time. It was mobbed by a Carrion Crow allowing everyone to see just how big Goshawk really are, huge! More Common Buzzards, then another view of Goshawk, a Kestrel and a Sparrowhawk kept us looking hard. Then we picked out another bird of prey, dark, with a long tail, what was it? As we watched we realised it was a Marsh Harrier, not a bird we had expected to see here. A lovely Hobby was watched feeding on the wing in the sunshine before we decided that lunch our lunch was overdue! No Honey Buzzards on this visit but six species of raptor in a stunning location was brilliant.
We enjoyed a really lovely lunch at a nearby tearoom before we set off for home. A wonderful Birdwatching Trip and we really look forward to our 2018 Yorkshire tour, perhaps you would like to join us?
Here are the comments from Noreen, who came on this trip – “I have seen all your tweets and read the great blog. Together with the super photos they sum up what a great weekend we have just had in Yorkshire. I loved every minute of it. The 3 areas we visited were such a contrast. I enjoyed them all. There were star birds in all 3 places too. It is really hard to pick out my favourite but I do have a wonderful impression of those gannets soaring right next to me at Bempton Cliffs. I just wanted to say a great big thank you. You both worked so hard to make it such a success. You even organised glorious weather! Thank you also for picking me up. I really appreciate that as you know.”
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[h2]We look forward to enjoying the best Birdwatching Trips with you soon.[/h2]