Yorkshire - a few days away - 6th-10th January 2025

A few days up in Yorkshire for Andrea’s birthday did not give the pleasant drive up that was had back in May last year with bitty rain and snow and dirty roads for the whole journey precluding any stops other than a bit of retail on the way and we arrived after dark at The Bay, Filey.

Tuesday dawned glorious with blue skies but it was bitterly cold and cloud with building from the west so we stayed local and headed down to Bempton Cliffs but not before a female Hen Harrier had flown through the estate being harried by the Crows! I have not been there in the winter before and it was very strange to have the place to myself (bar a few hardy volunteers!) and to be acutely aware of the lack of sound and smell that I so associate with these amazing chalk apartment blocks. 

I walked down to the first big view point and watched the Fulmars wheeling below over the raging surf.  Despite the lack of wind the swell was huge and rollers were pounding in from way out to see.  Large flocks of Rock(ish) Doves moved between the cliff top fields with a cloud of Starlings but out to see I could only pick up a single immature Gannet and a couple of Guillemots that seemed to already be taking an interest in the ledges below me.

Fulmar

Fulmar

It was incredibly cold and I did not linger long and sort the shelter of the car park where the Tree Sparrows were moving round in noisy little chattering groups while a Stonechat was in the field below.

Tree Sparrow

On to Flamborough Head for a pic of the Lighthouse before wending our way south a bit towards Hornsea Mere for lunch.  There were a few Tufted Duck and Pochard bobbing around and at least 30 Goldeneye whizzed too and fro with whirring wings.

Flamborough lighthouse

Hornsea Mere

Down on the prom the sea was thundering into the beach but there were just two Herring Gulls over the sea but four mumping Black-headed Gulls around the cars included a white Darvic 6TY which I have submitted.

Black-headed Gull

Back at The Bay I wandered down to the beach where the tide was out and Sanderlings scuttled in and out of the surf.  There were just a few dog walkers down there and the waves were the only sound.  The temperature dropped even more as the sun dipped out of view and I heard Bullfinches and found a flock of Linnets looking for somewhere to roost on the slog back up the treacherously icy path.

With there being almost no one staying in this wonderfully strange village of the dammed resort, there were birds out feeding on all the beautifully mown front lawns and brown winged continental Blackbirds, grey Song Thrushes and orange breasted Robins were all out trying to find food before the light went.  All were unconcerned by my presence.

Blackbird

Blackbird

Wednesday was even colder – well below freezing but the forecast was for a fine day so we headed north to Whitby where a couple of hours were spent exploring the ancient ruins of the Abbey.  Despite all my east coast twitching days, I had never been here before and being a cold but still winter day meant that there were only six other people, there allowing some photo opportunities that I suspect would be difficult in the more traditional visiting season.  A Rock Pipit flew over and I found some Maidenhair Spleenwort and Wall-Rue Ferns on the ancient degraded sandstone.

Maidenhair Spleenwort

Wall-Rue

There was no sign of Dracula or any other vampiric activity although St Mary’s church alongside the Abbey is well worth a look for being odd in so many ways – box pews, a towering pulpit, ear trumpets.  A sign stipulates that Dracula is absolutely NOT buried in the churchyard despite what people think!

A fine cock Pheasant in the churchyard

Looking down on Whitby Harbour

By the time we were leaving the cloud was once again bubbling up inland and so we retreated south and dropped into Scarborough where I checked the breakwater unsuccessfully for any Purple Sandpipers.

Scarborough castle

Thursday was even colder and it never got above freezing all day and in fact in the Forge Valley it was down to -6c and super crispy.  I was able to stop this time and walked a bit of the riverside path where I hoped to find Dippers but alas not despite the still flowing water.  There were a few fluffed up small birds with Marsh and Coal Tits and Nuthatches noted but sections of the boardwalk were destroyed by fallen Ash trees and the die back here followed by a windy winter has probably made it untenable as a walk once the leaves are back on the trees.  Natural England are obviously aware.

Roger was impressed by the wintery scene

I checked the two stretches of river where we saw Dippers back in May and at the second near Harkness two were still on the stretch where we found the nest under the bridge.  Much to my surprise I found several small branches with wondrous hair ice ‘growing’ out of it.

Hair ice

Hair ice

The drive back out produced Yellowhammers but despite the still conditions, my searches for Goshawks along the Larch and Pine ridges produced nothing.

From here I foolishly decided that it would be ok to loop round and up onto the moors via Grosmant.  I should have realised that it would be a touch dodgy just from the lanes through the villages but I persevered and found myself on an ice road over the top through a stunning snow covered landscape.  You could not pull off anywhere and I dread to think what I would have done if anything had come the other way but obviously no one else was stupid enough to venture up there.  A single Red Grouse came up from the roadside along with a couple of Meadow Pipits and Fieldfares but it was otherwise desolate and I have to admit that I was quite relieved to get back to proper tarmac once again on the road down towards Pickering.

It started like this and I could stop. 
After this point there was no tarmac and I just kept going!

I called into Filey on the way back and had a very cold walk out to the end of the headland and looked down onto the Brigg.  Unlike my other sea views this one did contain birds with rafts of Guillemots bobbing around not far off shore (but not in the Bay itself).  I was surprised to see that many were already in full breeding plumage.  A lone Razorbill was the only other Auk along with a Red-throated Diver and a couple of Shags.  On the Bay side a few gulls loafed including Kittiwakes and two hulking Great Northern Divers bobbed around but never dived once. The rocky plinths below held Redshank, Oystercatchers and 11 Purple Sandpipers but I was frozen despite my layers and walked back with my head down against the breeze that had spring up.

Guillemots

Great Northern Diver

Back at The Bay it suddenly started to snow and it was cold enough to settle but I was grateful that it only lasted about an hour before calling it a night!

No more snow had fallen overnight which was a relief and the route on Friday morning across to visit friends in Spofforth near Wetherby was only enlivened by the fine views across the Vale of Pickering down to the north.  As for the journey back from there to Lowestoft – well, there was so much dirty salt and ice on the roads that driving once it got dark on the A15, A17 and A47 was at times nerve racking as you could not see the road side or lines when there was oncoming traffic and I had to stop to clean my lights again as it felt like I had not got any on!  I was somewhat relieved to get home.  To prove that it was really that bad even I had to wash my poor black car today as it looked like a well done jacket potato with wheels.

And before you ask, yes I was aware of all the fabulous birds up in Northumberland while I was away and yes I could have gone but from Filey it was still the best part of three hours to get to the Grey-headed Lapwing and White-billed Diver and even the Teeside Ross’s Gull was over two and a half.  I am more pragmatic nowadays about my birding and I simply did not fancy spending what were glorious days driving even further north.  Perhaps I will be lucky and see some of these Lapwings in a few weeks in Japan?