Small Coopers at Nomans Land Common

Had a pleasant walk on Sunday with Butterfly Conservation with the main target been Small Cooper as stangly the end of sptember seems the best time for them and despite the weather been quite windy and a few rain showers a total of 37 were seen along with a couple of Red Admirals and singles of Small White and Large White.

Small Cooper in the heather

Two Small coopers together

Then after the walked headed to the Gorhambury Estate for half an hour where had a nice view of a Little Egret fishing with a few Teal and lots of Moorhen. Then heard a Snipe as it flew over and a nice end with a pair of ravens honking over.

Little Egret and Teal

Egret in flight

Raven calling

The main event

A nice sunny morning welcomed to the Skua and Shearwater Cruise at Bridlington Harbour. Leaving the harbour saw a small group of Kittiwakes with a few Redshanks waiting for the tide to go out and a few terns hunting on the harbours edge mainly Sandwich Terns but a few Common terns as well.

Kittiwakes and Redshanks on the sea wall

Sandwich Tern on the buoy

We then headed out into the bay seeing Cormorants and Shags and a few Razorbills and Guillemots passing Flamborough Head giving some nice views at which point a couple of Artic Skua Flew past and Shearwater species were seen.

Dark Phase Artic Skua flying past the chalky cliffs

Flamborough Head Lighthouse

The bait was there put which brought in the Gannets and the gulls mainly different age Herring Gullsbut a few Great backed Gulls and Black-head gulls were around and Fulmar were seen. After a little a Sooty Shearwater was seen and give a flyover  allowing everyone on board to see this super bird.

Sooty Shearwater flying by

Gannet flying through the sunlight

Fulmar skimming the water

Then headed back where we had a nice view of a Grey Seal and in the Harbour good numbers of Turnstones and a single Purple Sandpiper to end a good day

A little Detour

Last weekend had a little break up to Yorkshire with my local RSPB group for a boat around Bridlington  Bay but first stop was a evening visit to Frampton Marsh on route.

First thing that caught my eye was the impressive row of Sunflowers stetching from the vistor centre down to where the road ends an amazing sight.

Next stopped at the view points where had a couple of Green Sandpipers and a few Black-tailed Godwits and Little Egrets before heading down to the 360 hide for a closer view of the waders but before i got to the hide had a super Goldfinch flock of over 50 birds feeding on the thistles.

Goldfinch Flock

Young Goldfinch

From the 360 Hide the waders numbers were just spellbinding with thousands of Godwits mainly Black-tailed, Hundreds of Dunlins and Ringed Plovers with good numbers of Curlew Sandpipers, Snipe and Ruffs showing really well.

Feeding Snipe

Snipe in flight

Moulting Ruff

Curlew Sandpiper in evening light 

Dunlin in a flap

Small selection of Godwit flock

Small selection of Godwit flock in flight

Small selection of the Dunlin and Ringed Plovers which is about a third of its actually size

Then ended the evening with a walk around the sea wall where I added two Yellow Wagtails and three Wheatears to end a lovely evening.