Scarborough Spa Express

Not a brilliant day weather wise for the first steam engine trip to Scarborough. These pictures  were taken of the train at Holgate loop.

Tophill Low

The reserve opened today for the first time since December. The team have put in a lot of hard work to get everything ready. Paths have been cleared and a sensible one way system set up.
I started by visiting the southern part of the reserve and then after lunch walked the northern part.

There were a few visitors to the reserve, but plenty of space for us all. The hide door and windows are all open so that you dont have to touch them.
Bird life was also quiet. Was it the time of year, the fact that the vegetation on the islands had just been cut or did the birds object to us. They have had the place to themselves since December.
However it was nice to be able to visit a reserve and sit in a hide.
From the "photographers" hide, the only bird that I could see was a kingfisher sat on a branch opposite the hide.

From the next hide I could see a little egret

a marsh harrier flew over part of the lagoon

this disturbed the lapwings, ruff, dunlin, oystercatchers

green sandpipers

and little ringed plover.
There is plenty of colour in the roadside verge, despite the orchids have nearly finished.

Tufted ducks on one of the reservoirs

a pleasant day.

Otters at Staveley

After yesterdays weather it was nice to be able to go out in sunshine.
I decided to visit Staveley Nature Reserve after tea,
A song thrush was singing to welcome me

Common terns were flying about as the adults caughtfish and took it to their young.

I moved on to the reedbed hide.
A reed bunting was singing away

It was fairly quiet otherwise and then I noticed some movement in the water in front of me.
At the other side of the water just inside the reedbed I could see movement. It took me a couple of minutes to work out what it was, then I realised it was two otters playing.
Not brilliant photos as they kept rolling about, disappearing either under the water or in the reedbed.
They played for about 20 minutes and then suddenly disapperared.

As I left the reserve a song thrush was perched on a wire singing, a nice way to end a pleasant evening visit.

A wet St. Swithins at North Cave.

Where to go to on a wet morning?
Somewhere with hides to shelter in, but hides with seats in!
Reports of various waders from North Cave tempted me to go there, so off I set with a fold up chair.
Lots of lapwings, and feral pigeons in front of the East hide.
There was no one in the Turret hide so I could move from window to window to get good views of the birds on Island Lake.
An avocet and its young were busy feeding.

Nearby was a single black tailed godwit. Closer to the hide were two green sandpipers.

 

A single greenshank was also feeding in front of the hide. This is the first greenshank I have seen this year and is the 169th bird on my year list.

When it had stopped raining I walked to the next hide and on the way heard and saw a male yellowhammer.

 

Plenty of coots

 a few little grebes

a reed warbler kept flying in front of the hide as it brought food to its young. After the rain I returned to my car. There is a new lady at the mobile cafe and I had an excellent cheese and tomato panini for lunch.
From the South hide I was watching common terns fishing

 

not good conditions for trying to take photos of flying terns or swifts! It passed the time waiting for the rain to stop,
Crossland hide was my last stop and from where I saw a common sandpiper in the distance. A pleasant 5 hours at the reserve despite the rain. Lets hope that the old saying is wrong and that it wont rain for the next 40 days.