The overnighter for the birding group this term was to North Yorkshire taking in Blacktoft Sands, North Cave and Bempton Cliffs. THis trip is always a good chance to get a few year ticks and this trip we managed to get sixty-three species including seven year ticks.
Our first stop was at RSPB Blacktoft Sands where I don’t always find that much of interest but this time was different. The whole place was quite overgrown, it being a bit late in the season, but there was bird song everywhere and lots of fleeting action. A bit of perseverence produced sightings of Reed and Sedge Warbler as well as Reed Bunting. At one hide, a Spoonbill was quite near preening for a long time. At another, a Bittern suddenly appeared out of nowhere and descended into the reeds. Only a couple of us saw it as it was so quick to descend and disappear into the reeds. The weather was very pleasnat and, for once, there wasn’t much wind so that made for a great late morning walk.
Driving over to North Cave we got a Buzzard and a Red Kite. At North Cave we found that the reserve had changed quite a bit with more deep pools on the other side of the path from the big hide. It was a little late in the season really but we still got some nice birds including Little Ringed Plover, Black Swan, Common Tern and Sparrowhawk.
We stayed at the usual Travelodge at South Cave and we ate at the Fox and Coney pub which has become a little posher. They also arranged for us to have breakfast the next day which was convenient because our usual place at the Ferguson Fawcitt pub seems to have been closed. I believe that it may have re-opened since we booked the Fox and Coney but they are both good places.
It was a beautiful sunny day at Bempton with little wind. Also, it didn’t seem to be quite as busy as usual – perhaps because they have started charging for entry which they never used to if I remember right. Anyway we got great views of Puffins which, interestingly, seem to all be nesting in niches in the cliffs these days; perhaps this is safer than on the grassy patches. I noticed one pair doing this the last time I was at Bempton but now it seems to be the default for all of them.
It did seem that there were fewer birds than previous years but perhaps that’s just my inagination. Even then, there were lots of Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes, Fulmar and, of course, Gannets. There were tons of Tree Sparrows everywhere and there were Skylarks and Whitethroat as well as the more usual common birds.
It was a long drive back, stuck behind tractors more than once and then there were several slow-downs on the motorway due to lane closures. It was a hot afternoon and we were late getting back home. I then had three hours to set up al the ballons and decorations for Anne’s 70th birthday that day. She had been down in London and I just blew up my last balloon, had a shower and she arrived home. Happy Birthday Anne.
Bird Sightings : RSPB Blacktoft Sands 13 June 2022
| Species | No |
|---|---|
| Bittern | 1 |
| Black-headed Gull | 6 |
| Blackbird | 2 |
| Blackcap | 1 |
| Cetti’s Warbler | 3 |
| Chaffinch | 3 |
| Chiffchaff | 2 |
| Coot | 8 |
| Gadwall | 6 |
| Grey Heron | 2 |
| Little Egret | 2 |
| Little Grebe | 2 |
| Magpie | 6 |
| Marsh Harrier | 2 |
| Moorhen | 4 |
| Mute Swan | 4 |
| Reed Bunting | 4 |
| Reed Warbler | 1 |
| Robin | 2 |
| Sedge Warbler | 1 |
| Shoveler | 4 |
| Spoonbill | 1 |
| Swift | 8 |
| Tree Sparrow | 4 |
| Tufted Duck | 2 |
| Woodpigeon | 5 |
Bird Sightings : North Cave 13 June 2022
| Species | No |
|---|---|
| Avocet | 2 |
| Black Swan | 1 |
| Blue Tit | 3 |
| Carrion Crow | 4 |
| Chiffchaff | 1 |
| Common Tern | 1 |
| Coot | 8 |
| Cormorant | 1 |
| Egyptian Goose | 1 |
| Great Crested Grebe | 1 |
| Great Tit | 4 |
| Greylag Goose | 50 |
| Lapwing | 10 |
| Lesser Black-backed Gull | 1 |
| Little Egret | 4 |
| Little Ringed Plover | 1 |
| Mallard | 20 |
| Moorhen | 4 |
| Oystercatcher | 6 |
| Pied Wagtail | 1 |
| Reed Bunting | 2 |
| Rook | 60 |
| Sand Martin | 20 |
| Shelduck | 2 |
| Shoveler | 4 |
| Sparrowhawk | 1 |
| Starling | 4 |
| Swallow | 8 |
| Tufted Duck | 3 |
Bird Sightings : RSPB Bempton Cliffs 14 June 2022
| Species | No |
|---|---|
| Dunnock | 1 |
| Fulmar | 30 |
| Gannet | 200 |
| Guillemot | 300 |
| Herring Gull | 4 |
| Jackdaw | 30 |
| Kittiwake | 200 |
| Puffin | 10 |
| Razorbill | 500 |
| Rock Dove / Feral Pigeon | 40 |
| Skylark | 1 |
| Swallow | 8 |
| Tree Sparrow | 20 |
| Whitethroat | 1 |
| Yellowhammer | 1 |
Total Species seen on trip
| No | Species |
| 1 | Avocet |
| 2 | Bittern |
| 3 | Black Swan |
| 4 | Blackbird |
| 5 | Blackcap |
| 6 | Black-headed Gull |
| 7 | Blue Tit |
| 8 | Buzzard |
| 9 | Carrion Crow |
| 10 | Cetti’s Warbler |
| 11 | Chaffinch |
| 12 | Chiffchaff |
| 13 | Common Tern |
| 14 | Coot |
| 15 | Cormorant |
| 16 | Dunnock |
| 17 | Egyptian Goose |
| 18 | Fulmar |
| 19 | Gadwall |
| 20 | Gannet |
| 21 | Great Crested Grebe |
| 22 | Great Tit |
| 23 | Grey Heron |
| 24 | Greylag Goose |
| 25 | Guillemot |
| 26 | Herring Gull |
| 27 | Jackdaw |
| 28 | Kittiwake |
| 29 | Lapwing |
| 30 | Lesser Black-backed Gull |
| 31 | Little Egret |
| 32 | Little Grebe |
| 33 | Little Ringed Plover |
| 34 | Magpie |
| 35 | Mallard |
| 36 | Marsh Harrier |
| 37 | Moorhen |
| 38 | Mute Swan |
| 39 | Oystercatcher |
| 40 | Pied Wagtail |
| 41 | Puffin |
| 42 | Razorbill |
| 43 | Red Kite |
| 44 | Reed Bunting |
| 45 | Reed Warbler |
| 46 | Robin |
| 47 | Rock Dove / Feral Pigeon |
| 48 | Rook |
| 49 | Sand Martin |
| 50 | Sedge Warbler |
| 51 | Shelduck |
| 52 | Shoveler |
| 53 | Skylark |
| 54 | Sparrowhawk |
| 55 | Spoonbill |
| 56 | Starling |
| 57 | Swallow |
| 58 | Swift |
| 59 | Tree Sparrow |
| 60 | Tufted Duck |
| 61 | Whitethroat |
| 62 | Woodpigeon |
| 63 | Yellowhammer |