Sunny Sunday on the Yorks Coast

Out with Pete Watson this Sunday and it was a lovely sunny day if still a little chilly which was even more accentuated by my recent chemo session, we decided to head up to the Raptor viewpoint at Wykeham first thing and although a bit slow to start with eventually some Buzzards started to get up closely followed by several Goshawks, we had at least six by late morning including a bird that perched up down in Troutsdale, we took a chance in dropping down there hoping it might still be perched up, unfortunately not but it was flying around above the wood so we got some closer views, we stopped at the bridge at Hilla Green on the way back seeing the Dippers again, the male displaying to the female today, then carried on into Langdale Forest, unfortunately he road has been gated so far along now so we couldn’t get to the area the Great Grey Shrike has been seen however several parties of Siskins and Crossbills plus a Chiffchaff put on a good show.  Mid-afternoon we headed to the coast to spend the remainder of it at Bempton to year tick Kittiwake, Puffin etc with the added bonus of a Short Eared Owl over the car park as we arrived, plenty of seabird action at the cliffs as to be expected but a very cool sea breeze soon got the better of me so we retreated back to the car after an hour or so. As the Great Grey Shrike at Acaster Airfield had been reported this afternoon and with Pete not seeing it yet we thought we’d give it a try on the way home, as we arrived a birder looking across the field near Ibbotsons Trailer Park pointed us in the right direction and there it was straight away perched on a small bush, a bit distant but looking splendid in the evening sunshine, a good end to the day.

a pair of Crossbills at the viewpoint

a rather distant perched Goshawk, good scope views though

dropped into Troutsdale but by the time we got there it was flying around again

as well as several Buzzards

Chiffy in Langdale Forest

as well as some more Crossbills

Seabird city at Bempton

Acaster Airfield Shrike looking splendid in the evening sun