Pelagic

Out with Paz and Mike Williams and we were booked on the RSPB Skua and Shearwater cruise out of Bridlington this morning, it was a bit chilly and overcast first thing but the sea was flat calm, it was not a classic trip out but nevertheless reasonably good, highlights were quite a few Little Gulls, a couple of Manx Shearwaters, several Sooty’s including three sat on the sea and a “Blue” Fulmar but remarkably no Skua’s. Back on dry land we headed off to Bempton Cliffs where yesterdays Red Backed Shrike was still present, showed well albeit a bit distant for a decent photo, not much else there so we went back to Flamborough, spent an hour at Thornwick Pools, no Waders today but a Water Rail showed briefly, then moved on to South Landing where a few Waders on the beach included a Bar Tailed Godwit and several Sanderling and we finally got a Skua, a juv Arctic chasing a Gull out at sea.

as we headed out an old Coble was an intriguing sight

a few Harbour Porpoises surfaced near the boat

Auks

still a good few Puffins around

Gannets

a Sooty Shearwater

or two

plus a Manx

"Blue" Fulmar, a rather pale individual

Little Gulls

Heading back in

Purple Sandpiper on the Harbour wall

Red Backed Shrike at Bempton

Little Grebe, Thornwick Pools

Bar Tailed Godwit and Oyc,s

Sanderling