East Yorkshire, 8th-11th June 2024

After what felt like a gruelling exam period, I've now graduated and university is over. A strange feeling now I'm back home...

The day after exams finished a little under a month ago, celebrations were transferred to the Yorkshire coast, just like last year where myself, Alain, Joash and Joe spent the post-exams weekend in East Yorkshire. 2024 saw a repeat of this; following the final exam on Friday the 7th, I had a grand 18 hours to drink, celebrate and relax all in one before returning to the Yorkshire coast. Joash was yet to finish exams, so Sian and Ferm, another of Alain's Singaporean birding mates who studies at Bristol, substituted in to a full car. 

Day 1:

As ever, Day 1 began at Greggs, leaving Cambridge by 9am. Our first stop, which took a while to get to due to diversions, was a Northants woodland near Corby called Harry's Wood. Here a male Wood Warbler had set up territory, and was helpfully one of the easiest twitches for Wood Warbler imaginable. We got out the car, hearing Yellowhammer and Lesser Whitethroat already, before walking barely a few hundred metres to the woodland where the bird was singing. Even though it was 11am and drizzly, it didn't stop the clearly quite desperate bird from belting out its song. We acknowledged, as many had, the sad reality of this; on one hand, an exquisite bird to watch and listen to, yet on the other, a species rapidly declining, and soon to be a distant memory of Britain's deciduous woodlands. Point blank views were complimented by both song types, which we absorbed over a 40 minute period. Background sounds included Marsh Tit, Spotted Flycatcher, Cuckoos, Garden and Willow Warblers, many of which were new for Ferm. 

Wood Warbler - Alain's photos

Wood Warbler (AC)

Wood Warbler - my photos

After an hour, we returned to the road not stopping again until lunch, which we enjoyed at a cafe in North Cave. Our break here preceded another short birding session at North Cave Wetlands where we dipped Glossy Ibis. Avocets and Little Ringed Plover families were waddling about, alongside triple figures of hirundines and swifts. There was also room for an odd encounter as we arrived, where a stranger questioned Joe's sighting of House Martins, despite there being around 30 flying overhead at the time. A perfect depiction of what birding can be all about. 

Thornwick Caravan Site

We left North Cave at 330pm, reaching Thornwick Bay Caravan Site at 445pm, our home for the weekend. Fittingly, we were in caravan Gannet 17. Batteries were literally and metaphorically recharged, giving us time for a big shop at Lidl in Bridlington before securing dinner from the same fish and chip shop as last year, F+C at 149. This time, we opted to take food to Flamborough Head and like the seabirds we watched, enjoy our seafood dinner. Hundreds of Guillemot, Razorbill, Puffin, Gannet, Kittiwake and Fulmar were on show, as well as the usual Barn Owls and Rock Pipits. Singles of Arctic Skua and Manx Shearwater were noted too, before we failed with Marsh Warbler. Then to end the day, we went owling. Short-eared Owl was the main target, as a couple of birds were in the vicinity of Thornwick. It was dark and far from easy to see, so brief views were all that were achieved. But it was the weather and scenery that really made the evening memorable. Food, birds and happy vibes + a gorgeous part of the coastline + some rare evening sunshine. We soaked it all in, exactly what we needed only a day after finishing exams.

cheeky selfie - zoom in for Sian 

Fish and Chips 

Flamborough Head

Day 2:

Sun/cloud was forecast for the morning, which would've been a lovely start to the day if I had any desire to be up for first light. Sian and Joe shared the same feeling, so whilst Alain and Ferm went out at 4am, we stayed sleeping until c630am. At this point we had breakfast together at the caravan before heading to Bempton RSPB for the morning. The seabird spectacle once again did not fail to amaze, and compared to last year, Puffins seemed to be even more abundant especially at Staple Newk. Alain had upgraded his equipment so his photos were, somehow, an improvement on last year. Ferm's photos were also exceptional, despite his best efforts to tell us otherwise. Common in the area perhaps, but it was good to see Tree Sparrows again, a bird I see so infrequently in the country. In the end, we spent the best part of 3-4 hours at Bempton. Thousands of photographs were taken between us, and many more thousand seabirds seen. There aren't many places you can say that, nor almost touch so many species. A very special place! 

Kittiwake - Ferm's photo

Gannets (FF)

Gannets (FF)

Fulmar (FF)

Myself and Ferm were dropped off at Thornwick Pools on the way back, briefly connecting with an 'acredula' type Willow Warbler, a pale bird singing in an interesting way. One of the Shelducks on the scrape were ringed, but there was little else to note. Having been awake for almost a day already, Alain and Ferm fancied a powernap which appealed to us all. There's a reason our group chat is called Sleepy Birders...

The afternoon, from 330pm, was spent at Flamborough Head again. Seawatching produced a steady flow of Manxies and a Bonxie scoped tracking its way North on the other side of the world. The Barn Owl appealed to the toggers, and why not in nice light. A family party of Rock Pipits were buzzing around below us. As usual though, the seabirds on the cliffs drew attention for the visiting tourists as much as us. From where we set up camp for over 3 hours, Puffins, Kittiwakes and Fulmar showed superbly, allowing for ridiculous scope views and photographs. I even managed a sound recording tick, achieved by leaning over a precarious cliff face to catch the courtship of Fulmar. I'm more of a worrier and so it took something special for me to venture near the edge, unlike Alain and Ferm who spent most of their time hanging over the edge. 

Puffin (FF)

Ferm's first Barn Owl (FF)

Our evening dinner break finished at just after 8pm, giving us time to Owl again. Barns were as active as expected, and Red-legged Partridge were heard and added to the trip list. India also beat Pakistan in cricket, a highlight which cannot be forgotten for its contributions to my positive mood. Eventually, thanks to a photographer, we located an exceptionally well-marked Short-eared Owl, which topped off the evening. Stringing had so far been minimal, corrected by a group effort where a rock on the cliff was adjudged to be a perched owl. Is there anything better than a view like this, seabirds and a beer? What it's all about.

Sunset (Sian's photo)

Day 3:

The plan was to wake up nice and early and get to Bempton before dropping Joe off at Bridlington. He sadly couldn't stay with us for the extra day with work calling. Bad weather thwarted this plan, giving us an extra few in bed instead. By 9, the rain had cleared and once Joe had departed, we did another small shop before wandering down to Bridlington seafront to get some Turnstone action. It didn't take long before a group of 6 were located, and duly photographed by Alain and Ferm. Myself and Sian guarded bags, scoping some relatively close Manxies instead. A short while later we had a second breakfast, returned to the caravan to make packed lunches, and take shelter from the winds and heavy rain threatening the headland. In fact, just as we headed out again another shower materialised, forcing us to take cover in Thornwick Pools hide. The early afternoon was then spent at a new location, the hidden gem of South Landing. Wind was still up and so the southern end of Flamborough was more sheltered. Bird highlights included more Yellowhammer, the Sand Martin colony and a few warblers. Otherwise it was just the usual seabirds offshore, such as c.30 Manxies. The setting was, like the rest of the area, quite stunning, as can be seen below. The afternoon ended being relatively chilled, taking in the sea air.

South Landing

Sand Martins (FF)

North Landing was visited after South Landing. We were greeted in the car park by a seemingly moribund, windswept adult Gannet; it may have still been preening, but didn't look to be in a great state, and so it was unlikely to have survived the night. On the beach, auks and kittiwakes were streaming in with their catches, passing close overhead. Walking out onto the rocks rewarded us with some very different views of the species, even if the rising tide kept us cautious. My photos were poor, but this was not the case for the others as evidence proves. Alain and Ferm were, unsurprisingly, in a state of joy I had not seen before. At this point I realised had I bought Alain a small photography boat for his birthday, he would not have ever returned.

North Landing

(windy) North Landing

The evening was forecast to be sunny, clear and less windy. So after an early pasta dinner - which was, quite surprisingly, very well cooked by Ferm in our caravan - we headed to Bempton. The seabirds were lit up by the sun to start, making some of the seabirds look even better than usual especially in flight. Typically, the weather turned and a heavy shower appeared on the horizon, and was enough to convince us to call time a little early. Reluctant as we were, it proved to be the correct decision in the end. Myself and Sian decided that the threats posed by wind and rain wasn't worth venturing out at dusk for, unlike Alain and Ferm who enthusiastically went out for a final owl fix. When they returned (unsuccessful), we all had a suitably tame evening relaxing to end the trip.

Couple goals (seawatching)

Tree Sparrow (FF)

Day 4:

The rental had to be returned by 4pm and our caravan checked out by 10:30am, giving us just about enough time to squeeze in another trip to Bempton. The weather was again far from ideal, but nothing could keep us from seabirds and the sea. The usual suspects which had greeted us bid us goodbye, as did the visitor centre cafe. A final addition to the trip list were two Peregrines, a juvenile squawking its way around and an adult on the cliffs themselves. Almost a different bird in a coastal location to the urban at times.

Final group photo

Bempton (SM)

Ferm and Gannet (SM)

Ferm and Gannet

The journey back saw a single stop half way back, in a lovely town in Lincs. A quite substantial lunch at a local cafe, found thanks to extensive research by Sian, concluded our trip. We were soon back in Cambridge, and everything and everyone returned to home safety. The greatest appreciation as ever goes out to Alain, who drove and organised everything magnificently as usual. Trips like these always need the best company, which Sian, Ferm and Joe did not fail to provide.