Filey 2nd to 7th August 2021

The trouble with taking 1,000 photos is they take some sorting out!!

Monday and Tuesday 2^nd 3^rd Aug 2021

A few days holiday with Abi and her dad this week.

Hard to squeeze in some birding time, especially to coincide with the tide.

One afternoon I though I'd got the tide times right, waiting 1 hour after high tide I walked along the beach towards the Brigg but I could not get past the 'high rocky bit' and I did not have time to retrace my steps and come at it from the cliffs above alas.

Some birds seen Monday Tuesday were:-

Herring Gull, Kittiwake, Black Headed Gull.

Fulmar Chick.

Sandwich Tern

Other Tern sp. calling that I do not recognise.

Wednesday 3^rd Aug 2021.

A bike ride to Filey Dams this afternoon.

Before I left on my bike, thunder was heard and the sky went jet black.

I put all my wet gear on certain I was going to get a real drenching – but not a drip, dropped – I was sweating cobs when I got to the hides.

Very few people here, 3 YWT ,very friendly,  employees were doing some fencing work.

Other than those , there were 6 or so people seen in the two hours I was here  (a couple were friendly).

Lapwing were the only Wader which was disappointing, but it's a bit early for Waders?

Some Birds:-

Teal, Herring Gull, Black Headed Gull.

Little Grebe, Lapwing.

3 Heron, a scrawny Juv: Canada Goose.

Tufted Duck.

A very, very small diving Duck that was probably a Teal.

A Lapwing photo revealed a few Starlings, a Woodpigeon and another Bird????

Thursday 5^th Aug 2021.

A much better day today – bird wise as I manged to squeeze in an hour or so on the top of Filey Brigg.

The day was bright and breezy with no rain until after tea when the odd shower came along.

Great to bump into James Longbottom and his mum (Jo I think!) (Keighley Birders) who were very knowledgeable and had eyes like a hawk.

We enjoyed a short time on the cliffs before having a natter and a laugh over a coffee in the excellent café near the country park. A cracking time.

Before that - First up I had a look at the small pond at the top of the large car park area.

Then a walk along the cliffs towards the Brigg.

With the strong wind and the tide coming in, I was reluctant to go too far down the 'clay / sandy' path at the very end, opting to stand half way down and scan from there.

After standing here for a while James and his mum arrived.

Birds Included:-

Common Scoter, Gadwall (I believe).

Fulmar feeding a chick, 

Kittiwake.

Cormorant, 

Gannet.

Razorbill, Guillemot.

Great Black Backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black Headed Gull.

Linnet, Starling, Goldfinch, Pied Wagtail, Magpie, Carrion Crow.

Woodpigeon, Stock Dove, Rock Dove and/or Feral Pigeon.

Swallow, Sand Martin, Tree Sparrow, Greenfinch.

Sandwich Tern, Oystercatcher

Friday 6^th August 2021

Thunderstorms with strong winds last night, but Abi, in her tent, slept through it all – must have been all the body boarding in the sea earlier.

Today, me and Sue had a walk along the sea shore towards the Brigg.

We did not go to the end – with all the rain it was quite slippy at the far end.

Waders at a premium – probably a few weeks too early.

A Seal, however,  was a nice surprise.

Birds:-

Kestrel, Linnet, Goldfinch.

3 Turnstone, Guillemot, varying age groups of Oystercatcher with

the usual crew seen this week.

A Common Scoter was asleep on the water.

A Plover species was at the very tip of the rocks at the end of the Brigg.

Probably a Ringed Plover.

A couple of distant Waders were flying through the rain – looked very Redshank like.

Also, a few unidentified sp.

(No sign of the hoped for Purple Sandpiper).

I've attempted to put my photo in some sort of bird species order - no guarantees that they are all correct though.

Time for a glass of wine, before I look through the photos again.

If you've got this far..... thanks for reading this!!

Any comment (good or bad ) readily accepted.

Terns:-

Kittiwake:

Gull sp: Black Headed Gull ??

Great Black-backed Gull:

Guillemot:

Redshank??

Ringed Plover:

(as if)

Oystercatcher:

Little Grebe:

Lapwing

(and Unknown):

Now think the bird is a Lapwing!

Kestrel:

Gadwall??:

Teal:

Duck Species:

Possible Gadwall

and Tufted Duck

Herring Gull:

Fulmar:

Scoter - Common:

General:

A few head scratchers:

Sparrow species?

Tree Sparrow.

Gadwall??

Prob: Turnstone