ChinaBirds
Nick Sismey
11 May 2008
Sunday was another glorious day, except around Bempton Cliffs, where the blue sky was blocked out by dense sea fog. So much so that the spectacle of thousands of sea birds turned into a damp squib with only a few birds visible at the top of the cliffs.
The first new-year birds were Razorbill (Photo 1) and Guillemot (Photo 2), including the Bridled sub species.
341.Razorbill----------------------Bempton------------------------England
342.Guillemot --------------------Bempton------------------------England
A further walk along the cliff top produced Gannet (Photo 3), but little else as the fog seemed to be getting worse.
343.Gannet ----------------------Bempton-----------------------England
In search of Puffin I then headed to Flamborough Head, similarly cloaked in fog, the deafening fog horn nearly knocking you off your feet. After a great deal of searching I finally found two white faced birds to the right of the lighthouse huddled together at the top of a grass covered island, just off the coast.
344.Puffin-------------------------Flamborough Head-------------England
This was my 198th UK bird of the year, just two off my goal. The earliest I have reached 200 birds in the UK in a year before was in September 2006, so the target is to smash that by the end of May!
Within a mile of Flamborough it was perfect sunshine again!
Sunday was another glorious day, except around Bempton Cliffs, where the blue sky was blocked out by dense sea fog. So much so that the spectacle of thousands of sea birds turned into a damp squib with only a few birds visible at the top of the cliffs.
The first new-year birds were Razorbill (Photo 1) and Guillemot (Photo 2), including the Bridled sub species.
341.Razorbill----------------------Bempton------------------------England
342.Guillemot --------------------Bempton------------------------England
A further walk along the cliff top produced Gannet (Photo 3), but little else as the fog seemed to be getting worse.
343.Gannet ----------------------Bempton-----------------------England
In search of Puffin I then headed to Flamborough Head, similarly cloaked in fog, the deafening fog horn nearly knocking you off your feet. After a great deal of searching I finally found two white faced birds to the right of the lighthouse huddled together at the top of a grass covered island, just off the coast.
344.Puffin-------------------------Flamborough Head-------------England
This was my 198th UK bird of the year, just two off my goal. The earliest I have reached 200 birds in the UK in a year before was in September 2006, so the target is to smash that by the end of May!
Within a mile of Flamborough it was perfect sunshine again!