Weasel at Grandstand
It was a cold night with very strong winds, heavy showers and a touch of snow (not enough to need me big coat though!). The morning was more promising with long sunny periods but retention of the strong wind necessitated a day of mobility! Although the snow at Bempton was nothing more than slight evidence on car windows, some parts of Yorkshire had a tad more!
The day certainly had promise with a very nice sunrise as I approached the reserve on Cliff Lane
The cliffs were naked again today, but there were reports of Guillemots yesterday albeit in small numbers. Today, it was pleasing to see good numbers of Fulmar and Herring Gulls.
Standing on Grandstand viewpoint, rapid movement in the cliff top grass revealed a Weasel! So close at first that my 400mm prime couldn't focus on it! Eventually the Weasel obliged by moving further down the cliff!
Herring Gulls are loved or hated by many (I call them "Marmite" Gulls) and often dismissed as verminous "sea gulls"!
The Fulmars are a delight to watch with increasing numbers being seen on ledges, in flight and on the sea. They are the resident breeding bird that spends eleven months of the year on the cliifs but is the latest one to start breeding, usually May.
Do you want to hear a rude joke?
I'll whisper it in your ear!
It's the way you tell 'em!
Time was spent looking for "Blue" Fulmars - a dimorphism making the bird much darker, all over including the head and more associated with the Arctic populations.
I couldn't see any so these "blue" Fulmars are all I can offer!
A solitary Song Thrush feeding on the cliff path was nice to see
On the cliff path near Grandstand viewpoint, I was surprised to see these two caterpillars. I think they are Drinker Moth caterpillars (corrections welcome!). I'm wondering if the waterlogged ground had forced them out? Is it usual to see them in mid-December?
Here are todays sightings:
And finally!,
Conservation of Tree Sparrows at Bempton Cliffs is a high Priority. They are well looked after with feeding, nest sites and are doing well. So well in fact that a new subspecies has appeared - Passer montanus gigantica, seen here at its own enlarged bird box!
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