Scarborough on New Years Day Morning 2020

Mediterranean Gull with Black Headed Gull - Holbeck

We are not one's to celebrate New Year, indeed, last night bed called at 9pm! However, we do enjoy a good walk and a bit of New Years Day birding so this morning we set off for a yomp around the Scarborough area. First call was Scarborough Harbour, which at first seemed totally devoid of birds, before spotting Rock Pipit, Turnstone and three Purple Sandpipers on the harbour rocks.

Moving on, we headed for Scalby Mills, passing the Peregrine watchpoint on Marine Drive, but deciding to stop on the way back when the light would have been better. BIG mistake as we couldn't find a parking space!

Arriving at Scalby Mills, the tide was high with a good number of Wigeon

The only waders at this time were Redshank and Oystercatcher.

Walking along the promenade, I wished that I had brought my landscape lenses as the view of Scarborough Castle in atmospheric light was a delight. I had to make do with a small portion of the vista with my 300mm 2.8 and 2x converter!

Arriving at the Open Air Theatre, it was good to spot a single Marsh Tit but little else.

Peasholm Park had the usual wildfowl jostling to be fed by the many visitors! Best bird here was a very obliging Grey Wagtail.

Arriving back at Scalby with no real changes as the tide was still high, however, this Greater Black Backed Gull seemed to be attempting to devour a bone!

It was getting very busy now with much disturbance so we headed up to Holbeck to touch base with Mediterranean Gulls and found three.

New Years Day would not be the same without a visit to a retail park! Today we chose Seamer Road but not for retail therapy, today it was for Waxwings! Five had been reported but only one was on show and not at all flighty!

A bonus at Seamer Road, in the same berry tree as the Waxwing, was this female Bullfinch

A nice start to the 2020 bird list with forty bird species. Plenty of time yet!

Oh! If you've read this far...…………..

Happy New Year!