yorkslister

The other day I commented on how much I hate birding in the wind, well there is one exception, when it goes northerly and the sea gets rough. Looking at the weather Sun and Mon should have produced strong north easterlies, should have been enough to get some seabirds moving.
Sun was a bit of a let down, as usual the forecasters got it wrong and we had light easterlies that had dropped to nothing by early afternoon. At Spurn I managed to see a Great Northern and a Velvet with a few other ducks but not much else. The lads had seen Balearic and a few other things before I got there.

So Monday dawned and it was much stronger but a quick look on the internet said it was westerly so I didn't bother going out. Instead I walked into town, jesus it was cold it must be northerly, it's tricky to tell though as the wind swirls round the buildings. Anyway my mate Tim who lives on the coast confirmed it was so I shot off to Hornsea.

Hornsea used to be a great place for seawatching there was a good shelter, ok so it stank of piss more often than not and you usually had to talk to a drunk for at least part of any seawatch (usually until they passed out) but you could get out of the wind and it was a popular seawatching spot. Then the council pulled it down because the bum brigade kept rutting in the toilets! Nobody goes there now, the only shelter is on a bench behind a wall (ok if its dry) and a small shelter with a roof further along. The old place was low enough but the other spots are almost below sea level!

Hornsea really shouldn't be that good as a seawatch spot, its low down, about as far west in Brid bay as you can get and on a smoth coastline with no bits jutting out. Strange how it can be so good then. Today however wasn't a good day! Don't get me wrong I've had worse days much worse, best stuff today was 10 Eider, 1 Velvet, 2 Goldeneye, 1 Purple Sand, 1 Shag, 500+ Kittiwake.