Great, grey and great again!

I seem to have been staying in at home a lot and really had to force myself out of the house and get birding! Scarborough had been hosting a great northern diver and Hornsea Mere had had a couple of great white egrets knocking about so that seemed a good plan. The harbour car park in Scarborough was rather sandy after the recent storm but otherwise all was fine. I parked up by 9.15am and set off on foot to have a look round. Turnstones were busy in the sunshine.

Turnstone

I soon spotted the diver, dozing in the middle of the harbour. Although sunny, the sun was low and getting to a position where the light was acceptable was going to involve some rapid walking as the bird drifted along. It stirred so I took some shots into the light in case that was the best I could do. You never know when flight may wreck your plans with birds! 

Great Northern Diver

A brisk walk to the western side of the harbour got the bird in a much better light.

Great Northern Diver

  Great Northern Diver

  Great Northern Diver

Eventually the bird clearly decided to head for the harbour mouth. It was high tide and the bird must have known this. Fortuitously I was ideally placed as it paddled unconcerned past where I was sitting on an iron bollard. It was only a few feet from me. These photos, now in the shade of the harbour wall, are uncropped. Real frame fillers!

Great Northern Diver

  Great Northern Diver

Great Northern Diver

In the above photo you can even see the colour of his eye!

A walk up onto the seawall helped me spot over 40 purple sandpipers resting at high tide. Here are some of them.

Purple Sandpipers

Then I drove along Marine Drive north to Scalby Mills. Few birds were present as the tide was pretty high covering most of the rocks. A few wigeon were still messing about.

Wigeon

A redshank was by the beck outlet.

Redshank

I left Scarborough heading for Hornsea, hoping for a great white egret, in the air perhaps! This common gull was quite approachable in the car park.

Common Gull

I got a bit of a surprise!! Two birders told me I had just missed a phalarope just off Kirkholme Point. Not a tick for me, I put a brave face on it. They said it flew off 'over there' - I managed to relocate the bird over the far side, very distant, in my scope. We chatted. [The two birders and I, I mean. You can't talk to phalaropes.] Then one of them said: 'It's back. Look just here!' Now tales of grey phalarope about six feet from your feet must be tales of the unexpected! As Nellie Ashcroft would have said to me years ago: 'Well, I'll go to the foot of our stairs!' It was her standard expression of disbelief.

Grey Phalarope

Grey Phalarope

Grey Phalarope

Grey Phalarope

Grey Phalarope

Grey Phalarope

The two birders - one from Hessle and the other from York - were actually hoping for a great white egret. As the light began to fail the egret turned up to roost right on schedule.

Great White Egret

Great White Egret

Great White Egret

Great White Egret

Great White Egret

A day to savour. Just when you're not expecting anything, birding comes up trumps and covers you with feel-good...