I'm thinking of building an Ark!

Hosepipes banned. Remember? They said it would take months of rain to get the reservoirs back to normal levels. Well, we've done that, I think. And I'm sick of this winter rain. It's not good for my birding but I keep trying. I have had a few trips out when there was nothing to report so I will start with a trip to Scarborough and on to Bempton on January 28th.

The harbour in Scarborough was quiet with no divers while I was there. A couple of cormorants and some friendly turnstones.

I stopped off at the Holbeck car park to see if there were any 'med gulls' about.

Bempton was quiet too. The short-eared owl was showing but the path was so amazingly muddy that I turned back and watched [with difficulty] a woodcock. I needed help in spotting it hiding under a bush with its back to me. It did eventually turn to face us all. Focussing the camera on the bird beat my best efforts so you'll have to settle for a tree Sparrow!

Two trips to Hartlepool area during first week of February. First trip was a trifle disappointing but I got a few nice photos. The geese I was hoping to see didn't show or I was in the wrong place!

Some photos from Cowpen Bewley.

Second trip. I called at the Marina to check on the black-throated diver in the hope of a closer shot.

Info came through on the whereabouts of the white-fronted geese and [possibly] of the tundra bean geese as well. I hot-footed it to Macklin Avenue junction with Cowpen Bewley road. Success.

The tundra bean geese were a long way off but I managed a couple of record shots which I was very content to get.