My my, it's good to be back out on the waves.... for a long while there, it looked like our Yorkshire Coast Nature Seabird & Whale Trips weren't gonna happen this year at all, and so we're especially enthused about the beginning of a season which, fingers crossed, will be a memorable one for all the right reasons.
Today was my first of the season as guide aboard All My Sons out of Staithes, up beyond Whitby here on the North Yorkshire coast, and it was a great six hours with eight guests and a lots of quality wildlife to lap up. I'll keep it brief (it's late and I'm back out there tomorrow, early start!), but highlights included the season's first Minke Whale (top pic, c5 miles out), wonderfully close-up Manx Shearwaters (above and below).....
Puffins, of all ages and stages....
Guillemot dads and little 'uns....
... and Bonxies checking us out at wonderfully close quarters (below). We also had Arctic Skua, Arctic, Common and Sandwich Terns, wader movements including Bar-tailed Godwit, Dunlins, and 26 Whimbrel high and towards the coast many miles offshore, Harbour Porpoises, various jellyfish (including some beautiful Lion's Mane), Scoters, seals and much more. Back on board!
They were all smiles under the masks, honest....!
