Little Gull, Big Personality - Filey, 14th Feb 2021

Gloomy, cold and with a biting, strong SE wind in the bay corner here in Filey today, but plenty to enjoy - the pick of the bunch being this beautiful second calendar year Little Gull, which materialised right in front of me and daintily dip-fed and walked on the water often within just a few metres of where I stood ankle-deep in the rising tide. Well worth the numbed extremeties.....

Blue Sky, Grey Wag - Humber, 1st Feb

From yesterday - which, as the sleet whips against the window here in Filey, seems like a long time ago - on the Humber: a confiding Grey Wagtail feeding around my feet at my vantage point and along the seawall of the docks, and a beautiful blue sky supplying a very welcome shot of Vitamin D.

Barn Owl & Goosander, Filey Dams - 28th Jan 2021

Cold, wet and dark here in Filey today, but dragged myself over to the Dams for half an hour (thanks to eBird, or more specifically, to avoiding a break in daily checklists); glad I did, with a male Goosander looking regal on the area of unfrozen water before heading east, and then a spine-tingling fly-by from one of the local Barn Owls - straight towards me and very close past me, despite being fully aware of my presence and staring me down....

....today's outdoor attire (Jerusalem Bird Obs owl hoodie) - coincidence or lure....?

Filey Bay Corner, 24th Jan 2020

A dawn walk with the Mrs in weak, milky sunshine and sub-zero temperatures along the beach and southern flank of the Brigg, where pretty much everything was frozen - including rockpools, seaweeds, flood run-off and the actual beach - but not the Purple Sandpipers and Sanderlings (pictured), for whom it's clearly just another day on their winter holidays.

Sanderling tracks in the sand - note lack of hind toe, a special adaptation that turns them into the superheroes of the shoreline

Sea Spray, Snow & Sunshine

A quick amble along Carr Naze here in Filey with the Mrs in the cold wintry sunshine, hypnotised by the breaking waves and then chillin' with the Snow Buntings. Could be worse...