Sunday, August 06, 2006

Three days in East Yorkshire

Just home from three days visiting the Beverley area of East Yorkshire, mainly researching my wife Chris's family history.
However we did manage a visit to Spurn Head on the Humber estuary which was very exposed and windy. The tide was a long way out so there were very few birds about apart from two lonely looking curlews. We had a walk round the head of the point and then set off back to Beverley in the car thinking we weren't going to see anything exciting. As we left the car park and rejoined the road Chris spotted what she thought was a pheasant at the side of the road in the distance. Drawing closer we realised it was a buzzard feeding on a road kill. It stayed until we were almost level with it before flying off. By far the best view of a buzzard we've had for a long time. It just shows you should never stop looking, even if you think there's nothing about.

On Friday we walked from Beverley along the Beverley Beck towards the River Hull. There was a boat yard where the Beck joined the river and we spotted a moorhen which had built its nest in an unusual spot. We hoped that boat wouldn't be going anywhere for a while!




Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Change in the weather

It has been a very hot and dry July but in the last 24 hours we have had lower temperatures and the first significant rain for several weeks. This morning was the first time for several weeks I didn't have to fill the bird bath from the tap!

Torrential rain this evening. Both ponds and all the water butts full.