Got to hope that this northerly gale is short lived, as it couldn’t have come at a worse time for the nesting sea birds. Let’s hope that not too many of them are hatched and that the parent birds are still sitting on the nests. Tonight’s forecast of heavy rain doesn’t look good for the puffins in their burrows either. Here’s hoping it blows over soon.
Read MoreShip’s log
Bluebells
One sign of spring, at least to me, is the bluebell and lots of lovely photos have been appearing on blogs and various social media sites of woods full of bluebells, but up until yesterday I’d not really seen any apart from a few in gardens. Then on a walk along the cliff path, there growing though last year’s dried bracken where a few bluebells… the colour was really good to see after such a […]
Read MoreHermit Crab
Two homeless hermit crabs, paguroidea. Hermit crabs don’t actually have shells, so they use shells that heve been abandoned by their previous owners. This is why when rock pooling anywhere on the British coast you will find hermit crabs living in winkle or whelk shells. There is one hermit crab, called ‘Harry’ living in a shell made of lego, he lives in Legoland in Windsor, Berkshire. You can read more about Harry on the Guardain’s […]
Read MoreManx Shearwater
Sean spotted two Manx Shearwaters, Puffinus puffinus, at sea today (Thursday 16th May 2013) the first he’s seen this year. So it seemed appropriate to share another of John Pethullis’s wonderful photo of a Manx Shearater with you. Think you’ve got to agree it stunning, isn’t it..? Manx Shearwaters spend their winters on the coast of South America, while they breed here in the UK, though mainly on the west coast, as well as […]
Read More48 hours in pictures…
early morning on Tuesday 14th May 2013 about an hour before sunset on Tuesday 14th May 2013 this shows the rock fall on the end of Cowbar Nab & the Kittiwake Colony can you see the face on the corner of Cowbar Nab..? looking over Staithes Harbour about an hour before sunset on Tuesday 14th May 2013 early morning on Wednesday 15th May 2013 what a change…! evening on Wednesday 15th May 2013, while the […]
Read MoreStunning new booklet about the North York Moors
A new booklet about the North York Moors has just been published, it’s ‘Celebrating and Promoting a special place.’ This stunning booklet is full of wonderful images of the area, as well as some very descriptive text. The booklet is part of a local distinctiveness project, Moors & More, commissioned by the North York Moors National Park Authority, with Leader funding. While Susan Briggs (The Tourism Network) and Catriona McLees (North York Moors National Park […]
Read MoreNational Walking Month – May 2013
Just discovered that May has been declared ‘National Walking Month’ by Living Streets, what or who is Living Streets…? Well to quote their about page…. “Do you love your street? So do we. We want to work with you to make the streets you live, work, shop and play in safe, attractive and enjoyable spaces. We’ve been doing just that, since 1929. We are all pedestrians, and our streets are the one public space we […]
Read MoreNo. 1 in Coast Magazine – June edition
Coast Magazine has placed us at number one on their “ten things to do this month” thanks so much Coast for including us, we really appreciate it…:) Our next Coastal Craft Day Course is on Monday 27th May while our next Ancient Paint Palette Day Course is on Wednesday 26th June. Do get in touch if you’re interested, you can contact us by phone 01947 840278 or email sean @ realstaithes.com
Read MoreThe Kittiwakes have arrived in Staithes…
The first Kittiwakes, rissa tridactyla, arrived in Staithes yesterday, 29th March a little later this year, they arrived on 20th March in 2011 and 16th March in 2012. Their normal habitat is usually well out to sea, they only come ashore to breed. Kittiwakes have a very distinctive voice, ‘kitti-wake’ or kala-week’ making the colonies very noisy places indeed. Kittiwakes breed in colonies on narrow rock ledges of steep cliffs, making the end of […]
Read MoreFulmar
The fulmars may have given up with this awful weather. They had started to pair up and stake their claims on their nesting sites, little caves, rocky ledges or under overhangs, but even they appear to have gone back to sea. While, like all of us, waiting for this weather to break. Fulmars, fulmarus glacialis, are to be found at sea except when breeding, they are actually related to the albatross. It nests in colonies […]
Read More