Following on from our last blog post ‘Tides are crucial…‘ let’s talk a little about the next full moon, which just happens to fall this month on Friday 25th December 2015… yes that’s right it’s a full moon on Christmas Day. Just three days after Winter Solstice, which is the shortest day of the year or the longest night depending on which way you look at things, on Tuesday 22nd December 2015. Our next full […]
Read Morewinter walks
Lots of layers of clothing…
If you are joining us for a day on the foreshore lots of layers of clothing are best, as this is the north east coast of England after all. I did start off with mittens as well, you can just see them peeping out of my pocket, but got to warm…:) Both coat and jumper had hoods for when the wind got to much… Wellington boots are far the best thing to wear on your […]
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 MoreBeach Treasure…
An absolutely stunning walk this morning on the foreshore to the north of Staithes. The weather conditions produced such amazing contrasts, from the clarity of the winter sunshine to the snow showers producing Arctic blizzards, the biting, freezing wind made you feel so alive. The bright orange beaks of the Oystercatchers made for a colourful display against the grey of the sea and rocks. As an added bonus found a few pieces of jet and […]
Read MoreOystercatchers…
Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) these birds can be seen here in Staithes all year round though you do see more of them in the winter months. They are very distinct birds with black and white plumage, long orange/red beaks and pink legs. Oystercatchers are very noisy, with a loud ‘pic… pic… pic…’ and a strident ‘kleep… kleep…’ When on the shore they can be seen to be running from one spot to another. During the […]
Read MoreSnow Bunting…
For the last few days, on the cliff inside Staithes harbour you could have seen snowflakes cascading down. These cascading snowflakes were in fact snow buntings, from a distance snow buntings appear to be almost pure white. Snow buntings are regular winter visitors to our shores. Although a few pairs of Snow Buntings can sometimes be found nesting in the Scottish Highlands. Snow bunting are found in flocks anything from a few hundred to a […]
Read MoreRed Shanks…
The Redshank was traditionally called the bad weather bird, so fishermen never liked to see them here in the harbour at Staithes, they considered them a bad omen. The redshank is probable one of the noisiest waders we find in this country, with a plaintive tew-phew-phew. More redshanks are to be found on the coast during the winter months as many are winter visitors from Iceland. They breed in marshes and damp meadows in many […]
Read MoreEnthusiastic write up…
Just want to thank Susan Briggs for a very enthusiastic write up about the day she spent with us on the foreshore… “Last week I went to a Posh Picnic on the beach at Port Mulgrave on the Yorkshire Coast. Sunny but cold, and not the obvious thing to do in December. It was fantastic!….” to read more
Read MoreJust added two more days for 2013…
The first is a day course for Wednesday 2nd January 2013… it will be a chance to get out into the fresh air after days spend inside ‘celebrating’… perfect to work off some of those extra pounds you’ve put on over the festive period… an opportunity to explore the foreshore with expert guides… to learn something about the history of the area from mining to shipwrecks… hunt for fossils and jet… then enjoy a […]
Read MoreNovember walk…
A cold day in November saw us once again on the foreshore but the cold was forgotten once everyone started finding fossils… jet… lobsters… slideshow of the day below…
