To be or not to bee?

Well, yesterday's bee wasn't to be - it was a hoverfly - but still early! (many thanks to Chamaeleo's ID!) 

Today's to be or not was whether I'd get to see the owls at Bempton.  I took the van over to Flamborough after teaching last night.  First thing this morning, we headed over to the lighthouse for dawn.  I'd set my alarm for 6 but somehow, and very uncharacteristically, woke up at ten to five and stayed awake.  Grrrr!

After watching a fairly unimpressive sunrise and following a lovely walk down to Selwicks Bay (with its amazing bright white chalk base with black boulders), we headed over to Bempton to see if the owls were still up.

Nope.  
So, feeling exceptionally jaded, we went back to bed too. Well, snoozed really. For quite some time.  

Early afternoon, we headed to Filey, grabbed a healthy chip snack, failed to go on the beach because the tide was in and drove back to Bempton, hopeful of better luck.

We walked north first.  Little Dog seemed to be pulling towards home while I was taking photos of the gannets.  When I turned round, she was staring over the cliff.  Following her nose, I spotted a stoat and then another, scurrying about before disappearing over the edge just a few metres away.  

Well, that was the start of being on a roll!  

Just a few minutes later, in came a rather fast bird on a mission, right to that very spot in front of us. A peregrine!  I did get photos of both but I wasn't quite sharp enough, so neither were they! Feeling satisfied at this end of the cliff, we decided to try our luck at the other end and headed south.

Just at the last birding station, in the field, a large, low bird caught my eye.  Whoopee doo! A short-eared owl!  We had the whole cliff to ourselves by now and watched for ages as it quartered, on the hunt.  Eventually, as the sun was getting lower, it headed back towards the visitor centre so we did too.  I chatted to a chap on the way back who had seen it along with another - he said they'd had some altercation and flown off in opposite directions.

Well, we walked a few yards on and what should we see?  TWO short-eared owls having a little altercation!  They disappeared in opposite directions.  I watched one for a while and decided we'd had a pretty good day and it was time to head back.  

No barn owl today.  But you can't have it all.

Not until you're on the way home and one flies parallel to the van.
Sweet dreams, I think!