Horseshoe Point

We decided to kill two birds with one stone today by taking Jet for a walk at Horseshoe Point and then continuing to Marshchapel to take in their annual art exhibition, which, as always, was excellent.  It was bright and sunny if somewhat blustery for our walk at Horsehoe Point.  The intention was to walk along the sea bank until we could get to the path through the dunes at North Coates Point, visit Tetney North Dunes and return by the beach.  Sadly the shooting fraternity have elected to fence this off and secure it with a locked gate.  This was, of course, not insurmountable and I think their grounds for this are spurious to say the least.  All that should be required is to keep to the footpath or beach, which we did!!!  Rant over!

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Autumn at Horsehoe Point

I needed to do some retakes for my photography degree so a trip to Horseshoe Point on the Humber Estuary was in order.  Picking up Jet first, we set off, arriving in the car park ready for our lunch which we enjoyed before the walk.  It was a beautiful afternoon with a rising tide and a large tanker tied up and offloading at the monobuoy out in the estuary.  The bird life had changed shifts since my last visit; gone were the noisy breeding avocets and their place was taken by brent geese and large mixed wader flocks.  It was good to see large numbers of starlings and linnets too.  Photography over, we began our journey back along the beach enjoying the views of the wader flocks whirling and twisting like smoke as the caught the light; they were being driven off the mudflats by the rising tide, flying up and settling again.  The bird of the day, though, was the beautiful short-eared owl which took from in front of us and drifted moth like over the dunes; beautiful.

Tanker tied up at Tetney Monobuoy.

Horshoe Point and Tetney Dunes.

It had been a big tide when I parked up on the edge of the salt marsh at Horseshoe Point and there was a damp sea smell.  It was overcast and slightly drizzly to begin but soon cleared and turned warm and fine, but fortunately overcast; the conditions I needed for my photography.  I was out to take some more images for my degree assignment, after talking to my tutor.  He suggested some ultra close wide angle shots of the jestsam to emphasis the object, yet, at the same time, showing the distant landscape.  The sea pink or thrift is now beginning to go over and sea lavender come into flower.  Soon the marsh will be a haze of purple.  The avocets were again displaying loudly and aggresively chasing off anything that came near their pool.  Skylarks were singing lustily, climbing as if suspended on invisible thread.  Oystercatchers, redshanks and meadow pipits were in evidence and reed buntings seemed to be singing from every perch.

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Two Sunny Trips to Horseshoe Point and Tetney Dunes.

It was beautiful on the sea Bank between Horsehoe Point and Northcoates Point on the way to Tetney Dunes: the sun was out, a gentle breeze was blowing and the only sounds to be heard were the birds and the gentle soughing of the wind.  Views were expansive to the Lincolnshire Wolds, spangled with the yellow of oil seed rape and, in the other direction, across the mouth of the Humber to Spurn Point and its lighthouse.  It was good to be alive.  Heater and I were on the way to the beach at Tetney dunes to look for and photograph flotsam and jetsam for an assignment for my photography degree - don't ask!!!  We walked along the sea bank to Northcoates point and then cut through the dunes before walking along the beach.  We chose this location, partly because Jet enjoys a beach walk, and partly because it is always a good spot for beachcombing.  On the way we had good views of a couple of little egrets in the drain and on one of the lagoons in the dunes were two pairs of avocets which looked as if they were having a go at nesting.  When I returned on my own two days later there was also a pair of black-tailed godwit in their fabulous chestnut breeding plumage.  There were also skylarks, meadow pipits and wheatears flitting around.  Again, on my second visit a pair of roe deer had made their way onto the beach and were enjoying a paddle.  There was also a large flock of oystercatchers on the tide line.

A very enjoyable couple of days.

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