Marriot's Warehouse, King's Lynn

How does a sculpture on the subject of the medieval practice of drying cod grab you? Hmm? Well outside this late 16^th century warehouse they've put up a  grey metallic thing with a little plaque telling us that dried fish was imported into King's Lynn back in the days before Beko fridge-freezers and this is so we don't forget how barrel loads of the stuff were transported inland from here ... *yawn, stretch...*  I liked the squawking gull but found the rest was a bit "so-whatish" but maybe others will find it fascinating.

Here's the front of the building (or is it the back?), it seems from what I read that the place was used for storing salt, wine, beer and building materials. Ships apparently moored inside the place which indicates the river has been pushed back a few dozen yards since those days. It's reckoned the stone base comes from demolished Friary which was just behind here. The building is now a restaurant and exhibition space and is run by a trust to keep it open to the public.

I'd like to see this "rain barrel" in a downpour ...

Winter Trees

In this bleak midwinter rain has fallen, rain on rain ... and so Snuff Mill Lane fields are nicely awash and home to a few wary gulls and it's all a bit otherworldly.

I know it's hard to believe but I have seen a farmer try to grow a crop in these fields a few years ago. Every now and then it gets ploughed, harrowed and sown with barley or some such; I'm not qualified to say what sort of yields comes out of here but it can't be good since it's been fallow for a few years now. I think this is protected land, as in the Council's 'local plan' does not have in its sights, and it's also a site of scientific interest (but that means diddly-squat if developer wants it).

I've mentioned before that it's a great place for seeing the things of nature with birds, roe deer, weasels and so on. Best thing I saw this year was a buzzard being attacked by some crows. I took a not very good picture ...

A place to rest

The rather silly Boer War memorial on Ferensway makes a nice perch for a sea gull. I think he improves it tremendously; I'm  thinking of calling him Steven ...

The Aristocrats

Allow me, if you  will, to have my annual rant against hot weather. It's 29C and stinking humid as hell and I'm hating it. I know, I know 29C is just warming up for some places but this pale psychrophilic Englishman much prefers 19C;  actually now I come to come to think 9C is just dandy. To add to the misery everyone is supposed to be happy now summer is here: oh look! blue skies and barbecues and relaxing in the glorious sunshine (sunshine is not glorious it's a vile irradiating emission from the furnace in the sky and it can bugger off). Stuff that for a game.

Deep intake of breath ...

aaand relax ...

Where was I? Oh yes

These common gulls were taken by Margot in wonderful cool March. It's difficult not to see them as laughing at something, the human condition perhaps or the Brexit talks that finally start today, the PM who is afraid to show her face in public ("strong and stable"), that bloke from Hull and Hereabouts; there's so much to choose from. Or maybe they've just heard the dirtiest joke ever.

Got a ticket to my destination

At stations there are signs that politely inform the intending passenger that it is illegal to board a train without a ticket if you get on at a station with a ticket office that is manned, or words to that effect. Which seems fair enough to me. So form an orderly queue at this rather splendid Victorian booking office which was clearly designed to cope with far more passengers than ever use this line. You might have to wait as the ticket seller is probably having a coffee in the buffet across the way ...

I've waited in far worse places than Bridlington station for my train to arrive though, as I've mentioned before, the hanging bikes are a bit of an oddity.

Being by the seaside brings with it a yearly influx of young gulls learning the delicate art of walking on a sloping glass roof.

Common Gulls

Well the first dusting of snow in two years thankfully melted away before I could get any pictures. Here's one I took earlier, much earlier, these are Common Gulls (Larus canus, the grey gull!)  in Pearson Park where they gather en masse to steal the bread out of the beaks of the ducks. Snow is just snow; you've seen one load of it you've seen the lot. I can live without thank you.

East Park

As I often do at this time of year I visited East Park to see if the goosanders had arrived but I didn't see any. However I have heard that there several at another park over in west Hull maybe they just fancied a change of scenery. There were still plenty of seagulls on the lookout for a free lunch.

The weekend in black and white has snooken up on us again and it's here.

While waiting for the lights to change ...

... I took these from a taxi on my way to east Hull a fortnight or so ago. This is Trinity Methodist church on the corner of Newland Avenue and Cottingham Road. It's main feature is the octagonal dome which is almost always topped by a sitting sea gull. The building was designed by our old friend Alfred Gelder in 1927ish.  I've seen this building described as looking like a cinema but personally I don't see the similarity. The bus stop on the right is the one overlooked by a skeleton (see here).

Posing

Bit of birdwatching

This time of year East Park lake becomes the home for about twenty or so goosanders and every year I go along to take some pictures. And every year they stay just too far away for anything you might like to call a decent shot. (Yeah, I know, invest in a bigger lens ...) So I turn to the never knowingly shy black-headed gulls for my picture of the day. Below the best I could manage of those darn ducks.

From Victoria Pier

This is the view towards the river Hull from what is now called the Victoria Pier but which used to be called the Corporation Pier and from which ferries ran across the Humber to New Holland.  I thought the gull deserved a close-up for not flying away while this idiot was lining it up for the shot.

City Daily Photo's In Focus features an interview with me covering cynicism, romanticism, Philip Larkin and other bits and bobs about photography and Hull. Though I say it myself it's far from boring. Read it here.

Dull Day in Bridlington

Anyone taking a seat overlooking Bridlington's harbour is going to be met by one of these guys. There are signs saying they can be agressive and they should not be fed but I've never had any trouble and they will sit patiently while you focus your camera on them.

It was a particularly dull and foggy day in Brid so I pointed my camera at the birds. The above is a Herring Gull probably in its second year judging by the speckled head which mature birds don't have. 

These are Lesser Blackbacked gulls on the beach.... 

These are two Turnstones having a wash.

This little starling sat about two feet away so I barely had time to focus.

Blackheaded Gull

Took a trip out to Driffield the other day with a view to taking some photos. I managed this one and about half-a-dozen more when the batteries in my camera went flat. I had another camera but the batts had died in that too; so I was not the happiest of bunnies.

Unintended Consequences

A few years ago the good folk of Bridlington had a major headache; herring gulls were nesting on the old buildings of the town and causing a mighty mess. Their habit of dive bombing passers-by caused distress and loss of trade. So, to prevent this, long spikes were fitted to window ledges and roof tops. It was a great success, the herring gulls hated the spikes and left. 

However kittiwakes, the birds you see here, simply used the spikes to fasten their nesting material to the building and took over the place. I guess it beats trying to nest on a cliff. Kittiwakes are the smallest gull that we have around here and are much less aggressive and really quite pretty for a gull. In recent years the UK kittiwake population has plummeted and several colonies have been wiped out so it's good to see these birds thriving even if in unusual circumstances.

Low Tide

While it's low tide it's best to catch up on the beauty sleep; the only disturbance is a heavy footed fool with a camera.

The Fish Quay, Bridlington

Two Big Balls and a Gull

If a gull could talk, we could not understand him. 

Brown Gull

One of the new gang of seaside thugs.