3am Eternal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDsCeC6f0zc

More birding the candle at both ends during a trip to the Northlands to see family in late May.  There was evening news of both a spanking adult Lesser Grey Shrike and a party of 9 Beeaters pinned down to a roost beneath the decaying gothic grandeur of Whitby Abbey - irresistible.  I set my alarm for 3 am and stumbled into the gloaming  it was already light in the east and the dawn chorus was starting.  The drive to Whitby is always enjoyable - crossing vale, dale and moor before taking in a spectacular view of the yorkshire coastline.  This morning it was sublime and I stopped to listen to the song of Redstart, grumbling of Red Grouse and Curlew trembling the air.  

The first view of the coast floored me.  A bank of thick, contoured cloud was settled low over the sea with the sun rising into a clear sky of tangerine through to peach and deep blue above.  The coast and the outline of the Abbey set against that.  Very special.

Not long after dawn I heard the gorgeous tremulous exuberant exotica of Beeater calls from within the little valley but couldn't see the birds.  A bit of searching and moving around to get a view and 7 of the 9 beauties were on view.

After drinking these beauties in I decided to look for the Shrike.  I had a hope that I might be able to watch the Shrike and the Beeaters at the same time and the Beeaters were becoming more vocal and ready to depart.  A quick hack across a field and I was enjoying a cracking bird, really handsome.  To top it off the Beeater calls started to crescendo and the flock of 9 swirled over head and regrouped to head south along the coast.  I was back home for breakfast and a day with the family - all credit intact.