Tuesday 4th June 2013ff
Depth of field test and Hawnby Crags
Tuesday 4th June 2013 morning
In the garden during the morning in excellent light I tried some flower photos at f18, hoping for good depth of field.
Trillium erectum
Trillium erectum
Clematis 'Marjorie'
Clematis
Allium sp.
Allium giganteum
Fly on euphorbia flowers
Greenbottle
Commercial break!!
Can't remember if I advertised the latest Yorkshire Bird report for 2011. Just out last month and available from all good bird reserves... price £12.95 Oh, I almost forgot! Includes 5 photos taken by me.
Tuesday 4th June 2013 afternoon
Needed to be around at home in the morning but in the afternoon I went off to Hawnby Hill [north of Helmsley] to look for the Duke of Burgundy. Couldn't find him anywhere but suspect I needed much more info. I climbed up to Hawnby Crags [300m] and exhausted my inadequate heart completely. The views were terrific.
Looking back towards Hawnby village
Views round Hawnby Hill
I met a meadow pipit near the summit cairn. He was obliging enough to pose for a moment. Since I saw no other walkers I guess people, including dukes, were not a frequent sight.
Meadow Pipit
Looking east towards the coast
Views round Hawnby Hill
On the walk back I looked up to the line of crags I had walked along.
Views round Hawnby Hill
In the car park a pair of spotted flycatchers were busy.
Spotted Flycatcher
Just in case you don't know the Duke of Burgundy is a rare butterfly I have not yet encountered. I'll keep looking!
Definitely not according to plan!
Thursday 6th June
As part of my depth of field experiment all photos today were taken at f18 with shutter speeds varying from 1/50 to 1/160. I'm impressed I can hand hold steady enouugh to get this degree of sharpness...
Heading off for the day to explore some new sites around Market Weighton. Started at North Newbald Becksies YWT. No sign of marsh orchid. All very lush and overgrown. Whitethroat and blackcap present. Small reserve: 10 minutes is sufficient to survey. Then on to Rifle Butts YWT: also overgrown and not looking a likely site for anything choice but I may be wrong... I headed for Kiplingcotes. Having parked I checked the pager: 4 black terns at Pugney's, Wakefield. Moment's thought then change of plan.
Reached Pugney's: lots of dinghies on the water. Terns had left as the boats launched a few minutes earlier. Now what? Decided to go to Old Moor as I had read that there were southern marsh orchids there. Having asked at reception I soon found orchids but on my way I bumped into a couple of dingy skippers.
Dingy Skipper
Dingy Skipper
Southern marsh orchid
Southern Marsh Orchid
Southern Marsh Orchid
Little colour variation; unspotted leaves. Quite tall and lush growing.
Southern Marsh Orchid
Southern Marsh Orchid
Smaller, slightly paler inflorescence but still tall.
Southern Marsh Orchid
Southern Marsh Orchid
Water mint mentha aquatica
Water Mint
Bog bean menyanthes trifoliata
Bogbean
Damselflies everywhere. Usual plan: photograph first, identify later! Much easier. So thrilled to find I had pictures of Azure damselflies - my first photos of this species. Here they are.
Azure damselflies
Azure Damselfly
Azure Damselfly
Azure Damselfly
Azure damselflies
Azure Damselfly female
Common blue damselfly
Common Blue Damselfly
A four-spot chaser appeared.
Four-spotted Chaser
Four-spotted Chaser
Flag iris iris pseudacorus
Flag Iris
Ragged-robin lychnis flos-cuculi
Ragged Robin
Ragged Robin
Red clover trifolium pratense 
Red Clover
Pond skater and diving beetle - need further work...
Pond Skater
Diving Beetle
Where next, I wondered. So I headed for Brockadale. Never been before. Lots [and I mean liots] of brimstones and some orange tips: all zipping along. Saw rock rose helianthememum nummularium
Rock Rose helianthemum nummularium
A cluster of dandelion seed heads caught my eye...
Dandelion
...as did a swarm of speedwell flowers. [Germander speedwell veronica chamaedrys]
Germander Speedwell
After that the pager announced a black tern at St. Aidan's RSPB, the new reserve at Swillington Ings. I typed in the postcode and off we scampered. I came, I saw and I concurred: black swan tick after all!
More news before too long. Off to import mother-in-law to Yorkshire from Wales to bring her to meet her latest great-grandson.... [and get some Welsh birding in while I'm at it!]
230 UK 2013