Old Moor's Almanac

Wednesday 4th September

The night heron had appeared, albeit briefly, in the 'cuckoo tree' across from the wader scrape. When I arrived, along with other pager watchers, there was no sign. This situation prevailed for the rest of the afternoon: no night heron!

So, make do and mend. There were common sandpipers...facing left...

Common Sandpiper ...plus the right facing variety...Common Sandpiper Common Sandpiper ...there were reflective snipe...Snipe Snipe ...and easily overlooked, massive-billed shovelers!

Shoveler

...and there were some ruff that were pretty mobile but eventually dropped in in front of the hide...

Ruff Ruff Ruff Ruff

Ruff

When I got home I found my wife had been keeping a caterpillar captive until my return. This turned out to be an elephant hawk moth caterpillar, about 3 inches long when on the move...

Thank heaven for little gulls
For little gulls get bigger every day!

[from Gigi, corrupted...]

Saturday 7th September

Well I don't suppose they do really. Anyway, I'd better start at the very beginning [a very good place to start, said Maria in the Sound of Music - if that doesn't put you off, nothing will!]. I was supposed to be going cruising but the cruise was cancelled due to weather conditions. So it was off to Flamborough to implement Plan B. Lots of gannets and porpoises but no skuas or shearwaters. I think the morning was too old and I look forward to an earlier departure on the 15th. Still, it was off to Hornsea Mere next. There were birds there!

I watched a red-necked grebe distantly across the mere and I saw the juvenile black tern out on the water. Later I spotted a tern on a post near Kirkholme Point.

Common Tern

Common Tern Common tern. Not the black tern. What's this then?

Common Tern

Common Tern Common Tern I may be wrong but I think it's just a juvenile common tern... quite dark but that bill should be black...

Still, I saw some gulls on the jetty. Black-headed I expected.

Little Gull Yes, proper black-heads. A little gull. This chap still had his full summer cap - the others were getting into winter garb...

Never got little gulls like this before so no apologies for the number of images in this group.

Little Gull Little Gull Little Gull Little Gull Little Gull Little Gull Little Gull Little Gull Little Gull Little Gull Finally I called at North Cave for butterflies and dragonflies. Not disappointed...

Common hawker [I think]...

Common Hawker Migrant Hawker Migrant Hawker ...common chaser...

Ruddy Darter ...and an admirable way to end, I think...

254 UK 2013