I've got to admit it's getting better
A little better all the time

                                          - the Beatles

2nd May: Tophill Low again!

I felt sure it was time to see some warblers and swift maybe at Tophill Low. So off I went. In fact I saw some swifts and a garden warbler. The photos show a willow tit [I'm pretty sure], a willow warbler and an orange-tip butterfly showing his beautifully camouflaged underwings.

Willow Tit

Willow Tit Willow Warbler Orange-tip

For me orange-tip has always been one of the most difficult butterflies to photograph having often tried but I have given up as they flew busily on into the distance.

3rd May: Chez moi

Having explained how hard it can be to photograph orange-tips, imagine my surprise when a tame one turned up in my own garden the following day!

Orange-tip

In fact all the photos that day were taken in my garden in York. You don't have to drive miles for a good image...

...we have lots of speckled woods in the garden.

Speckled Wood

Speckled Wood

There were large whites too.

Small White

As well as the butterflies we had wasps on Camellia 'Donation'...

Wasp

...and the dreaded lily beetle on... you guessed!

Lily Beetle

Last year [a very good butterfly year] we only saw one holly blue butterfly all summer. This year we've already seen them in double figures. This one's even on a thornless holly! [They lay their eggs on holly or ivy]

Holly Blue

Holly Blue

5th May: Scaling Dam -  down Bog House Lane and then Saltholme

We heard cuckoo from the hide at Scaling Dam but never saw it. So after a while we decided to head off up the little valley from Bog House Lane where I had seen green hairstreaks last year. We soon saw tree pipit and then whinchat.

Whinchat

Barry was the first to find the butterflies.

Green Hairstreak

We heard red grouse. I spotted one watching me over a ridge in the heather moor. Red Grouse

Barry got a photo of the bird in flight. See http://barryjohnbishop.blogspot.co.uk/

We moved on to Saltholme. At Dorman's Pool we saw linnets... Linnet

...sedge warbler...

Sedge Warbler

...and a faded small tortoiseshell butterfly.

Small Tortoiseshell

What's this then?

Garganey

At Saltholme we had great views of this drake garganey.

Garganey

Garganey

Garganey Garganey

A grey heron gave good views too.

Grey Heron

6th May: Bolton Abbey walk #2

On Tuesday I had to go to Bolton on family business so decided to do some early-birding! Always hoping for wood warbler I arrived by 6.30am at Barden Bridge. It was raining. A dipper was feeding its youngster on the shingle just downstream of the bridge. I watched through my bins from the car. The weather soon brightened and I set off. The new plantation on the west side held blackcap and garden warbler. I was pleased to get a very good but brief view of a garden warbler but heard nothing of wood warbler all morning, alas.

In the west wood I spotted a roe deer who seemed amazed to see me so bright and early. Photo 400mm lens handheld in poor light at 1/20th of a second. It isn't pin sharp but I am pretty thrilled nonetheless. Both images uncropped!!

Roe Deer

Roe Deer

At the aqueduct a great tit looked me over.

Great Tit

A mallard mum was on the river with her ducklings.

Mallard

A common sandpiper was feeding in the rock pools by the aqueduct...

Common Sandpiper

...and a pair of grey wagtail were present.

Grey Wagtail

There were lots of pied flycatchers singing.

Pied Flycatcher

Pied Flycatcher

Later I saw a sudden movement. A wren was watching me. Funny how the best comes right out of the blue...

Wren

Wren

Wren Wren

On my walk back I saw a wonderful male redstart as I was about to leave the woods. I was so transfixed I never photographed it before it was gone, hopping away over the dry stone wall.

Almost back at Barden Bridge I watched a green-veined white butterfly.

Green-veined White

Green-veined White

196 UK 2014