All quiet on the Eastern Front!

Wednesday June 11th was a lovely day so in the afternoon I decided to explore the Pocklington Canal. It was warm and bright with little wind and I was hoping for damselflies and dragonflies. I saw very little - just a few common blue damselflies. The canal is more overgrown than I expected. For some distance no water at all is visible; later a channel emerges through the reeds. There were a few birds: whitethroat and reed warbler [heard], moorhens and a few pairs of tufted ducks. This male was quite unafraid.

Tufted Duck

On Friday June 13th a black-winged pratincole at Saltholme came up on the pager. A potential lifer, I dashed north but it had gone by the time I arrived. The weather was very pleasant so I took a few pictures. Firstly of a whitethroat and a wren outside Phil Stead's place.

Whitethroat Wren

Then I spent over an hour with the damsels and dragons down near Back Saltholme. En route I spotted this cluster of what I believe are small tortoiseshell caterpillars.

Peacock Caterpillars

One of the first damsels I saw was this blue-tailed damselfly.

Blue-tailed Damselfly

The four-spot chasers were perching at the side of the pools.

Four Spot Chaser Four Spot Chaser Four Spot Chaser Four Spot Chaser Four Spot Chaser

After a while I decided to have a go at getting flight photos of the four spot chasers. These are not perfect results but I was nevertheless quite pleased as hand-held flight shots of dragonflies are pretty tricky!!

Four Spot Chaser Four Spot Chaser Four Spot Chaser Four Spot Chaser

Saturday 14th June: Barry and I set off after 2pm for Saltholme in hope of seeing a roseate tern that was showing from the cafe. It had left when we arrived. I photographed a mystery damselfly [hoping for help from ispot] and then spent some time experimenting with f14 and f18 exposures of perching four spot dragonflies to see if I could hand hold, maintain focus and get better depth of field. The day was bright and I was quite pleased with the results. Also featured below: fox through glass from the visitor centre; reed bunting from the car park. Here they all are... [I especially like the magpie - not always easy to get a relaxed shot like this one!]

Fox Blue-tailed Damselfly. Immature form violacea Four Spot Chaser Four Spot Chaser Four Spot Chaser Four Spot Chaser Magpie Reed Bunting

16th June: Quality time

Pecsand reported on Sunday at New Swillington Ings on the causeway. Went today late morning but bird had flown off. Long story but probably never went far and emerged from the thistles on the concrete path near a standard white poodle and its mistress.

While we waited for the bird [that probably hadn't gone away at all] to come back I snapped this common tern.

Common Tern Common Tern

Here it is: a very confiding bird. Don't suppose I'll ever be this close to a pectoral sandpiper again. The birder next to me just kept repeating: 'Unbelievable, unbelievable!' The bird looked, kept calm and carried on!

Here's the star of this posting:

Pectoral Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper

Pectoral Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper

I may add more when I have time!

Pectoral Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper

From the footbridge over the River Aire I saw several large stands of giant hogweed, heracleum montegazzianum. Giant Hogweed