Bits'n bobs!

Stayed at home writing previous blog on June 5th. Sheila called me asking me to bring a camera: she had something interesting in one of the greenhouses.

Turned out it was a pair of lime hawk moths mating. Pretty impressive beasts too!

Lime Hawk Moth

Visitors expected late morning on J6 so I got up very early and drove to Strensall Common to do the woodlark walk. And it worked: views perched on a dead branch on one side of a large pine tree and then doing its circling, moth-like tailless flight until it landed in a birch quite a way off. Next part of plan was to go to Blacktoft. Arrived there by 9am. Took forever to see bearded tits but did eventually succeed. Meanwhile I photographed heron...

Grey Heron

...sedge warbler...

Sedge Warbler

...and this whitethroat.

The problem is that it looks like a lesser with that darker area behind the eye, smoother more compact appearance, more white on the chest. But leg colour and lower mandible colour suggest common whitethroat. Nice bird anyway if a little skulking [which brings me back to lesser!!......]

Lockwood beckons!

A late start on Sunday 8th June for Barry and me. We headed back to Lockwood Beck reservoir to see if we could photograph the osprey. We knew it was still around and nothing especially exciting had been reported elsewhere nearby.

No sign after a while so we decided to walk round the reservoir - something we had never done before. Hoping for cuckoo and spotted flycatcher. We heard the cuckoo often enough and we saw a wren, a blue tit and a treecreeper! The anglers were fly-fishing. I was fascinated by this angler's case of assorted flies.

Lockwood Beck fly fisherman's kit

However about three-quarters of the way round the osprey appeared in the north-east corner, coming up over the dam and disappearing low down behind the trees to our right. I managed a quick shot.

Osprey

Concluding our circumnavigation of the reservoir we rested on one of the benches by the outfall. Grey wagtails were around. Suddenly Barry said quietly: 'It's back!' It was. Here are just a few of the many photographs I took in the next few minutes. One of the most exciting birding/photographic experiences of the last few years.

Osprey

Osprey Osprey Osprey Osprey Osprey Osprey

Osprey

Later we called at Scaling Dam and checked out the birds there. A willow warbler was singing from an alder that was swaying around quite violently in the increasing breeze. A few photos were in focus!

Willow Warbler Willow Warbler

Finally we called at Sutton Bank but the turtle dove had turned!