23rd July - 1st August 2014
Five Days of a Butterfly Summer
1: July 23rd: Fen Bog, Ellerburn Bank and Scaling Dam
Barry and I hoped to renew our acquaintance with dark green fritillary and marbled white at the wonderful YWT reserve at Ellerburn Bank. Both duly obliged minutes after our arrival.
Marbled whites...
...and a ringlet...
...and lots of views of dark green fritillary [up to 3 present].
There were other butterflies too...small skipper...
...green-veined white...
...meadow brown...
...and small heath.
A good stand of woolly thistle cirsium eriophorum looked well against the darkness of the pine plantation behind it.
We moved on to Fen Bog YWT hoping for large heath and small pearl-bordered fritillary. Dark green fritillary surprised us there too!
Sir Nigel Gresley steamed past rushing back to Pickering.
Down by the marshy areas this dragonfly [keeled skimmer] posed for us.
There were butterflies too...small heath...
...small pearl-bordered [eventually located by a sharp-eyed young man]...but really difficult to photograph in the long grass...
...small tortoiseshell...
...and ringlet with bees and hover flies [blue hoverfly is leucozona glaucia].
We spotted a family of whinchats. Fledglings were around: the male kept watch from his lookout.
Final call of the day at Scaling Dam. Common sandpiper entertained us.
2: July 24th: In the garden
Speckled woods are numerous in the garden this year - as are holly blues but they aren't so accommodating!
3: July 25th: Fen Bog, Pexton Bank, Kiplingcotes and Beverley Westwood
I returned alone to Fen Bog looking for large heath and hoping also to find Pexton Bank somewhere near Ellerburn Bank...
Fen Bog first: keeled skimmer still in evidence.
Fresh looking willow warbler in the lonely rowan tree.
No sign of large heath butterfly, I headed for Dalby Forest and parked at the Pexton Moor car park. I walked south along a level path along a ridge. Dark green fritillary dashed past me. Marbled white fluttered below, down what I eventually realised was Pexton Bank. I had found it! A song thrush was gathering food.
Walking on I came to Ellerburn Bank, a mere 200m from Pexton Bank. If only I had known, could have saved a long walk and the £7 toll charge! But I might have missed this photo of a tiny fern growing on the top of an old tree stump.
I decided to drive south to Kiplingcotes to meet Barry later in the afternoon. He hadn't arrived so I set off for the old quarry. A mistle thrush looked strikingly pale - my imaginary ptarmigan!
Autumn gentian gentianella amarella was in flower on the quarry floor.
I took the steps up to the flower meadow. There were many marbled whites...
Two butterflies in this photo too!
Initially I didn't include the next photo because the red dot puzzled me until I read that marbled whites can carry a red parasite mite on their body. Like this one!
My favourite image from this blog, I think.
By the quarry gates I photographed comma...
...in flight with a bonus small skipper...
...a six-spot burnet moth...
...and a gatekeeper or hedge brown as some people call them. All the books use the name gatekeeper nowadays. This one was photographed through the bars of a gate funnily enough!!
Having found Barry I set off for Beverley Racecourse to look for purple hairstreak butterflies in the oak trees. This was my second attempt: hopefully a bit later in the day would do the trick. Barry followed on later. I had several possibles but after Barry arrived we saw one land low down. A basking female. So here's a lifer butterfly for me...
4: July 28th: Alkborough Flats
Someone said you can photograph bearded tits on a quiet day at Alkborough. I thought I'd try...but the biggest surprise came later as I was almost back at the car park...
More of that later.
A common darter perched in the sunshine for me.
Reed warblers were plentiful.
There were mipits on the fence.
I sat in the hide and watched over a thousand avocets and 100+ godwits. I waited for the snowstorm as the avocets took off but they continued to doze on the sand. Then this little bird made my day!
After bearded tits I went in search of ruddy shelducks. No sign but this bright little butterfly turned up. Then another. Small copper - lovely small bright and fast flying butterfly but in the mood to enjoy the sunshine.
Flying away!
Landing again!
Further on another specimen actually posed for me!
Approaching the car I saw a skipper. It was tiny. I watched it as it swayed about in the gentle breeze. In the bins I confirmed what I only hoped: a lifer Essex skipper with its black antennae tips!
Let's get a bit closer.
5: July 29th: Greatham Creek; Cresswell Pond; Newburn Bridge and back to Greatham Creek again!
Barry and I headed north, hoping like Micawber that something would turn up. We walked to Greatham Creek. Inquisitive seals!
A solitary curlew combed the black banks of the creek.
A wall butterfly popped up - my second of the year - not a common butterfly by any means.
The sea lavender limonium vulgare was in full flower.
The pager announced a stilt sandpiper at Cresswell Pond. 'Time to go!' I said to Barry. We drove north through the Tyne Tunnel. Time now for one of my specials: what I call a cuckoo type photo or, if you like, a photo of a bird that is so far away you can tell it's there but no more than that. Very rare stilt sandpiper [my second ever; lifer for Barry] asleep at the water's edge, just left of the swimming tufted duck!
We drove back south after a while, calling at Newburn Bridge. Winter must be coming: my friendly Mediterranean gull was back.
He's been busy. He's been to Ireland and learnt how to Riverdance!!
And so back to Greatham Creek again to continue where we left off as it were... Wild parsnip pastinaca sativa.
Grayling butterflies - once we'd spotted one they seemed to be everywhere! Here's a few.
I have one book with a photo of a grayling's upper wings. The book says it's a rare photo. Well, without getting too conceited, mine are better.
Carline thistles were in flower too...
...plus what I think is a very late flowering marsh orchid - growing in dry stony clinker!
We even found a probable Essex skipper. I was getting tired and should have made more of an effort to get a clear view of those antennae tips. What do you think?
Final grayling: my best grayling shot, I think.
6: August 1st: In the garden again!
Found in the garage by Sheila after I'd walked past it several times! Poplar hawk moth.
UK 2014 231