7th April-26th April 2015
Cornucopia - a bit of everything!
Before I begin here's a little brain teaser. Name this butterfly! More of this and an explanation much later!
...and here's an oddity from home. This collared dove apparently fell asleep on one of our garden seats! Good job the cat was asleep too! [Photo by Sheila]
Tuesday 7th April: a day at Blacktoft and Old Moor
It all began rather quietly. A female pheasant walked down to Reception with me...
I sat in Marshland. The lagoons were pretty quiet. A pair of great-crested grebes were displaying half-heartedly.
Suddenly something put everything up down at Ousefleet. The waders began to head my way...
Can you spot the black-tailed godwit?
It's still in there!
Here come the godwits...
Avocets can be a bit like wallpaper or RSPB wrapping paper perhaps...
I moved on to Old Moor. This little grebe was very photogenic!
As was this pochard. Good light helps enormously. Not enough of it in the UK!
All in all a lovely day: the blackthorn was in blossom...
...and butterflies were on the wing.
Wednesday 8th April
Barry and I had a rather unproductive day at Spurn apart from a nice little firecrest. I snapped at a few geese.
A bit better than greylags were these brents.
This brassica was in flower - probably white mustard or charlock which are very similar.
Saturday 11th April
A trip to Flamborough to see a disreputable duck! Dismissed by all as an exotic escape, some locals said: "Even if it is right - and it's unringed - no-one will ever accept even a genuine bird, there's so many escapees!" So there. Pretty bird anyway.
It was blowing a gale. This kestrel on the clifftop was simply trying to get out of the wind.
I did see the alpine swift whilst I was there but didn't get a photo.
Monday 13th April
I went to Swillington Ings to see the black-necked grebe again. Here's what it looked like last winter -same place, probably same bird...
...and here it is now!
I called at Lin Dike and saw this slightly grumpy looking chiffchaff.
Tuesday 14th April
To Ousefleet at Blacktoft but saw little of note. Lapwings were careering about overhead...
...and shelduck were quite close to the hide.
Ended up at Skipwith Common looking for woodlark or anything else! I only came across the longhorns.
Saturday 18th April
Barry and I began our day at North Cave. A common sandpiper came close.
Wrens...
and willow warblers entertained us.
Barry found quite a few late bramblings which really surprised me.
A bit closer. Nice one!
Sunday 19th April
Barry and I got out again for a trip to Swillington. I hoped he could catch up with the black-necked grebes. We did. Later a wagtail got in my lens!
My next trip out was on
Wednesday 22nd April.
I drove up to Dorman's Pool area hoping for warblers such as whitethroat and grasshopper. No luck. Recently I seem to meet a lot of wrens!
Here's another one the next day at Fairburn, Lin Dike, perched really high up an ash tree.
While I was there I saw another duck of ill repute - a ruddy shelduck. But it's unringed and in the wild and aren't most ruddy shelducks of a somewhat shady origin? Female.
Saturday 25th April took me first back to Dorman's Pool for no good reason! A sedge warbler was scraping away...
...and yet another wren was in competition.
Then I headed south for better weather determined to explore Lowther Lake before the rain. I took the transporter bridge with its new cradle. Enjoy, Barry!
Here comes the answer to the question I posed earlier.
Follow the sequence...
Female orange-tip spotted by male orange-tip...
Cardamine pratensis is better known as Lady's Smock or Cuckoo flower or Milkmaids. They grow well at Lowther Lake and are a food plant of- you guessed- the orange-tip.
Sunday 26th April
I don't give up easily and so I went back to Skipwith Common for a third attempt to see the wood larks. This time I was bright and early. I got out of the car, photographed the bird and carried on to North Cave and later Blacktoft! It was that easy!
Long-tailed tits greeted me at North Cave.
A redshank paddled along in front of South Hide.
At Blacktoft the marsh harriers were coming quite close which led to some of my best ever shots of Blacktoft harriers.
Avocets flew past and some shelducks chased off a pochard for some reason...
We're after you!
More harrier action including an attack on a mallard.
A heron dropped in.
Got something!
Swallowing.
Bet you can't see me!!
It flew off.
A peacock was sunning itself as we walked from hide to hide. A butterfly, I mean!
Barry hoped these might be whimbrel but I think they are curlews. Males have shorter bills than females. Males perhaps!
I managed a long-distance photo-lock on a sedge warbler through the reeds. Worked out nicely!
I walked back to the car leaving Barry in the hide. A blackcap posed.
After I had left Barry saw a pair of Montagu's harriers. I went back on Tuesday 28th April bright and early. I was in the hide for 7.50am. The Montys obliged: distant but really good showing in the scope. A bit far for my 400mm lens but those readers who remember my so-called 'cuckoo photos' of very distant birds will realise this was the best I could manage! I think you get the feel of those narrow wings and longer tail. Battleship grey male too!
The female.
I headed next for North Cave but a pager report of dotterel at Todmorden by the roadside made me rethink my plans. After sorting out an incorrect road name I headed for Stone Lane up above Todmorden. I had a good trip. I mean a really good trip! Here it is x7!
On into May!
Saturday 2nd May
Barry and I made an early start for Spurn. We began at Beacon Ponds where we found our first target bird: 13+ little terns along with a couple of sandwich terns on a raft on the ponds. Whimbrel were also present in the fields. This egret was on the wetlands.
Swans flew over us.
Walking back to Tiggy I suddenly realised that I was staring at a wheatear atop a gatepost about 8 feet in front of me! The bird seemed puzzled by our presence and remained there for 3 or 4 minutes while we played with our cameras! Amazingly confiding bird.
A speed limit sign near the Crown & Anchor sported an alpine swift. What bird would you put on the signs near you?
Down among the bushes near Canal Scrape I spotted a whitethroat - a lesser in fact. Really pleasing and bird of the day for me!
And so I reach the end of this extravaganza. Must try to write shorter more frequent blogs - trouble is I keep going out birding!!
I saved a nice photo for the end simply because I really like it. Can't resist a black-necked grebe at any time of the year!
UK 2015 currently 206
..and counting!