Minus 42

No, not the temperature! That's how many I am behind last year's total on the same date. And last year was not a good year anyway. On a brighter note and proof I've stayed much closer to home since March, 88 of my year 177 ticks [so far] were seen in Yorkshire. Only 4 less than last year as a whole so I should beat last year but I won't get near 2011 when my Yorkshire ticks amounted to 233!

Still, I soldier on...

July 11th - bees in the garden and a few other bits.

Red-tailed bumble bee fallen prey to an orb spider 

Romneya coulteri - California tree poppy 

Poncirus/citrus trifoliata or trifoliate orange produces small bitter fruit. Been in the garden for years - it's very thorny - only had its first orange last year. Lots this year.

July 14th: Red kite over A64 and a barren trip to Fairburn Ings. The kite was very high and so was the helicopter. Little else of interest.

July 15th: Staveley YWT. An enjoyable afternoon. Whitethroats, a few orchids, common terns, red-tailed bumble bee, scabious flowers, policeman's helmet [aka himalayan balsam] and, most of all, marsh helleborine orchids. Still in fairly good condition and growing next to the path. Here they all are.

Marsh helleborines

July 17th: South Gare and Dorman's Pool

Nothing really exciting but it was good to see a few little terns [14 in the photo!]at South Gare along with lots of common terns and a few sandwich terns. They were distant with my short zoom lens so I couldn't be sure if any other types were lurking among them.

Lesser black-backed and herring gulls at Dorman's plus a friendly crow.