It's always good to be out and about!

July 22nd Sheila and I went up to Saltholme just for an hour or so. We hoped to catch up with a photogenic spotted redshank at Phil Stead hide. Maybe a bit elusive [we thought it had gone when we arrived] and a bit further away than I might have wanted but very nice anyway. [Plus small supporting cast!]

July 24th: North Cave and Blacktoft. I was looking for dragonflies and butterflies when a buzzard flew over the far lake.

Shortly after that I spotted a family of great crested grebes out on the main lake. I got close to the water's edge and sat on a bench and waited. The light was a little strange but I quite like some of the results...

A few butterflies...brimstone being very co-operative: same butterfly at several locations. I just followed it around.

Back-lit

I moved on to Blacktoft, glad to have a spell of air-conditioned comfort with a drink to refresh me. Blackwits.

Spot all 4 species!

Eventually after being spooked a couple of times they left for Singleton. Four species! Did you spot the greenshank asleep on the mud, bottom right-hand corner of the photo?

Oh well, here's a comma butterfly at Blacktoft whilst, coincidentally, Sheila photographed the next one the same afternoon back home in the garden. I

think she got the better photograph!
 

Final shot from Blacktoft: a green sandpiper at Marshland.

Housebound today [26/7] as we have two grand-children with us. It's going to be a long day! However I took the opportunity to photograph our daylilies in the garden. They were planted quite a few years ago and have done amazingly well this summer. Just photos...

A bientôt!

Blacktoft delivers the goods!

Blacktoft is among my earliest birding memories. When I first got seriously interested in birding I would go with Sheila and sit in the hides and listen to other birders. I failed to understand a lot of the conversations; I didn't know the code words [like 'spotshank' or 'spotred'] and many waders I found difficult to identify with any confidence. Someone would look at his pager [never met one of them before either] and say: ''Woodsand's gone to Townend'' And then leave in a hurry. All very strange...

July 19th was a pretty good day at Blacktoft although I spent most of my time in Townend hide as that's where all the action was! I began at Marshland where there were few birds. I took a rather distant shot of a green sandpiper.

At Townend the spoonbills immediately grabbed all the visitors' attention. Here are shots taken at various times during the day.

I was hoping for some good photos of marsh harriers but I was never completely satisfied with the large batch that follows. I'd just scroll through them if I were you unless you find one you really like!

It rained quite a lot. This harrier is looking rather bedraggled! Female/juvenile

There were smart looking godwits too. Blackwits not barwits.

Snipe

A cormorant paid a brief visit

Finally, mute swan cygnets.

That's all folks!

319 UK 2019 [still]

Something good terned up!

July 11th: A gull-billed tern was reported at Adwick Washlands, South Yorkshire - part of the Dearne Valley group of reserves. However I diverted to Blacktoft as I received a message that the bird had flown off north-east. In fact when I got to Blacktoft staff had been told to keep an eye out for it. Not sure how you keep an eye out...

I went to Townend hide...green sandpipers...

Spoonbills...

....and marsh harriers.

Then, after a couple of hours a message came that the tern was back at Adwick. I went for it! Met friends I'd been with in Scotland and David Armitage and birded alongside Britain's most famous/controversial birder, Lee Evans. Anyway, here's the gull-billed tern. Almost certainly the one I saw so badly at Thurstaston on the Wirral. Better views here!

And here's Lee. I sneaked an iphone shot.

July 13th: Back home in the garden messing with settings again... First gatekeeper of the year turned up but rested in the middle of a bed of perennials so dense I couldn't get close without damaging some fine plants. Eventually it moved within reach.

July 16th: quiet day at home. Sheila found this on some thyme. Haven't been able to identify it - some sort of carpet moth, probably. July 17th: I was already on my way to Ellerburn Bank and Fen Bog to look for butterflies and whinchat when something told me to pull into a lay-by and check the pager. Last time this happened I diverted from South Cave [on the way to Spurn] to Ryhope, Co. Durham for a scops owl. This time not quite so big a shift of direction. Tophill Low reported a glossy ibis...

...and a great white egret was present too. Interesting question [or pretentious nonsense!]... if I hadn't seen a kingfisher this year by now would this count as a year tick? You see, I never saw the kingfisher until I was processing this great white photo!

Here's some more GWE photos... swallowing...

Next few shots so the bird landing [even if the first one looks like its taking off].

Great white egret and little egret side by side

So, let's have some little egret photos. We often pay them scant attention but this bird was very excitable!

Also seen: grey heron and a yellow wagtail

Walking back I saw quite a few damselflies and dragonflies. This black-tailed skimmer landed on the path in front of me

This darter puzzled me a little. Common darters have yellow lined legs; only the much less ruddy darter has all black legs. So, I think but I'm not certain, this is a ruddy darter. Quite pleasing result with a 700mm lens [equivalent with the extender] at about 4 meters.

219 UK 2019