Welcome to my birding blog - first launched 12th March 2012...
Tuesday 4th June 2013ff
Depth of field test and Hawnby Crags
Tuesday 4th June 2013 morning
In the garden during the morning in excellent light I tried some flower photos at f18, hoping for good depth of field.
Trillium erectum
Clematis 'Marjorie'
Allium sp.
Fly on euphorbia flowers
Commercial break!!
Can't remember if I advertised the latest Yorkshire Bird report for 2011. Just out last month and available from all good bird reserves... price £12.95 Oh, I almost forgot! Includes 5 photos taken by me.
Tuesday 4th June 2013 afternoon
Needed to be around at home in the morning but in the afternoon I went off to Hawnby Hill [north of Helmsley] to look for the Duke of Burgundy. Couldn't find him anywhere but suspect I needed much more info. I climbed up to Hawnby Crags [300m] and exhausted my inadequate heart completely. The views were terrific.
Looking back towards Hawnby village
I met a meadow pipit near the summit cairn. He was obliging enough to pose for a moment. Since I saw no other walkers I guess people, including dukes, were not a frequent sight.
Looking east towards the coast
On the walk back I looked up to the line of crags I had walked along.
In the car park a pair of spotted flycatchers were busy.
Just in case you don't know the Duke of Burgundy is a rare butterfly I have not yet encountered. I'll keep looking!
Definitely not according to plan!
Thursday 6th June
As part of my depth of field experiment all photos today were taken at f18 with shutter speeds varying from 1/50 to 1/160. I'm impressed I can hand hold steady enouugh to get this degree of sharpness...
Heading off for the day to explore some new sites around Market Weighton. Started at North Newbald Becksies YWT. No sign of marsh orchid. All very lush and overgrown. Whitethroat and blackcap present. Small reserve: 10 minutes is sufficient to survey. Then on to Rifle Butts YWT: also overgrown and not looking a likely site for anything choice but I may be wrong... I headed for Kiplingcotes. Having parked I checked the pager: 4 black terns at Pugney's, Wakefield. Moment's thought then change of plan.
Reached Pugney's: lots of dinghies on the water. Terns had left as the boats launched a few minutes earlier. Now what? Decided to go to Old Moor as I had read that there were southern marsh orchids there. Having asked at reception I soon found orchids but on my way I bumped into a couple of dingy skippers.
Southern marsh orchid
Little colour variation; unspotted leaves. Quite tall and lush growing.
Smaller, slightly paler inflorescence but still tall.
Water mint mentha aquatica
Bog bean menyanthes trifoliata
Damselflies everywhere. Usual plan: photograph first, identify later! Much easier. So thrilled to find I had pictures of Azure damselflies - my first photos of this species. Here they are.
Azure damselflies
Common blue damselfly
A four-spot chaser appeared.
Flag iris iris pseudacorus
Ragged-robin lychnis flos-cuculi
Red clover trifolium pratense 
Pond skater and diving beetle - need further work...
Where next, I wondered. So I headed for Brockadale. Never been before. Lots [and I mean liots] of brimstones and some orange tips: all zipping along. Saw rock rose helianthememum nummularium
A cluster of dandelion seed heads caught my eye...
...as did a swarm of speedwell flowers. [Germander speedwell veronica chamaedrys]
After that the pager announced a black tern at St. Aidan's RSPB, the new reserve at Swillington Ings. I typed in the postcode and off we scampered. I came, I saw and I concurred: black swan tick after all!
More news before too long. Off to import mother-in-law to Yorkshire from Wales to bring her to meet her latest great-grandson.... [and get some Welsh birding in while I'm at it!]
230 UK 2013
Sunday 2nd June 2013
In Search of the Green-winged Orchid
Leyburn old Glebe YWT
This wonderful flower meadow near Wensley contains many wild flowers, foremost of which are the green-winged orchids [anacamptis morio]. These medium sized orchids come in a range of colours. The 'green wings' are less prominent on the darker forms but some of the photos show them quite clearly.
My first ever green-winged orchid.
A white form. Many spikes are small with few flowers.
A paler form, bronze-green lines showing.
Field naturalist at work. Barry gets up close to anacamptis morio.
The perfect spike.
Whilst admiring this specimen Barry pointed out another flower, an even rarer orchid, the burnt or burnt tip orchid, neotinea ustulata. This treasure is a really diminutive species: photographs can be very misleading in terms of scale. These flowers were barely 3-4 inches high.
Near Tiggy we saw crane flies mating.
Next a walk near Morton-on-Swale produced no corn buntings just yellowhammers and a rook.
At Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park things were pretty quiet - the nightingale especially. A willow warbler sang heartily in the sunshine.
A tip-off from a friend of Barry's took us up to Dorman's Pool in search of a lifer butterfly, the dingy skipper. We saw good numbers of butterfly including peacock...
...small tortoiseshell...
...Wall...
...and the dingy skipper now takes centre stage! Tiny and easily missed...
Friday 31st May 2013
Pointless visit to Spurn!
No, only joking! Pointless in the sense that the road to the point isn't there until June 17th, they hope. So faced with a 6 mile walk altogether, there and back, we didn't go. However we had a good time nonetheless. Red-backed shrike on arrival, little terns and some spotflies. However for me it was the swallows and the butterflies that stole the show.
There were swallows at the Warren and some sand martins too.
There were swallows at the Canal Scrape just outside the hide.
We drove down to Kilnsea Wetlands. On arrival a reed bunting was singing from a bush in the car park.
A deer ran across the field.
A butterfly extravaganza began. We saw:
Wall brown butterflies
Brimstones
Painted Ladies
Common blues
Green-veined whites
Peacock [looking very much the worse for wear]
Orange tips [still waiting for a quality orange tip photo!]
Also seen were small whites and small tortoiseshells.
In the ditch was some water crowfoot [ranunculus aquatilis]
Avocets were on the wetlands.
'I'm forever blowing bubbles...'
Down at Sammy's Point [so it wasn't pointless after all!!] we waited to hear a nightingale: seems it was a thrush nightingale in the end but we neither heard nor saw a thing - well except for a trio of captivating spotted flycatchers...
We eventually drove back to the Warren to see if anything else had been reported. Swallows were on the wires by the huts, having a wash and brush up. Some can twist their heads so far they look very weird...
Off with Barry today to see some orchids I hope. News later if our luck is in.
Don't forget to read http://barryjohnbishop.blogspot.co.uk/
Wednesday 22nd May 2013 ff
Tophill Low revisited 22.05.13
If you haven't been to the water works for a while you'll find a few changes afoot.
Tiggy just in shot on the left!
Temminck's stint had been reported at Watton NR, the curious bit of Tophill Low which isn't part of Tophill Low at all but which can be overlooked from their most southerly hide. The bird was easily located in a scope.
Bit of a cuckoo shot [sort of 'proof I saw it' photo] coming up! [Hugely cropped]
LRP on the left; Temminck's on the right. Both asleep!
Not quite so cropped but still pretty distant was a bonus wood sandpiper. Very nice bird.
Even bigger bonus was the bird I just glimpsed scuttling low down in a stand of hawthorn bushes: imagine my shock when it burst into unbelievably loud song: Cetti's warbler.
I decided to head for North Marsh hide where I had seen reed warbler close up other years. This turned out to be a good idea. I sat and watched and took some photos whilst listening to the sounds of the reed warblers coming from the reedbed and the cuckoo singing unseen nearby.
Perched up singing in the sunlight is one thing. Scuttling in nearby brambles for insects [and then flying straight back and diving low into the reeds], the birds can look confusingly different. More reed warblers, believe it or not!
The light changed as the clouds rolled by.
3 ticks: Double Nelson 222
It's a wonderful hobby!
Lakenheath Fen 26.05.13
Barry and I left home just after the dawn had finished cracking hoping to get to Lakenheath Fen RSPB to see the wonderful red-footed falcon that had taken up [no doubt temporary] residence there. An adult male, I had seen some amazing photos that made me want to photograph this bird.
We soon had our first sighting once we had parked at 8.50am in an already overflowing car park. Most of Britain's birders had the same idea as us. Eventually we met some birders we knew by sight - no surprise in the end.
The falcon put on a fine display but, you know, you always want to get that bit nearer. You dream of that 600mm lens!
A hobby was spotted perched in a tree.
He gave us a great display too - plus the best images of the day. Who's complaining?
The red-foot appeared from time to time but never very close.
The hobby caught something to eat.
Ok. Let's bring on the best of the red-foot images!
The next 3 poor quality but consecutive photos are included because I spotted the insect that the bird had spotted! Towards top right, then above wing.
Finally grabbed!
Let's not forget the hobbies: they were wonderful too!
We walked round the reserve and also saw Savi's warbler and garden warbler. A cuckoo posed in the woods but, for once, not what I call a cuckoo-type photograph!
Some cygnets appeared.
Barry used the mute swan's head as a perch to look over the reedbed!
I located a singing whitethroat.
We moved on to Weeting Heath NWT where we saw stone curlew quite easily plus a nice spotted flycatcher. Then on again for a walk round East Wretham Heath NWT. Here things were rather quiet. A white butterfly of some kind turned out to be a female brimstone when we looked at the photographs.
Some visitors had located a smart male redstart.
Preening. Nice image.
Saltholme RSPB 28.05.13
After 2 hours at Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park listening to an invisible nightingale I wandered down to Saltholme and saw one of the two great white egrets. Little egret on the left in the distance. Spot the little gull also!
I couldn't resist a few tern shots from the hide!
A pipt landed on the fence. It looked a bit different so I wondered if it was a tree pipit but came to the inevitable meadow conclusion. It seemed nervous and soon left.
Walking back some cows were pressing up against one of the solid gateways. I wondered who was watching who!?
Mute swans flew past, noisy wingbeats filling the air.
Strensall Common/North Cave
Thursday 29.05.13
Barry and I risked a wet afternoon [we got one!] to look for wood lark and tree pipit on Strensall Common. Unfortunately the firing ranges were busy and with the sound of gunfire, some of the reserve was off limit.
We found the wood larks - a pair - but no sign of tree pipit. It began to rain heavily so we set off back to the car. See Barry's blog for more [http://barryjohnbishop.blogspot.co.uk/] and drove to North Cave to hide from the weather. That's what hides are for! Sanderlings were present but a bit too far away. This avocet was nearby, well rain-splashed!
Borage looked well in the wet.
Just had my 6,000th visitor. Great news!
229 birds UK 2013. There's more to come! [Now, who said that?']
Sunday 12th May ff
Happy man waving book in car park
[and other stories]
On Sunday [12th May] I set off on my own [alas] to Saltholme hoping to bump into a stint or two. I never did but shortly after drawing up in the almost empty car park at Saltholme a man came scurrying over with a book in hand. On his camera he showed me a photo of a shrike and, in the book, a female red-backed shrike. Along the Zinc Works Road apparently.
Off we went. Cars were arriving every minute or two. Where do they all come from? Are they loitering in some birders' burrows somewhere hoping a good bird will suddenly come up on their pagers?
Anyway, red-backed shrike - female - here we go. If you know the place you'll recognise the fence!!
Let's have a closer look.
Eventually she moved nearer the factory into some dead stalks where the views were a little better...
All quiet back at Saltholme so I decided to do my walk alongside the railway line at Dorman's Pool. A whitethroat scuttled nervously back under cover.
Linnets were perched up.
However the sedge warblers were the stars of the show. So, if you don't like sedge warblers, look away now. I'm afraid I can happily spend hours photographing these wonderful little birds.
They can look quite 'dumpy' when not singing. Even a little cross!
Essence of Spring!
On Wednesday I had to be everywhere, it seemed, but I managed an hour at Fairburn down by the kingfisher screen. She turned up.
Eventually she flew into a nearby apple tree producing this slightly strange photo - strange, I mean, for a kingfisher pic! But rather nice, nonetheless.
Finally I snapped this 'Robin with a Message'. Is he referring to my bird seed bill?
On Thursday I went up to Cleveland intending to see if any of the rarities at South Gare were still 'knocking about', as birders often say. They'd all gone apparently, I was told by a chap I know well by sight. We had spent a couple of hours together a year ago trying to locate a firecrest - also at South Gare.Then he added: 'But the wryneck's still in the dog rose behind the pilot station.'
So it was. But can you spot him?
Slowly he crept out from the undergrowth. As I often say: let the pictures tell the story.
He reminds me of a lizard!
Best till last?
Sandwich terns could be heard all around us as we photographed the wryneck.
I called in at Saltholme RSPB. A magpie was carrying food.
At Saltholme there are quite a lot of large wooden sculptures, ranging from frogs to snakes to the Mad Hatter's Tea Party. There are also some wooden sheep. They are evidently very good wooden sheep as the following photos demonstrate.
How affectionate! They look more like beavers to me!!
I was in luck down at Saltholme Pools hide: the lesser scaup was quite close with his tufty female friend. Genetic disaster looms!
I wandered back to the Centre: swallows perched on wires [as they do!].
I popped in to the Phil Stead hide. A little egret appeared and then this nice little duck dropped in!
By the car park more swallows perched.
Friday 17th May. Another, hopefully final, trip to Bolton Abbey for a wood warbler. No, a real one, not one made of wood!
Wild flowers beckoned. Lady's Smock, Cuckoo flower or Milk Maids. You can't get confused if you use the latin name: cardamine pratensis.
An early morning curlew drifted overhead calling. It was not quite 7.30am.
I walked on. I saw very little apart from a friendly gamekeeper, very smart in his tweeds, plus fours with a rifle over his shoulder. Good job he was friendly.
At the stone shelter things began to happen. Some large birds were squabbling high up in the trees. Surprise: mandarin ducks!
A nuthatch seemed to have an itch he couldn't get rid of.
No wood warbler song heard. Blue tits dangled from the tree in front of the shelter. Then another bird. Warbler. Wood warbler? It dropped and flew right. I stood up and crept round the corner. Something was busy on the ground tugging at dead grass.
Bluebells were coming into flower.
Mandarins drifted downstream...
...and piedfly began to appear.
Female on the stone wall.
Ramsoms or wild garlic filled the air with their onion scent.
Allium ursinum [cf. Ursa Major - the Great Bear] shows it's an onion beloved of European brown bears. The fact they are prospering so well in the Wharfe Valley shows that bears are probably now infrequent!!
The great spotted woodpecker seemed to be following me, drumming loudly.
Eventually a pied flycatcher posed for me.
A greylag drank from a pool as I neared Tiggy.
I drove on to Grass Wood.
There were few birds: the odd chiffchaff and willow warbler. Workings to clear the conifers had caused severe damage to one of the main paths.
Overall my visit was disappointing and I was tired. The views of Wharfedale were very good however.
I wanted somewhere quiet for lunch. Somewhere flat too! Staveley NR would be fine. I put the macro lens on.
Alliaria petiolata - onion-like in taste and smell: garlic mustard or, as my father called it, Jack-by-the-hedge.
White dead nettle - lamium album.
Green alkanet, I think, pentaglottis sempervirens. Sempervirens: 'always living', therefore, perennial. Borage family, related to the forget-me-nots. Pretty obvious.
Finally cuckoo pint, Lords and ladies - arum maculatum. Maculatum means spotted. About to reveal its spathe. Not a spot in sight!
Sunday 19th May. Early start for Barry and me heading for Saltholme.
Pecsand on the fire station pool.
Loitering round Saltholme suddenly we had to helter skelter to Hartlepool Headland. For a full account of this day see: http://barryjohnbishop.blogspot.co.uk/
That will save me a lot of typing and reduce your boredom!
Rear view shows the tail nicely. I'll be brief: thrush nightingale, lifer 394.
We wandered slowly back towards Saltholme. I tried to photograph a yellow wagtail from the car, shooting past Barry. The camera's light meter obviously took the light inside the car as an exposure guide: result - dreadful.
However this is an advert for shooting in RAW. Back home I altered the exposure - isn't technology incredible? And then I managed to produce this. Fabuloso!
This too...
Lapwings were nesting.
A reed bunting sang in the willow arch at the car park.
Funnily enough, at Saltholme we met another yellow wag.
But he couldn't hang around. Obviously meeting a girl friend!
Red campions - silene dioicia - were in flower. I photographed an unusually dark-leaved form.
In the main hide some common tern were a-courting...
At first we didn't notice something quite extraordinary over to our right. Barry spotted a dead great crested grebe. We found the sight quite upsetting. The partner bird was looking on disconsolately as the other bird lay in the water, head to one side.
The other bird didn't know what to do. It climbed on to the prostrate bird. A very unusual sight.
Then, suddenly, resurrection! The bird shrugged the other bird off with a splash and courtship began! Well I never! Or as Nellie Ashcroft would have said: 'I'll go to the foot of our stairs!''
Why, I wonder?!
I made a linocut...
The terns were still busy... 'If you want me you'll need to bring me more fish!!' The meaning of life? Sex and Food. That's about it. Oh, and birding. Obviously.
Final call - blog soon over at last - South Gare. We saw a wryneck... [again]
Digging.
Long tail showing well.
Farewell mate.
Anti-climax time. We tried to identify a very hyperactive little [willow] warbler.
Few birds of prey today apart from this one on a mobile home thingy.
Postscript.
As we left we saw some birders. Red-backed shrike and red-breasted fly* finished the day. Wow!
* not that one. Taken at the Crown and Anchor Kilnsea but it looks the same!!