Welcome to my birding blog - first launched 12th March 2012...
Saturday 21st July 2012
Farne away the best day of the week!
Maybe of the year for that matter. Perhaps not in terms of new birds for the year list [none for me, one for Barry at a stop-over on the way home.] More of that later. I'm rambling! Yes, we went to the Farne islands planning a two island visit. However that was not to be. Wrong kind of waves for Staple Island. Plus no departure till 11am - we needn't have got up before the dawn cracked! So we walked the shoreline seeing if we could break an arm before the Unst business. We survived. We watched the eiders and the kittiwakes. And I took some pictures.
The eiders were in eclipse of course and the morning light meant I would be shooting into the sun if I wasn't careful. A little later one or two eiders were curious enough to approach us, giving this intimate portrait.
Barry heard a kittiwake colony on nearby cliffs so set off in that direction, judging we had plenty of time.
It was turning into a very pleasant morning. The challenge was dealing with the birds as they came into the sunshine from the deep shade of the cliff.
I can't resist juvenile kittiwakes - their markings are really attractive.
We walked back along the [safer] clifftop path after I found a way up to the top. A small tortoiseshell was dancing along in front of us.
The birds seen on our walk back were less exciting than the ones we hoped to see on our 'cruise' but still attractive or of interest. This house sparrow perched in the harsh light on a satellite disk support.
House martins were gathering mud from the shoreline - whether this was nest maintenance or preparations for another brood I don't know. The photo shows that swallows were there too. House martin on the left; swallow on the right.
Starlings always attract me in a good light. Smart, intelligent birds. This one was by the stall where we had a coffee before embarcation!
So we called back at the car and I had to photograph this sign. I know I'm very pedantic and I do know what they really mean but the ambiguous last line of this sign makes me want to say: 'Well I hope they wouldn't accept passes that are invalid!!'
We called at Billy Shiels' stall again to check where we had to meet our boat.
Whilst I'm in pedantic mode, what's a herion, Grace?
Photo copyright Barry Bishop
I thought I should show you a picture of the boat.
Pretty isn't it? Oh yes, ours is the one on the left!!!
At last! We're off! Now I used to think that once you've seen one seal ,you've seen them all. Maybe I'm wrong. Anyhow, I've put all the seal photos [of the hundreds I ended up with!] in one block. Here goes. Ah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A big bull. Wouldn't want to meet him on a dark night beach walk!
Now, photographing seals from a rocking motor boat is one thing, photographing seabirds in flight or on the water is something else entirely. You are trying to aim at the bird [first problem], then try to lock the focus, then take the picture. By this time your puffin is miles away. However persistence can lead to some surprising outcomes I hadn't expected. There's still a great thrill in sitting down to see what you've managed to catch!
Fulmars aren't too hard. Even catching a puffin as it flies away from you is an achievement...
Birds up on the cliffs of Staple Island are much more straightforward. Pity the right hand puffin fell off as I was taking this one!
Shags are quite photogenic and amongst the blacks are hints of green and other colours. Here they are.
Who said dragons are extinct?
A puffin was taking off to my left. Quick, grab, point, shoot! These are all the same bird: 3 consecutive shots. Not totally sharp but they catch the movement well.
Oh, well. Got something nice there. Eventually we landed on Inner Farne - land of arctic terns, sandwich terns and puffins. Plus a few common terns and black-headed gulls. Bird soup: they were everywhere. Unbelievable how a pretty choice bird like an arctic tern is nesting at your feet by the path. A truly awesome experience. So brace yourself for the thrills of Inner Farne. By the way it's open each year for landings [£6.20 to the National Trust if you aren't a member] only until the end of July. The puffins will have gone by then.
Blood red bill, no black tip. Short legs. Time for an arctic tern photo album, I think.
As I said, blood red bill, short legs - and a ring on one leg. Time for a shake!
Many terns have an obligatory sand eel in their bill, especially for the visitors! Just think how far he came to get this little fish!
I saw one wave a sand eel at its youngster and then swallow it all down himself! Must have been hungry. Talking of youngsters, I saw birds on eggs, birds that were very young and youngsters that had fledged. Maybe this summer's weather has disrupted things somewhat...
If you are hungry then one thing you can do is wait in the middle of the paving outside the little shop and scream your head off.
We paused in the shade by the lighthouse. Barry tempted a blsck headed gull down onto the grass for his sandwich. Sort of pale brown black headed gull.
Looking through my bins I realised the tern colony in front of us was not one of arctic terns but was a mix of puffins and sandwich terns. We wandered over.
Groups of puffins gathered on the cliff edge along with the occasional shag and kittiwake...
From my vantage point I continued to try for flight photos. Some were rather grainy and into the sun....
Some were pretty good - it all depended which direction they came in from.
If you didn't check out that blood red bill each time you got close to a tern on the ground you could easily miss the occasional common tern. This one was very vocal and very loud by the path.
Tread carefully for you might walk on my children. This youngster was in the middle of the path. Wanted to be a celebrity perhaps...
As we made our way back to the jetty we were subjected to a very gentle warning by an arctic tern nesting by the path.
The above 2 photos © Barry Bishop. Used without permission.
It was protecting its egg, right beside the path. Egg photo copyright Barry Bishop.
Finally this smart fellow wanted to say goodbye. It's the bird from the previous photo - probably saying 'Good riddance!'
I hope I get back to the Farnes one day..............................................
P.S. Barry and I saw a red crested pochard on our way home. We took a break at Saltholme East Pool. Barry's tick.
Wednesday 18th July 20112
Nothing planned today. Hey, hang on a minute!
I had been to B&Q and was pottering round the house aimlessly. Then a pectoral sandpiper was reported from Greatham Creek near Saltholme. Off I went within minutes. Got there. Walked the wrong way to the new viewscreen. Bird was the other side of the road on a tidal pool. Anyway, here's a shot of mother and child common seal.
And here's the new view screen - intended I suspect more for seal watching than for birds although it will do both very well. Certainly the off-road path is a great improvement.
Eventually I saw the pecsand. Great in-scope views but a bit distant for the camera. Anyway it's not quite a cuckoo category image. Red knot in view too. Pec on left.
Man said there were a lot of arctic terns over this pool. Next photos are from another nearby pool. Common tern only or is there an arctic in one of these pictures? Comic turns to me!!
An oystercatcher screamed overhead.
At Saltholme Wildlife Watchpoint a group of goldfinch might have fooled the novice birder.
The greenfinch was there too.
The female tufted duck rarely grabs centre stage. This one had 5 young.
Some dunlin were across from the Phil Stead hide.
And finally a pair of stock doves were resting on the mud.
All photos 18.07.2012
Tuesday 17th July 2012
Morning at Blacktoft Sands RSPB
I never give in. So I tried again for bearded tit and, for that matter, the grasshopper warbler that had been 'showing well'. I saw neither! However the weather was kind and there were good birds to be seen. I saw a decent fly-over by a bittern, lots of marsh harriers and a good number of waders.
Let's start at Singleton hide. A heron was demonstrating just how much bigger he is than a little egret.
However, when the egret flies off he can look most impressive [and very white - it's often easy for this reason to pick an egret out from other incoming birds.]
A few minutes in Townend hide produced a sedge warbler that was nesting just to the left of the hide.
A marsh harrier flew past with an unusually large prey - a duck?
I wandered up to Marshland where a slightly comical heron was watching the birders watching him.
Out on the mud four different species of wader were visible. Can you spot them all?
Lapwing, common redshank, spotted redshank and ruff. The ruff is facing us near the right hand side. Dunlin were also present along with upto five green sandpipers.
You'll spot the second greensand behind the mud bank.
However the visit was made really worthwhile by the spotted redshank who decided to walk and feed in the slightly deeper water over towards where I was. Notice how the light changes between overcast and brighter sky.
I returned to Singleton to try again to spot a beardie. I saw reed warbler but no beardies this time. Perhaps it was too breezy and the water levels are still pretty high.
This marsh harrier came towards me in better light than I'd had most of the morning.
All photos taken 17.07.12
Sunday 15th July
Skipwith to North Cave
Barry and I went off early to avoid the dog walkers [partial success only] and see wood lark on Skipwith Common [total failure]. We should have skipped Skipwith. However we did see a few kestrels and willow warblers but, all in all, it was very quiet.
So we upped sticks and headed for North Cave Wetlands. Damselflies were everywhere again as were a number of butterflies. First comma of the year included along with ringlet, small skipper and meadow browns.
Small skipper
Ringlet
Comma
The damselflies included blue-tailed...
...and common blue.
This is an immature male common blue damselfly.
Some dragonflies were whirring around us so fast it was hard to track them. Ironically a helicopter came over as I was trying to photograph an emperor dragonfly.
Freezing a dragonfly in flight is hard. Simply tracking them in the viewfinder can be disheartening. Suddenly I had one. I know these aren't perfect but as difs* they are fine by me!!
*dragonflies in flight!
This one is the nicest.
A bordered sallow moth was found by Barry as was the ruby-tailed wasp.
Thanks to chrisbrooks on ispot for the identification.
This flower on the south facing bank near the Turret Hide attracted me. It is Common Centaury, centaurium erythraea, a member of the gentian family as Barry rightly suggested.
Finally the grasses growing in the sacrificial crop field made an interesting image in the strong breeze. I like this image although the only other person I have shown it to wasn't imopressed!!
Wednesday 11th July - Thursday 12th July
Two brilliant days!
Day One: Lincolnshire
Let's be clear: they really were. I didn't get wet [Tiggy went through some terrible puddles] and the sun shone sometimes! Day One was Frampton Marsh RSPB in Lincolnshire followed by Freiston Shore RSPB also Lincolnshire but north of Boston. The lure was a white rumped sandpiper at Frampton Marsh.
I got there early, as is my wont. Swifts were flying low screaming around me. I suspect I shall die without taking my ideal fantasy photograph of a swift. Every detail clear; everything sharp. Here's my latest effort.
The sandpiper was on North Scrape - as usual at Frampton long walks are de rigueur. Time for one of my cuckoo category photos! Legions of regular readers will know this means a rubbish photo of a bird that is simply too far away. It doesn't even qualify as a record photo really!
The white rumped sandpiper is just contemplating a bit of mooning, flanked by a juv black-headed gull [left] and two ringed plovers [right]. Just a year tick but a top quality one. I walked on. Some swallows let me get close.
Avocet activity was clearly audible. Some had well advanced young like this one.
The adults looked quite dirty with all the mud around. Reminded me a little of american avocets.
I saw a hare watching me from across a pool. I didn't realise that as I prepared to take the photo he turned his back on me!!
Approaching the far hide [East Hide, I think] a young pied wagtail eyed me from the fence. The background shows the strange light effects that morning. It's sunshine on mud.
Another avocet made a pleasing image.
Further on a lapwing was getting very agitated. But that's a way of life for a lapwing.
In the hide a great crested grebe came close and a redshank flew across my field of view. They both got immortalised.
Then, after tramping through the mud on top of the sea wall I left for Freiston Shore. Here terns were very active and quite nearby. I looked for roseate tern as a pair had been dropping in but all mine were common. Here are some nice views of these lovely birds.
Along the path a blackbird was sunning himself. Why do they do this? Is it overheating?
From the hide an adult BHG was coping with two unruly young. The young a this stage seem bigger then their parents!
Day Two: Yorkshire
Thought I'd start at North Cave in the hope of an early morning close-up of a blackcap. As usual, it was not to be. Maybe I went one better. I detected movement to my left in some dead bramble. Here he is.
I like this one! It's a lesser whitethroat. Grey legs are diagnostic.
After that I returned to Tiggy and put the macro lens on. I had already seen lots of damselflies. Nice flowers were nearby.
Borage: borago officinalis
Field scabious: knautia arvensis
Common mallow: malva sylvestris
Going back into the reserve with the macro lens on one looks for different things. This lichen was covering the bark of a birch tree. I liked the patterning. 
There had clearly been a recent emergence of meadow brown butterflies.
Common blue damselflies were mating.
Or waiting for Mrs Right...
Common soldier beetles were in freshly polished uniforms.
...and a small skipper butterfly just caught my eye, flew off quickly and then [bless him*] posed!
*The two diagonal black lines on the wings tell me it's a male.
Next stop: Wharram Quarry. Bishop Middleham and Wharram as well as both being former quarries have something magical about them. Almost like going back to Shangri-La. I assume you've been there at some point in your mind.
This year the orchids defied belief. Hundreds of pyramidal, over sixty bee and thousands of common spotted. Plus a lifer butterfly, mating common blue butterflies. Heaven. Chiffchaff, whitethroat and blackcap heard but for once my eyes were on the ground not sky scanning whilst tripping over all manner of obstacles!
Spot the lone pyramidal orchid among the common spotteds. Towards top right, much darker red.
For the other orchid photos, see my special 2012 Orchid posting.
There were many small heath butterflies and I tried for a long time to photograph one. All the other butterflies were easy compared to the small heath and yet they were the most numerous. So I was glad to get this unremarkable image. Incidentally it was a surprise and a thrill to meet Howard Frost and his wife - he co-ordinated the wonderful book 'The Butterflies of Yorkshire.' Thoroughly recommended!
Common blues were very active interacting with each other and often unaware of me. Three males:
Male and female. Note female underwings are darker than the male.
Females are more timid than the males.
My first small tortoiseshell of the year...
...followed by my first ever marbled whites. I saw three in the end.
I'd never seen broomrape before either. This chlorophyll free parasitic plant feeds from pea family plants like the vetches. A bit sinister looking!
Common broomrape: orobanche minor
This nice dog rose wanted to be photographed.
I'd grown campanula glomerata in the garden but didn't know it as a wild flower.
Thought I might squeeze this common spotted in as the insect is so nicely focussed. I wonder what it is. Try asking ispot!!
So it was time to move on. However if you can you must visit Wharram Quarry asap. Try to find the thyme!!
Final call at Wykeham forest raptor watchpoint. Saw turtle dove and a common buzzard. The interest was more at my feet. A common lizard entertained me.
Saw my first ringlet butterfly of the year.
See the little rings!
To my surprise, on the dark and gloomy path to the viewpoint I saw several common spotted orchids.
That's it.
Postscript: Saturday July 14th 20112
My son lost an expensive 6 foot wingspan power assisted glider on Friday 13th, somewhere over the old airfield at Acaster Malbis. With all the clues I could muster, plus an OS map I set off Saturday early to walk the old runways. Binoculars in hand I kept scanning the fields. I climbed old mounds of soil and gravel. I walked a very, very long way. I eventually made it back to the car having covered all the area he had suggested.
Then I drove along more abandoned concrete runways to the south. In one field I saw something white sticking up. I stopped Tiggy, grabbed the bins. I had come. I had seen and I concurred. I was a hero after all!
I had found it.