Saltholme, North Cave, Mickletown Ings and Blacktoft

Saltholme 3rd August

Sheila and I headed up to Saltholme just to do a bit of birding from Phil Stead hide. I was hoping for close views and photos of a wood sandpiper. I'd seen lots this year already but Phil Stead hide seemed a good bet for a really close encounter. That was not to be, however. Three greenshanks were present too and one of these liked to potter about unbelievably close to the hide. I've never been so close to any wader as we were to this bird. A real close encounter!

Wood sandpiper,snipe and moorhen first...you'll get an idea of how shy the woodsand was...

Greenshanks!

North Cave 4th August

The following day we headed out in the afternoon to North Cave to see if the wood sandpipers were still about. They were.

The photos are mainly of wood sandpipers but, if you look carefully you may spot a few green sandpipers, common sandpipers, an eclipse garganey and a rabbit!

Mickletown Ings and Blacktoft 6th August

I was up and dressed and filling bird feeders, feeding the pond fish when Sheila came rushing out of the house. She had been disturbed, barely awake, by my pager's siren going off for a local mega. A little bustard near Swillington Ings at Mickletown Ings. Somehow she managed to organize me and send me on my way so that I got there before the masses - about 8 locals there plus Lee Evans who had obviously had an overnight tip-off.

Distant record shots but very welcome, nonetheless! UK #438

Later that day I popped down to Blacktoft. I've spent so long on this posting I'll just paste the photos in the order I took them. Lots of spotted redshanks, ruff, marsh harriers, spoonbills. you may even spot a shoveler and a garganey. 

220 UK 2019

Les Sables de la Ferme Noire, 

Les Marais de la Grotte du Nord

et le Bois de l'Évêque!!

When I'm anywhere abroad I'm always struck by how picturesque or even romantic some of the place names sound. With that in mind I thought I'd translate some of my local reserve names into French... They are in order: Blacktoft Sands, North Cave Wetlands and Bishop Wood. I expect you worked them all out.

So, on July 29th I set off for North Cave hoping to see a wood sandpiper or two. I had barely left when the pager announced: "woodsand at Blacktoft". So I called there first but it had flown. Two appeared later after I'd left but by that time I didn't care. You'll see why shortly. All in all it was one of the best days for some time. 

Blacktoft first. Greenshanks, green sandpipers, a ruff, little egrets, ubiquitous spoonbills and, for me the highlight, a spotted redshank. Pictures please!

Eventually I made it to North Cave and headed for the Reedbed Lake as a few wood sandpipers had been reported there the previous evening. The Bus Stop hide [as I call it] was deserted although I immediately spotted a wood sandpiper out in front of the hide.

As you can see the light was challenging. Suddenly the light changed for the better.

A couple arrived and told me there were 'a few' wood sandpipers visible from the Turret Hide. On my way I met a co-operative painted lady.

Carl was there along with quite a few birders. More greenshanks and several wood sandpipers, a distant common sandpiper and even more distant [so not photographed] green sandpipers. 

The 'plan of the day' was working out nicely. I now would visit somewhere I'd never been to before to follow up info about silver-washed fritillaries at Bishop Wood near Selby.

The first 500 to 600 meters of the walk were not promising but as I approached more open rides with grass and areas of bramble scrub butterflies appeared and the sun shone. Commas and peacocks abounded.

Another painted lady.

Every time a comma appeared my hopes rose as I thought it might be a fritillary. My patience was rewarded and by the end of my walk I had seen at least six silver-washed beauties. Here's a few photos. Incidentally, they're all males as shown by the black lines on the forewing.

Walking back I stopped in my tracks as my brain shouted "orchid!!". Not only an orchid but my first ever broad-leaved helleborines. There were a good number of spikes of varying depth of colour and some were much more elegant and dainty.

Postscript!

This morning whilst putting together this blog I happened to look out of my study window at the road below. Perched on trellis beside the pavement was a bird. I grabbed my iphone before it flew off.

219 UK 2019 STILL!

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!