Welcome to my birding blog - first launched 12th March 2012...
18th-25th July 2015
Just bumbling along for a week...
Saturday 18th July began at Old Moor with a very distant wood sandpiper. A heron watched the greensands which were much closer to the hide.
The light was bad to catch the greensands well but a bit of raw processing helps...
Juvenile avocet and...
...a pair of lesser black backed gulls.
Barry and I walked back to the visitor centre. The gatekeepers were everywhere. Butterflies I mean!
In the garden hide by the visitor centre a bullfinch came so close I had to step back inside the hide to get a focus.
We drove on to Frampton Marsh which proved a disappointment: we couldn't locate stints or other rarity sandpipers. We made do with a ruff and a godwit! End of story!
Sunday 19th was another anti-climax. I joined Barry at an RSPB Peregrine event at York Minster. As I arrived a peregrine flew past the twin towers and vanished within a fraction of a second. That was all I saw. Certainly left me scratching my head...
As for bird photos, well, feral pigeons don't often get a look in but this male was certainly strutting his stuff!
Which brings me to Tuesday 21st July when I met Barry at Blacktoft some time during the morning; left him as he had to be elsewhere in the afternoon and moved on to Alkborough and, finally, spent half an hour at North Cave. All in all a very good day! Let's start at Blacktoft with a black-tailed godwit.
One juvenile black-headed gull amongst the godwits. Little egrets marching in time... [black and white image]
...and a distant male Montagu's harrier.
Later, I saw some green sandpipers.
Spot the snipe! No, that's not its name! I mean can you see his beady eye?
We had a slightly better view later.
Spotted redshanks flew off from Marshland.
They came back later and came close.
Four spoonbills were feeding at Alkborough. Unusual to see them awake!
Avocets, avocets everywhere!
On the deck and in the air!
Butterflies at North Cave. Male small skipper.
Gatekeeper.
Commas.
This is why it's called a comma. See the white mark? Could have called it a fish hook or an apostrophe or just a squiggle!
Red admiral.
Meadow brown.
July 22nd: Saltholme. Common tern juvenile begging for food and getting it!
Great crested grebe juvenile at Paddy's...
...along with barnacle geese...
...and at Saltholme hide a little ringed plover along with a sand martin that somehow crept into the shot - in focus too!
Common sandpiper there too.
As I walked back a mippit was collecting food for its moppets.
Friday 24th July
En route to Bempton from Forge Valley I spotted a field of poppies at Folkton.
Bempton Cliff. Saw a whitethroat and a big bee! Am I bothered? Doesn't look like it!
Like me, he was just bumbling along too.
Gannets cannot be ignored even when I say I've taken enough gannet pics. Problem was they were flying temptingly high, right in front of me!
I was really planning to try to get some nice juvenile kittiwake shots. These two fulmars looked good.
Eventually I got quite a few kittiwake photos. Here are the best of the bunch!
Weekly round-up nearly done. Last entries in the diary relate to Saturday July 25th
Barry and I paid our first ever visit to Ogston Reservoir in Derbyshire. We haven't really been to Derbyshire much if at all. I knew an osprey was lingering there and we saw it within minutes of our arrival. It never came close however and after things had gone quiet we left for Wragby and Chambers Farm Wood. Never lets me down even if I don't quite see what I hope for. We had fleeting views of 3 white admirals between us, lots of squiggles - here's some...
A small skipper decided to give itself a home on Barry!
Here's a beautifully marked female large skipper.
We saw a few brown hawker dragonflies but Barry cleverly found one perched. Very nice.
For me, however, the find of the day [again all credit to Barry] was this fabulous beautiful demoiselle - my first ever. Always end on a high note!
Birds 2015 UK: 244
15th-16th July 2015
Lady Chatterley's coal mine and paying homage to the Emperor!
[All in one day!]
On July 15th in the afternoon I decided to have a run out to Kiplingcotes to look for marbled white butterflies. I parked and began the walk to the reserve. I never got there for I was soon among the marbled whites along the old trackbed.
A rather battered ringlet appeared as well as the meadow browns.
I had time to call at North Cave. Small skipper female.
An orange coloured cardinal beetle.
A common blue damselfly.
Blue tailed damselfly.
Meadow browns up close.
Small skippers.
The sex brand [black line on wing] shows this is a male.
Gatekeeper.
Thursday 17th July took me to Chatterley Whitfield Colliery, once owned by the Chatterley family of Staffordshire. A red-footed falcon had been delighting the crowds for some time so I decided to go see. I left the M6 only to read on the pager that there was 'no sign today'. Perplexed I decided to carry on. Good job. They had found it hiding in a sycamore tree by the time I arrived.
What a star performer it turned out to be. Have a look. Through someone's scope I had my first sight of the bird in the top right corner of his tree.
He flew to a telegraph pole. Not that close to us.
And then, well, he just decided to put on a magnificent show. Star performer of the year!
Time for a break. On the wire near the birding crowd!
A black redstart was also present but inside the colliery compound.
Now it may seem overdoing it but I decided to drive overland to Wragby, east of Lincoln next to call at Chambers Farm Wood again [third time recently] just in case... I gave my self 75 minutes to do a circuit. I picked up 2 silver-washed fritillaries but failed to get a photo as I tried to get too close. Should have got the record shot and then closed in. Still I carried on. Essex skippers were about.
As were a few white admirals.
Then I spotted another perched on the branch of a tree. Motionless. This time I took the record shot first and then moved in.
I checked it out in the bins. Hang on, I thought. Could it be a Purple Emperor, a butterfly people dream of seeing...
Birds UK 2015: 243
4th July -12th July 2015
Little Bittern Nightmare!
Just for a year tick I certainly put in the effort and the miles. First abortive trip was to Old Moor on July 1st [see previous posting]. Next trip back to Old Moor was on July 4th when another sojourn in the Bittern Hide [or Hide of Bitterness!] led to another failure! I photographed a few birds in desperation... It's never a waste of time to be out birding as these pleasing images show.
Reed bunting
Reed warbler
Probably the nicest set of reed warbler photos I have taken. Large skipper also posed for me.
But no little bittern. I told my wife I would not be going again...
July 7th: I fancied something different after the frustrations of the damned bittern! I headed south via Blacktoft but the spotshanks were asleep and a little distant. A little egret flew in.
This shot amuses me!
Xerox held 3 green sandpipers.
I headed south again, aiming for Frampton Marsh to see if I could add a white-winged black tern to my year list. A few blackwits were close to the road.
Little egrets were plentiful here, too. Some birders don't spare a glance for avocets and little egrets these days yet they are both very photogenic birds. Remember when they were both exciting birds?
Here's a sort of cattle-little egret!
I eventually saw the tern then lost it over towards the 360° hide. Found from the hide. Here it is!!
Now, here's a challenge! It took me a bit less than forever to spot the bird's black head moving from side to side as it watched everything overhead. Look in the very centre of the picture for a black head cap. That's it. Eventually after about 30 minutes it took off. I was poised...
I returned home via Chambers Farm Wood for a quick break. A broad-bordered bee hawk moth was in the Butterfly Conservation garden. Moth in flight - amazing stuff! [With the 400mm lens]
Let's have a closer look!
Small tortoiseshells were there too.
Thursday 9th July was not a good day. I was taken ill with a virulent stomach upset [leaving the details to your imagination] in a hide at Tophill Low. Somehow I got home, with stops, and retired to bed. I slept for hours that day and night but was much recovered by the Friday. At Tophill Low I somehow managed a few photos of a kingfisher.
Saturday 11th July: The Nightmare continues!
The little bittern turned up at Swillington Ings. 'Showing well' quoted the optimistic pager. 'Showing well my foot!' my father would have said. We knew where it was: in a small patch of reed at the crossroads at the end of the causeway. Black-necked grebes were in the distance. I photographed a few common terns as they flew close. Some shots were blurred; some had no bird in them but the next photo is uncropped. Rather like it.
Meanwhile Darren Starkey, Fairburn Warden and, funnily enough, former pupil from my days at Millthorpe School, was keeping an eye on things.
I never saw the bird and nor did anyone else until much later that evening.
On Sunday 12th July the plan was to go back to Chambers Farm Wood in Lincolnshire to look for butterflies and then drop in on Swillington Ings on the way back for the bittern if it had been reported. However shortly after setting off it came up on the pager. I decided to go there first instead as it it tended to show well in the mornings and then disappear until evening. By the time I got there it had. Disappeared, I mean. Some brief sightings were called from the birders stretched out along the reedbed. I may have seen it briefly but I wasn't sure. I certainly missed other brief sightings.
I decided to give it until 11.15 when I would leave for Lincolnshire. I moved to the bench at the crossroads. At 11.05 something flew up into the air in front of me and dropped down again. I was sure this time. 'Did you see it?' someone called. 'Where did it land?' 'Went straight down just there,' I replied and pointed.
Nightmare over.
Little bittern. 241 2015!
I did go to Chambers Farm Wood. A few pleasing results: white admiral...female
Male.
...first gatekeeper of the year...
...and hummingbird hawk moth. Much trickier than the bee moth to photograph: so fast! Anyway, here it is.
Tommy Steele in Half a Sixpence: What a picture! What a photograph!
More later. I hope!
30th June - 2nd July
Here be dragons!
...and birds, butterflies and orchids!
Tuesday 30th June took me to Fen Bog, Ellerburn Bank and Staveley - all super YWT reserves. At Fen Bog upto three large heaths were seen flying over the bog myrtle beyond camera reach. A dark green fritillary perched on a thistle - apparently they like purple coloured flowers.
A large skipper, wings closed but under-wing pattern discernible, was drinking by a muddy puddle.
Small heath were easily approached.
Eventually I came upon the small pearl-bordered fritillaries. About 9 seen in the end. Most were restlessly patrolling the Eller Beck. A few posed for me.
Little seen at Ellerburn Bank that day. A common blue settled on some vetch.
A nest of caterpillars was entangled in the gorse.
Staveley later in the day. I hoped to find some marsh helleborines in flower but I couldn't locate them. Dragonflies were busy on the wing.
A splendid dragonfly - an emperor - but a damselfly is homing in on him!
Bite!
Four spotted chasers were present too.
July 1st found me at Old Moor for a failed attempt to see the elusive little bittern. I had to settle for a hobby...
...and some dragonfly photos whilst we waited for the little bittern to reappear. Seen by some but not from the hide where I and many others were. Four spotted chaser again.
A black-tailed skimmer perched for me. This was unusual as they tend to normally settle on the ground.
July 2nd. Back to Staveley to look for the marsh helleborines. I found bee orchid, twayblade and common spotted orchids, including this white form.
A male large skipper rested on the rope that protected one area from trampling.
Meadow browns were everywhere...
...as were ringlets.
A lady told me to keep walking. I was at the wrong roped off area! When I reached the second roped off area I saw the marsh helleborines everywhere.
Update on 2015 targets
At the beginning of the year I gave myself 5 targets for 2015. I suspect a half yearly update will be of interest to me and probably to no-one else but I wanted to take the opportunity to assess the year so far. Here are the original targets.
1: Photograph 15 more species of British Birds to get to 300 -and improve some of the ones I have photographed.
Target achieved and exceeded. Currently on 305
2: See 300 birds again.
Looks tricky. Currently on 239
3: 10 British bird lifers in UK
Not doing badly at all. 8 already!
4: Website hits to reach 20,000
Expect to make it. On 18,200+ now
5: BirdGuides photo votes to reach 6,000
Looks tricky! Currently on 5,536
23rd-27th June
Apologies to Crowle and other snippets...
I went back to Crowle on Tuesday 23rd June after researching further. I learnt that at the end of Dole Road, Crowle, DON'T walk from the car park alongside the wheat field to the moors but drive [if you dare!] LEFT along the very rutted, bumpy track or walk the 500m [guess] to a small, grassed car park with enough room for 2 or 3 vehicles. An information board confirms you are at the right place. Walk through the trees onto the moors. It's compact and I took the left hand path. Wet further on but I did see 25+ large heath butterflies. Very active and not easy to photograph as they fly off over the boggy bits! Nonetheless here they are. My books only show it with wings folded so I've included a less than perfect flight shot.
Thursday 25th June saw me at Wharram Quarry looking for butterflies and orchids. One marbled white led me a merry dance until I gave up! Lots of small heath and common blue present. Common spotted and bee orchids seen plus twayblade in far left corner looking from the entrance.
Also seen were a single pyramidal orchid [a bit early for them] and a single robust marsh orchid type.
At home that day Sheila caught a close-up of a stock dove near our feeders.
A seawatch at Flamborough on Saturday 27th June was pleasant but produced no skuas or shearwaters whilst I was there. In fact I didn't linger and called at Thornwick pool where a white wagtail was present but distant. Skylarks were singing and perching nearby.
Eventually I set off for Tophill Low to photograph kingfisher; the kingfisher was seen but proved camera shy and I had only a brief view. Here's a nice orchid sp. from Tophill Low. Not early purple but very much early purple coloration. British orchids are a genetic maelstrom I suspect!
I then headed north for Fen Bog which proved windy so I left for Ellerburn Bank nearby. There I met a couple I had met previously at Fen Bog a week or so earlier. We found a large skipper which made my day as I was able to get these shots with the 400mm lens. Just shows how versatile my Canon 400mm DO lens is!
Birds 2015: 239 UK