North-east of Kettlewell...

...will have to wait until I've told you about our trip to Saltholme with my grand-daughter [aged 2]. We had a good time and enjoyed the Meadow Trail. In the Wildlife Watchpoint we were told there were three grasshopper warblers. Being very deaf at the moment there was no chance of me hearing them but my wife soon did. At least three near the beginning of the Meadow Trail I spotted two of them. Photos with Sheila's 200mm zoom. Grasshopper Warbler Grasshopper Warbler Grasshopper Warbler Grasshopper Warbler

Ok. Most people know about Scotch argus butterflies in England in the Arnside and Smardale areas to the west but the Yorkshire site seems to be less well-known or not well publicised. It's north-east of Kettlewell.... Park Gill Beck [Scotch argus site] Park Gill Beck [Scotch argus site]

Here's a view of the site - it faces south-east and east. I saw the butterflies last year but they wouldn't pose for me as they crash down in the long grass if the sun goes in. In flight they look black. You won't see them without sunshine - preferably sunshine that lasts, say, half an hour! I saw 6 this time. One was very cooperative. I even knelt down and photographed it with my phone: Scotch Argus Camera shots:

Scotch Argus Scotch Argus Scotch Argus Lots of wild flowers plus common blue, red admiral, ringlet and a dark green frit. Here's a few flowers: harebell and carline thistle. Butterworts seen but photos were blurred! Harebell Carline Thistle I saw a mole wriggling along the path. It froze when it sensed my footsteps. I nudged it with my foot and it vanished down a hole [as they do!]. I got a rear view! Mole

I then had a wonderful drive via Wensley, the A1 and A19 to Saltholme. No gropper to be seen but a greenshank on Phil Stead's and a spoonbill performing at Dorman's. A grand day out!

Thinks it's a swan! Spoonbill Spoonbill Spoonbill Spoonbill Spoonbill Spoonbill Spoonbill Spoonbill Spoonbill

Greenshank

In the doldrums!

First of all, after the problems with the gull at North Cave I felt there was nothing for it but to go back [27th July] and have another careful look at the silt lagoon. Reckon I struck lucky this time: yellow-legged gull. Yellow-legged Gull Yellow-legged Gull I saw a basking meadow brown with its wings nicely spread. I noticed later double white eye spots.

Meadow Brown On Friday 29th July we went to photograph Rievaulx Abbey as we had been asked for a photo for a forthcoming book on important archaeological finds in Yorkshire. Sheila took this one: I played around with it!

Rievaulx Abbey Saturday at Blacktoft was not a good idea. Only image worth including was this one of a few lapwings. Lapwings Sunday we went to Wingate Quarry to see the little owls. On arrival we immediately saw lots of orchids: fragrant orchids. Some years since I'd seen any, I got down on my hands and knees to sniff them: very scented, reminiscent of daphne bholua in our garden. Nice spikes too!

Fragrant Orchid Fragrant Orchid Fragrant Orchid The field scabious were pretty as well. Scabious

One owl seen up on the old quarry face. Little Owl There was a baby donkey by the car park. Donkey On then to Saltholme to get some peanuts for our greedy tits. Plenty of common tern action and we enjoyed the new Meadow Trail - worth a slow walk. Here's just a few tern shots.

Common Tern Common Tern Common Tern Common Tern Common Tern That's it for now. Year list ran aground at 233.

All quiet on the eastern front...

Thursday 21st July: in search of a yellow-legged gull at North Cave

AMENDED VERSION!

Lazily, I drove down to Crossland hide, got out of the car and chatted with a birder about cameras. Eventually I went in the hide and set up to watch the silt lagoon. Time taken to find my YLG approx. 20 seconds. However I leapt too quickly to the wrong conclusion...Then the bird sat down on the mud for half an hour, hiding his legs and making me wait to get some photos. Eventually he stood up.

Common Gull Common Gull Common Gull As Nigel Stewart has kindly pointed out, this looks much more like a common gull and I'm sure he's right. Fooled by those yellow legs! Thanks Nigel. And more from him later!

An RAF trainer flew over. Spitfire type plane Guess what happened.

Nothing! Common Gull Common Blue Damselfly Common blue damselfly. A couple of commas were about. Comma Two began to chase furiously until they shot up into a tree. I managed to catch them 'in cop' as Matthew Oates delicately describes it! Comma

Red Admiral Red Admiral Teasel Teazel

Saturday 23rd July: Tophill Low and Bempton

A few butterflies were seen but nothing unusual. Gatekeeper, large white, green-veined whites gathering to gather minerals from a wet patch. Gatekeeper Large White Green-veined Whites Meadow browns and small skippers were relatively plentiful.

Meadow Brown Small Skipper A reed warbler entertained me at North Marsh along with a few young moorhens. Reed Warbler Moorhen I assumed wrongly this was a common hawker [but I do find dragonflies very tricky!] Nigel also explained that this is a Southern Hawker. Migrant Hawker I left for Bempton. Decided to try to photograph fulmars and juvenile kittiwakes. The latter were few and far between. Here are the fulmars. Fulmar Fulmar Gannet Fulmar Fulmar Fulmar Kittiwake juv Kittiwake

As I walked the cliff top to Staple Newk a skylark flew quite close.

Skylark Skylark Finally the obligatory gannet. I find the immatures quite attractive. Gannet Gannet Gannet Gannet