Early Summer snippets from North Yorkshire - Pied Flycatchers & Redstarts at Strid, Chimney Moths & Mandarin at Jefrey Bog plus lots of flowers!

Pied Flycatcher (male) pic courtesy of D.Cookson

Out with the lads at Strid Woods (nr Bolton Abbey) recently I was thrilled to see up to 15 or so Pied Flycatchers. One of my favourite 'small birds', they bring back happy memories of my first forays into birding during family holidays in the Lake District when used to wander off into the woods for hours on end and cause my parents much anxiety!

Smart birds, they seemed quite numerous back then and still hold their own there and in Wales but in common with so many insect eating birds habitat loss both here and in their sub Saharan wintering grounds due to de-forestation has seen their numbers decline by 25 - 50% in last few decades. To my knowledge, Strid Wood is about the only place in Yorkshire where they breed nowadays.

Redstart (male) Strid Wood. 8/06/15

To my chagrin I didn't manage a single decent shot.. poor light down I the gorge is barely half an excuse, but we all marvelled at their aerial prowess as they darted hither and thither over the river catching Damselflies. Plenty of Spotted Flycatchers there too along with Redstarts, Grey and Pied Wagtails all feasting on as many winged insects as I've seen this year so far.

Redstart (male) Strid Wood. 8/06/15

Strid Wood itself is a smashing and invigorating walk. The path meanders through the woods and along a section of the River Wharfe that has narrowed and deepened into some dramatic gorges, and eventually ends up at Bolton Abbey. The tea rooms at Strid and the usual tourist trappings of the Abbey have made it a popular place even on weekdays so my to would be to go early!



Strid Wood & River Wharfe

Dipper, Strid. 08/06/15

Kingfisher, Strid. 08/06/15

Meadow Crane's Bill, Strid, 08/06/15

The lads (Mikey & Nick), Strid. 08/06/15

At some point along the walk there's some stepping stones across the river to negotiate and I was devilishly looking forward to taking a pic of Mikey trying to cross with his dodgy knee but we took a detour so it never happened ... but this young Curlew with legs akimbo reminds me now of that missed photo op!

 

Curlew, Strid, 08/06/15

 
 


Same Mikey was after a Mandarin Duck for his UK list, and he got several, but he needn't have gone so far -  a couple of days later I spotted this female on the River Derwent at YWT reserve Jefrey Bog!

Yet another YWT reserve ticked off and visited (that's 62 out of 98 now).










A tranquil place this one and for once the sun shone and there was warmth. Should have brought the butterflies out but it was late in the day so I had to settle for some reasonable pics of Chimney Moths amongst the Ragged Robins, Yellow Flag Iris and Marsh Marigolds .....

Chimney Moth, Jefrey Bog, 09/06/15



Chimney Moth, Jefrey Bog, 09/06/15

Ragged Robin ... interestingly backlit, Jefrey Bog, 09/06/15

Marsh Marigold, Jefrey Bog, 09/06/15

 A few more early Summer snippets from round and about and in no particular order to round things off before the Solstice tomorrow - I'll be on Hatfield Moor again and praying for good light!

Red Campions, River Seven at Normanby, 20/05/15



Speedwell, River Seven at Normanby, 20/05/15

Dog Rose, Askham Bog, 14/06/15

Lastingham with the NY moors beyond, from Normaby, 20/05/15

Marsh Orchid, Askham Bog, 13/06/15

Marsh Thistle, Askham Bog, 13/06/15

Singing Yellowhammer, Wykeham, 10/06/15



100s of Eagles & Kites crossing the Straits of Gibraltar,scorching hot around Barbate, a rare Vulture and Spanish Festoons

Its been a long journey and sometimes I wonder just why I'm putting myself out here. Hardships? Not many, I have everything I need to keep body and soul together. Its been a bit lonely and I'm travel weary but that goes with the territory when you're traversing foreign lands looking for wildlife. I think ... I probably think too much! In a matter of weeks I'll be back in the fray, doing a job I love, seeing my family again and making music again with my various musical amigos and, for the last 2 weeks of my trip my best mate Mark is popping over for a share of the migration spoils, so plenty to look forward to.

Meanwhile I'm at the southernmost tip of Europe and witnessing the annual migration of returning birds from Africa and I'm perfectly positioned!

....and when the winds are right and you're in the right place at the right time it all becomes obvious why I put myself out there....


Short Toed Eagle, over the straits of Gibralter, 2nd March 2015

These are just 2 of about 150 Short Toed Eagles that decided to sail over the Straits of Gibralter whilst I was having a 'café con leche' on the sea front at Getares. Bloody good job I had my camera to hand!



Short Toed Eagle, over the straits of Gibralter, 2nd March 2015

Proper eagles are Short Toed .. don't they just look the part in every way?  In their wake came scores of Black Kites, the odd Booted Eagle and several Common Buzzards.



Black Kite over the sea at Carnero, Nr Gibralter



Black Kites in formation!



 

Gibralter from Punta Carnero, 2/03/15

 

 

Egyptian Vulture, Tarifa, 2nd March 2015

All it took was a slight shift in the wind to WSW and they were over. Earlier in the day, before the temperature rose and mist was still hanging over the mountains, I was up one of the high valleys behind Tarifa. There had been a modest passage of Barn Swallows, Chaffinches and Griffon Vultures then a medium sized raptor I first took to be a Booted Eagle floated by - it was some distance off and the light was poor, but I took some record shots anyway. Good job - turned out to be an Egyptian Vulture! A scarce bird anywhere in Spain these days.


Egyptian Vulture, Tarifa, 2nd March 2015



Alpine Swift, Tarifa, 2nd March 2015

In the same few moments I also had a Black Stork and 70 other distant storks that were probably White and then out of the mist an Alpine Swift decided to speed by. It was nearly past me by the time I got my camera on it but reckoned any shot would be worthwhile.

Awesome bird to have coming straight at you out of the mist of a mountain I can tell you! Twice as big as our Common Swifts with a wing span of nearly 60cm no wonder I thought it was a Peregrine coming at me at first!







Black Stork, Tarifa, 2nd March 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



An estimated half a billion birds migrate across this narrow stretch of water from Africa every Spring and to see just a fraction of those, whether that's a sky full of Eagles and Kites, estuaries full of waders or solitary wanderers, is totally fascinating to me and for many birders and wildlife watchers alike 'migration time' is why we get up at the crack of dawn, brave the elements and go up and down tracks and paths most sensible people would frown at!


March 2nd, that was some day, the best so far for migration. I also had 3 Booted Eagles, 6 Common Buzzard, a single Pallid Swift and several hundred Barn Swallows all drifting North.










A couple of days later in windless and 25c heat I had 11 more Pallid Swifts north very high up and an equally high and passing male Marsh Harrier.

High flying migrating Marsh Harrier, nr Manzanete, 4/03/15

There was a nice male Northern Wheatear at Barbate along with 10 or so Caspian Terns and the usual common waders, whilst at a very dry Le Janda I had the biggest flock of Calandra Larks I've ever seen (about 70 in one field) and another new migrant a single Purple Heron in amongst the Greys.

 Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps have been singing purposefully now for the past week or so and there are new butterflies and flowers emerging each and every day.

Northern Wheatear, Barbate, 4th March 2015

Purple Heron, Le Janda, 4th March 2015
 

This little Owl brought some amusement, to us both by the looks of things, on a very hot day around Barbate....

Little Owl, nr Barbate

Little Owl, nr Barbate



Wall Brown, Barbate, 4/03/15

I'm beginning to notice Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps singing now and there are new butterflies and flowers emerging each and every day.

The Spanish Festoons were gorgeous little things I'd never seen before, hardly surprising I suppose - the last time I was in Spain in the spring I wasn't that bothered about butterflies or flowers come to that.

There was a Swallowtail butterfly in the same vicinity too but it eluded my lens!

Spanish Festoon, Barbate, 04/03/15



unidentified shrub sp, nr Barbate

I don't know what this shrub is but its beautiful and seems to drape itself around the many stands of Prickly Pear cacti that in turn attracts many wasps and flies and the odd Grasshopper! I'm no expert on these things but thinking just a common Field Grasshopper?



Grasshopper species, Barbate

On the evening of the 4th March some more very strong winds sprung up, blowing this time from the East and forecast that way for the next 4 days with gusts of up to 70mph! Time for me to head off to a calmer area of Spain ... I'm off to Donana!






Wild & wonderful Fen Bog in the North York Moors - wet feet, a wasp identified and less said about the memory card the better!

I'm so loving this everlasting Summer we seem to having here in the UK .... I can't quite believe how lush and green everything still is and how many flowers, butterflies and dragonflies I've photographed over the past few weeks... there's going to have to be round up of the best of these images soon but for now here's a promised post on Fen Bog.

 

I was very kindly shown around this YWT reserve by Robin Marrs, a good guy I met recently on Trust business, and its a place I've been meaning to get to for a while. So on my way up to Teesdale a few weeks back I called in on Rob who lives nearby in an idyllic setting just a stones throw from the locally famous landmark Hole of Horcum, and we had a glorious late afternoon tramp across this picturesque piece of wet heathland in the North Yorks Moors national nature reserve. Situated between the summits of Tom Cross Rigg and Crag Stone Rigg its one of the many glacial valleys in the area and takes the form of a long curving piece of land that is bounded at both ends by moorland streams.

 



'The Mallard' steam engine

On the Western boundary edge of the reserve lies the North Yorks Moors railway so if you're into steam trains as well as wildlife you might get an added bonus and catch a glimpse of a rather special and fast flying duck! I did the journey once and its one of the best railway lines around ...  just click on the link above if you fancy it some time

I must at this point take no credit for any of the photographs in this post. Apart from the 2 above which are in the public domain, all the following were taken by Robin Marrs. Combination of senior blond moment and faulty memory card is my excuse and believe me its best left that way!

 

The lower lying reaches of the reserve, although looking quite dry, proved to be quite wet! Shortly after admiring this impressive clump of Marsh Mint and as we strode across what looked like a good path, I (definitely the more foolhardy one) became seriously 'bogged down' almost to my shins in some really brown and wet stuff!

Marsh Mint, Fen Bog

We laughed of course but with no phone signal and being in a remote place we both reflected on the potential danger, especially to a lone and unsuspecting walker, of being abroad in such places. Anyway, no harm done but boy did I sink!

Precious few birds around but we did see a big raptor float down the valley that could have been a Goshawk .... it just didn't have the jizz of a Sparrowhawk to me and so wish I could have got a better and longer view - it'll have to go down as a Spar!



Ichneumon Wasp (Enicospilus ramidulus), Fen Bog

Smaller scale but none the less interesting because neither of us could identify it, was this attractive looking winged insect. I've since posted the pic on a couple of insect forums and turns out this is an Ichneumon Wasp, one of the Ophionines and its specific name is .... wait for it, its catchy .....  its Enicospilus ramidulus and what's more its a common parasitoid of hadenine noctuid caterpillars. Amazing how many experts there are out there ... you may not be turned on by the science, and not sure I am .... I just enjoyed looking at the thing, but all that came back to me within minutes of posting Rob's pic on a couple of Facebook insect forums - that's the amazing thing to me!



Fox Moth caterpillar, Fen Bog

This may or may not be one of the caterpillars said wasp preys upon (been 5 mins now and not received an answer on the forum ... but it is nigh on midnight) ... hang on, I have a message ... nope, this fella is safe from the Ichneumon, its a Fox Moth caterpillar (well done Rob!) and our wasp prefers Broom Moth caterpillars ... how educative is Facebook? I am truly impressed!


Ok, no id forums required for this attractive flower, common in the right habitat and although past its best still good to see. Its Bog Asphodel of course.

Bog Asphodel, Fen Bog

Less obvious but no less attractive in its own way is the diminutive Stitchwort, one of those 'micro flowers' that when you get down and have a really good look, reveal such delicate and subtle beauty in their minute form.

Stitchwort, Fen Bog

So that was Fen Bog, and thoroughly enjoyable it was too, another YWT reserve ticked off (only 64 to go!) and many thanks again to Rob for showing me the place, feeding me and letting me park my camper on his driveway for the night. It was all good order.

Right then, I'm off to the Inaugural Annual Bird Migration Festival at Spurn Point over this coming w/e ... tickets still available by the way if you want to come along ( see here for details and itinery - Spurn Point Bird Migration Festival ) .... should be a cracking event and although I'll be there in a working capacity I'm sure there will be plenty of time for birding, photography, mingling and the rest .. and the guitar is going too so maybe some songs from Baggins around the hog roast!

 

 

 



The straightforward beauty of Thorne Moor

Cracking good day out with my pal Mark on Thorne Moor yesterday ..... lots of laughs, chat and putting the world to rights in both of our respective universes and as we biked across this magical and thoroughly underrated expanse of reclaimed peat-land we concluded that no matter how much we try to lead a good and worthwhile life in our semi retirement years, its our children and their travails that matter the most and keep us from sleeping too easy. It was ever thus and always will be but always good to share the load!

Don't worry folks, I'm light years away from launching timbobaggins.familyrelations.org, its just not gonna happen.... no scope for good pics for a start! Nature in the raw has a knack of rendering down the most complex of human relationship problems to mere squabbles in the playground so before I get tempted to launch timbobaggins.philosophicalnonsense.net, just enjoy the straightforward beauty of Thorne Moor!

Here you go .... what a vista!

Thorne Moor is part of an extensive area of lowland peat / bog (nearly 3,000 hectares in size .. that's big!) and is the remains of a huge glacial lake that formed after the last ice age and covered a huge chunk of what is now South Yorkshire.

Go visit! .... its extraordinarily rich in wildlife and a truly primordial place.

Regular breeding birds include Common Crane, Hobby, Nightjar, Nightingale, Woodlark to mention but a few (there have even been breeding Bluethroat records here!). The insect life is very rich with many species of butterfly, moth, dragonfly recorded as well as unique flora. Several species of deer compete with other mammals such as fox, hare, water vole and there are also common lizards (we saw 20 or so of these) and adders in good numbers.

It was another warm and largely sunny day in this glorious summer we're having when we were there and being August the birds were skulking and scarce but we had good views of Hobby, Marsh Harrier and a few common warblers (Willow / Chaffs, Reed & Whitethroats). A family party of Shoveler ducks was nice and a single Stonechat was a good record. Green Sandpiper, Snipe and Lapwing were about too but my camera was once again focused on less flighty beings ... butterflies mainly and here's a few from the 15 species seen on the day.

Common Blue (male)

Small Copper

Large Skipper

Peacock

  

 



Black Darter

As well as those beauties we also saw stacks of dragonflies, most of which I'm still struggling with in terms of identification but certainly lots of Southern and Brown Hawkers (far too quick on the wing to capture!) and also lots of Black Darters which were a little easier ....












The one thing to watch out for and certainly take precautions against on Thorne in Summer are the midges, mosquitoes and other biting nasties, especially the Clegg Flies ... actually quite interesting to look at but by jove do they bite! So if you do visit take some insect repellent and the strongest you can afford!

Hover Flies look as if they might bite you but are of course quite harmless and up close very attractive. Fascinating creatures, fascinating lifestyles and with over 270 distinct species in the UK alone they're a big challenge... so if you fancy a new hobby?!!

The common one in our gardens is the Marmalade Fly

 Got that? Another common one is the Sun Fly and there were lots of these on Thorne and they especially liked to hover round Ragwort petals. I spent a few minutes checking them out and got this pleasing image of one.... slightly overexposed to catch the fly's intimate details!

Sun Fly on Ragwort
 





Phragmite Reeds, Breighton (nr Selby)

And finally, dear nature lovers, on my back home on a gloriously sunny evening, the like of which reminded me of childhood days, I felt the need to prolong the wandering so I popped into Breighton by the river Derwent. Lovely stroll by the river bank, more butterflies, Sedge & Reed Warblers chattering and the reeds themselves looking tall and resplendent. Walking back up the bank I looked up and saw my van, and remembered a promise to myself that I haven't kept .... to take a picture of my van 'in situ' whenever I go anywhere good. Well I forgot again as far as Thorne Moor is concerned but hey I remembered, so here she is at Breighton!

The van that takes me places!