Showing posts with label juveniles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label juveniles. Show all posts

Monday 18 September 2017

A reminder of Summer, Duke of Burgundy butterflies, uncommon wild flowers, wild camping and a Greenish Warbler 'lifer'

Can't remember such a personally 'low key' summer as this for many a year and although I've never felt much 'get up and go' when it comes around to July & August (too much cricket on the radio for one thing!), this year my get up and go just got up and went! Not helped at all by the fact that my passport to midweek breaks away in the UK - the camper I bought last year, turned into a right money pit and certified vehicle from hell!👹...Completely lost faith in the old thing in the end and sold her for a song. Its a Hymer for me next methinks, a bit pricey but completely reliable I'm told and that's what we want.

Giant Bellflower, Rifle Butts Quarry, 05/07/17


Anyway, net result is that I haven't been out of Yorkshire since Mull in the spring so not a great deal to crow about (hence the lack of blog posts recently), so just local bits and bobs. A lot of wild flowers and butterfly pics that I've only just got around to sorting (how slack am I?!😞)....Ah but we keep on snapping away, so as the first autumn storms begin to blow in, here's a little reminder of sunnier, warmer days....










Clustered Bellflower, Rifle Butts Quarry, 05/07/17













 2 Bellflower species at one site, both new to me and had to get the id book out for both and then on the way out of the reserve and kind of growing by the roadside I see this strange plant which at the time I took for some kind of hybrid Sunflower / garden escape. Turns out to be Elecampane and it is indeed a member of the Sunflower family, and a well known remedial herb. Quite unusual for the Yorkshire Wolds I think.

Elecampane, Rifle Butts Quarry, 05/07/17

Selfheal, Bolton Percy Station, 30/06/17


Another medicinal plant and another reserve I hadn't visited, the rather more common Selfheal at Bolton Percy Station, along with Musk Mallow and then a few other pretty blooms that caught my eye in the summer that's now well on the way out ...



Musk Mallow, Bolton Percy Station, 30/06/17








Yellow Loosestrife, Askham Bog, 25/06/17

Bethany, Newton Dale, NY Moors, 18/07/17



Pyramidal Orchid, Rifle Butts Quarry, 05/07/17


Marjoram, Rifle Butts Quarry, 05/07/17
Common Cranesbill, Fangfoss Park, 07/07/17


Bloody Cranesbill, Rifle Butts Quarry, 05/07/17
Marbled White, Rifle Butts Quarry, 05/07/17
Gorgeous colour on that Bloody Cranesbill at Rifle Butts Quarry, a great little YWT reserve that I hadn't been to before. At the same reserve and at nearby Kiplingcoates Chalk Quarry I was treated to some delightful views of Marbled White butterflies, most I've ever seen in one day with 15- 20 all told. Some pics here along with a few other choice butterflies..
Kiplingcoates chalk quarry, 05/07/17


Marbled White, Rifle Butts Quarry, 05/07/17

Marbled White, Kiplingcoates, 05/07/17

Ringlet on Field Scabious, Askham Bog, 25/06/17

Large Skipper on Bloody Cranesbill, Rifle Butts Quarry, 05/07/17

Small Skipper, 03/07/17, Fangfoss Park
Red Admiral, Askham Bog, 20/08/17

Gatekeeper, Askham Bog, 16/07/17

Brimstone on Purple Loosestrife, Askham Bog, 13/08/17

Brimstone, Askham Bog, 13/08/17
Campsite, Sutton Bank, 01/06/17
 Back in June I went overnight camping with a couple of mates nr Sutton Bank. This has become an annual event for me - a spot of wild camping, wildlife watching and midnight music, this year we took in one of the few places in the north of England where you can still see Duke of Burgandy butterflies. All pics courtesy of Jez Ballantyne....


Wood collecting!

Duke of Burgandy, Hawnby, 01/06/17

Duke of Burgandy, Hawnby, 01/06/17
A 'lifer' butterfly for me and I want to see some more so lets hope this little North Yorks stronghold continues to thrive.... oh and the tea room at nearby Hawnby is a little slice of heaven to die for on a sunny afternoon in the NY Moors!

Corn Bunting, Fangfoss Pk, 26/06/17
Very local to me here at Fangfoss I was very pleased to add bird species number 92 to my patch list, a single Corn Bunting perched on telegraph wires just outside the campsite.

Granted they're not the world's most attractive bird but they get scarcer every year and along with Turtle Doves and Yellow Wagtails they seem to be the least able to cope with modern day intensive farming methods.

Not so my local Common Buzzard population, loads of them around here and its rare for me to lift the lens to them anymore but this one was carrying a big Brown Rat back to the nest!




Common Buzzard with Brown Rat, Fangfoss Pk, 21/06/17
Not a heap load of other decent bird records / pics over the summer but with our resident and summer visitors all preoccupied with breeding, feeding and raising young there's always something going on!

Redstart (male) feeding young, Newtondale, 13/06/17
I volunteer to do a Turtle Dove survey every year in the NY Moors and although we drew a complete 'nil point' in our section we did record a successful breeding pair of Redstarts. Rubbish pic, shady light and felt shady intruding in there, but here's the male who was continuously bringing grubs back to a couple of Redstart fledglings.
















Spotted Flycatcher, Strensall  Common, 23/08/7
5 Spotted Flycatchers all together in one little feeding group on Strensall Common was a non too shabby record, wasn't sure if these were early passage or local 'young 'uns' spreading their wings ...nice to see either way.

Spotted Flycatcher, Strensall  Common, 23/08/17
Juv Common Whitethroat, Newtondale, 18/07/17
And here's a few more young birds from earlier in the year that happened to find themselves unwittingly photographed!


Juv Grey Wag being fed by parent, Thornton le Dale, 12/06/17
Same juv G.Wag having a fight with a feather ..aw bless!
Juv Reed Bunting, Thornton Ings, 25/06/17























Juv male Common Kestrel, Fangfoss Park, 18/08/17


This young male Common Kestrel terrorized the living daylights out of the fledgling Barn Swallows that were hopping about in the trees next to my caravan, as well as every other living thing in the field opposite .. here he is on a hay bail after catching a mole.







Juv male Common Kestrel, Fangfoss Park, 18/08/17










Common Swift heading south, Fangfoss Park, 23/08/17

No idea to be honest if this is a youngster or not but a later than normal departure of Common Swifts seems to have been a theme within local birding circles this year. This one was late Aug but I had odd ones up until Sept 7th and other birders around here are still seeing them. Climate change .. blah blah blah!


















Greenish Warbler, Bempton, 01/09/17


All set now for Autumn migration on the east coast; it's already underway after a slow start with a good smattering of good birds turning up on the Yorkshire coast - Red Necked Phalarope, Pectoral Sandpiper, Long Billed Dowitcher, Icterine Warbler, White Winged Black Tern, Wryneck & Rose Coloured Starling at Spurn and Greenish Warbler, Great Shearwater, Barred Warbler and an early Lapland Bunting on the headlands around Flamborough and RSPB Bempton. I made an effort for the Greenish Warbler as I'd never seen one and got a 'so so' pic










Friday 19 August 2016

High Summer around Yorkshire and Lincs, butterflies at last and returning waders

Well that's another Summer nearly over and, barring a wet spell in June, not a bad one weather wise. I'm looking forward to the autumn colours now, not least because after many months of frustration I finally have my investment property in Hull and will have a bit more time on my hands. Feels like ages since I posted on here back in June and I'd half expected to get all my business sorted, buy a small camper and do a bit of traveling in the UK. No worries, an enforced lapse into mid summer slumber, playing my guitar at campsite socials has been a heap of fun and of course I've managed to squeeze in a few trips out, mainly local plus a 3 day excursion to the Lincolnshire coast. So in no particular order here are my high summer pics neatly themed into butterflies, dragonflies, wild flowers, birds and landscapes.

Banded Demoiselle, Howsham Mill, 20/07/16


Here's my haul of decent butterfly and dragonfly pics with the odd moth thrown in there too


Broad Bodied Chaser, North Cave, 21/07/16

Common Blue (female), Wharram Quarry, 06/07/16

Common Blue (male), Wharram Quarry, 06/07/16

This next one was new for me, much more widespread down south, its an Essex Skipper and almost identical to the more familiar Little Skipper apart from the black tips on their antennae. They're spreading northwards but still scarce in Yorkshire and this one was just across the Humber in Lincs at Donna Nook.

Essex Skipper, Donna Nook (lincs), 27/07/16
Small Skipper, North Cave, 21/07/16



Not a great comparison pic but here's a Little Skipper





















Gatekeeper, North Cave, 21/07/16

6 spot Burnett, Donna Nook, 27/07/16

Marbled White, Wharram Quarry, 06/07/16

 This was a sight for sore eyes too, never abundant and a Yorkshire first for me

Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary, Cropton Forest, 12/07/16

Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary, Cropton Forest, 12/07/16

Common Darter (female), North Cave, 21/07/16

Birdies next; July is never a great time for birding but the month had its moments, especially towards the end with masses of early returning waders around the Wash.

Dunlin flock, Gibralter Point, 29/07/16

Greenshank, Gibralter Point, 29/07/16

Whimbrel, Donna Nook, 27/07/16
Black Tailed Godwit, Frampton Marsh, 28/07/16

Nothing better than seeing migrating birds, the Whimbrels above were just a few of maybe 60 or so we saw flying overhead around the Wash. At RSPB reserve Frampton Marsh we had many thousands of waders - Black Tailed Godwit, Redshank, Avocet, Lapwing & Dunlin made up the vast majority but also Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Ruff, Knot, Bar Tailed Godwit, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank and a surprise rarity - a White Rumped Sandpiper


Black Tailed Godwits, Frampton Marsh, 28/07/16

Black Tailed Godwits, Frampton Marsh, 28/07/16

Dunlin, Frampton Marsh, 28/07/16

White Rumped Sandpiper with Dunlins, Frampton Marsh, 29/07/16

Some selected raptors, starting with the best pic - a stunning female Sparrowhawk in the road and stood on top of a recent kill (looks like an ex wood pigeon to me!)

Sparrowhawk, Wharram le Street, 06/07/16

Marsh Harrier, Humber, 21/07/16




During an unsuccessful attempt at tracking down a reported and scarce Montague's Harrier around the Humber we spent a pleasurable few hours watching the comings and goings of birds on the estuary, including at least 5 Marsh Harriers.


Hobby, Gibralter Point, 29/07/16
I photographed at least 4 different Hobby's during the Lincolnshire trip and got lots of blurry grey / blue  shapes always going away but this one sailed right overhead, caught a dragonfly in mid air and I managed an in focus shot of it eating on the wing.

























This time of year there's lots of juvenile birds about and they all need feeding! This Sedge Warbler is clearly a youngster ....

Sedge Warbler (juv), Frampton Marsh, 28/07/16
.... and guess what he's having for supper!

Sedge Warbler (juv), Frampton Marsh, 28/07/16

At any tern colony around this time of year you'll see almost continuous feeding by the adults in order to get their young fledged and flying. I photographed these Common Terns at North Cave Wetlands where both young and old seemed to be thriving.

Common Tern, North Cave, 21/07/16
Common Tern, North Cave, 21/07/16
Reed Warbler, Frampton Marsh, 28/07/16

Yellow Wagtail, Frampton Marsh, 28/07/16

Here's a little floral selection ...

Pyramidal Orchid, Wharram Quarry, 06/07/16

Marsh Woundwort, River Derwent, 20/07/16

Harebell, Fangfoss, 18/07/16

Common Cranesbill, Wharram Quarry, 06/07/16

Rosebay Willowherb, Fangfoss, 20/07/16
.... and here's a few landscapes that captured my imagination during July

Cropton Forest, July, 2016

Donna Nook, July, 2016

Donna Nook, July, 2016

Faxfleet, July, 2016

Faxfleet, July, 2016

Gibralter Point, July, 2016

Gibralter Point, July, 2016

Roe Deer, Cropton Forest, July, 2016