Three days of July about to whizz past... don't blink!
Friday 16th July
Cattleholmes: 6 Canada Goose (4 young), 4 Gadwall, 7 Mallard, 2 Tufted Duck (female and duckling), 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Reed Bunting.
Harpham: 1 Red-legged Partridge, 2 Kestrel (1 juvenile?), 8 Lapwing, 2 Barn Owl, 80 Swift, 1 Common Whitethroat, c500 Corvids.
Kelk: 32 Greylag Goose, 1 Barn Owl, 60 Swift, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Common Whitethroat, 1 singing Chiffchaff, 1 Bullfinch.
Saturday 17th July
Gembling: 4 Teal, 5 Little Grebe, 1 Gembling, 1 Hobby, 1 Curlew (flying west), 4 Green Sandpiper. Teal in July is rather unusual anywhere in the area.
Brigham Quarry: 1 Pochard (female), 13 Coot, 6 Lapwing.
Foston Mill: 2 Blackcap (female/juvs), 1 Spotted Flycatcher. The flycatcher is a year tick, and at the same site where one was seen two summers ago.
Kelk: 1 Grey Partridge, 1 Sparrowhawk, 300 Swift moving south away from rain, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 8 Long-tailed Tit.
Kelk Lake: 3 Little Grebe, 5 Coot (1 brood of 3), 2 Reed Warbler.
Harpham: 1 Sparrowhawk, 3 Common Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 1 Hobby, 5 Stock Dove, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Tree Sparrow.
Sunday 18th July
Kelk Beck: 2 Mute Swan, 300 Swift moving south away from weather, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Reed Bunting. A nice though brief view of a Stoat was one of the highlights of the weekend along Lynesykes Lane - my first of the year!
Gembling: 15 Canada Goose, 2 Shelduck, 2 Grey Partridge, 170 Feral Pigeon.
Kelk: 1 Buzzard, 3 Kestrel (1 juvenile), 1 Kingfisher, 1 Yellow Wagtail.
Harpham: 1 Kingfisher, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker.
You wait for months for a Kingfisher and three come along at once. Really, they're my first sightings since the winter and I was getting most concerned they'd been wiped out by the freeze.
Gulls
Small numbers of gulls were moving around all weekend, mostly flying rather purposefully south-west. It was too early for any serious numbers of small gulls as breeding birds would still have been at their colonies and there was no ploughing activity to draw them in. By the end of July, i.e. when I'm writing this, the situation will be changing quickly.
Totals for the weekend: 26 Black-headed Gull, 15 Common Gull, 11 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 28 Herring Gull. The vast majority were adults.
I only noticed when writing this post that I still haven't seen a Great Black-backed Gull this year. A most unusual situation, though no panic, the best months for these beasts are Oct-Dec.
Butterflies
Poor conditions for butterflies; mostly windy, cloudy or drizzly. Most obvious were 'whites' and Ringlet were very widespread along hedgerows.
Totals for the whole weekend across the area are: 13 Meadow Brown, 5 Red Admiral, 58+ Ringlet, 8 Small Tortoiseshell, c100 'white' sp. All this brings the total species for the year to a disappointing 11.
Also noted were a 'blue' damselfly and a Common Darter at New Road.
And the two Hobbies tale?
Having missed out on Hobby in May and June I was determined to track one down in July - hardly the best month but needs must. The plan was simple; spend loads of time around Harpham where birds were seen last year. Friday drew a complete blank despite regularly scanning the skyline during 4 hours. Saturday morning looked more promising but after 2 hours we were still empty handed.
Quite suddenly large numbers of Swift began to move through at the front of a wave of rain cloud, about 300 inm total. Despite all the fast food going by, not a sniff of a Hobby. Five minutes later the distinct scything sillhouette of my favourite falcon whizzed across the top of the treeline and dipped behind. It had gone as quickly as it had appeared - absolutely typical. Never mind, I was still delighted. I'm glad I have enough experience with these falcons to be sure of the ID! Grief though, six hours in the field and barely as many seconds of action.
Later in the day when at Gembling I had just sat down for a breather when a group of Swallows began shreiking... hello, what's going on here... wowser, a Hobby flew right over my head and I was able to watch it move away for 20-30 seconds. Possibly the closest view I've had of one in the area, certainly the most satisfying.
The lesson? You need to try really hard to see a Hobby here but you just might get lucky.
So, with this and Spotted Flycatcher my yearlist moves to 109. A Turtle Dove was seen in Kelk in May so the recorded total reaches 110.
108 Turtle Dove
109 Hobby
110 Spotted Flycatcher
Thursday, 29 July 2010
Wednesday, 21 July 2010
Jooooo-ly
Here a few bird photos from the weekend. Nothing special just a few ropey shots including species I've not snapped before. Better than a kick in the proverbials, so to speak.
Why did the Collared Dove cross the road? So I could get a better picture, obviously.
Two Goldfinches at Harpham, doing what they do best - demolishing seed heads.
Three Green Sandpipers at Gembling. Out of shot on the left was a fourth bird, not a bad local gathering for late summer.
A Sedge Warbler out in the open by Kelk Beck, having a burst of morning song. They're usually moderately elusive so I'm actually quite pleased to get this shot without having to stake it out.
Male Reed Bunting by Kelk Beck, perched on oilseed. There are not many of these lovely buntings in the area and they are pretty unassuming so it's lovely to get any photo.
Last but not least a juvenile Swallow. Adult Swallows are quite obviously spectacular birds, no doubting that, but I have a real soft spot for the young birds.
Why did the Collared Dove cross the road? So I could get a better picture, obviously.
Two Goldfinches at Harpham, doing what they do best - demolishing seed heads.
Three Green Sandpipers at Gembling. Out of shot on the left was a fourth bird, not a bad local gathering for late summer.
A Sedge Warbler out in the open by Kelk Beck, having a burst of morning song. They're usually moderately elusive so I'm actually quite pleased to get this shot without having to stake it out.
Male Reed Bunting by Kelk Beck, perched on oilseed. There are not many of these lovely buntings in the area and they are pretty unassuming so it's lovely to get any photo.
Last but not least a juvenile Swallow. Adult Swallows are quite obviously spectacular birds, no doubting that, but I have a real soft spot for the young birds.
Weekend report to follow...
Monday, 19 July 2010
Blow
My attempt at a lazy summer weekend was thwarted by strong winds for most of the weekend. Despite that a few goodies were seen including 2 Hobbys, 4 Green Sandpiper, 3 Kingfisher, and 1 Spotted Flycatcher. More of that later with some birdy pics in the meantime here's some photos not of birds.
Ringlet. This rather tatty one has a huge split in the wing.
Meadow Brown, showing the leaf-like underwing pattern. Normally the outer wings are visible and they show an 'eye' on an orange background.
A very very scruffy Small Tortoiseshell. Not much longer left for this individual.
Ringlet. This rather tatty one has a huge split in the wing.
Another Ringlet, showing the underside pattern, and more tatty wings.
Meadow Brown, showing the leaf-like underwing pattern. Normally the outer wings are visible and they show an 'eye' on an orange background.
A very very scruffy Small Tortoiseshell. Not much longer left for this individual.
Finally, not a butterfly but a tame Hare which allowed me to approach to a few metres. There were three others, presumably a family, close by.
Sunday, 20 June 2010
All quiet
Slight time delay getting this short review up... ok, two weeks to be precise. As you'd expect there's not a great deal happening in June, though birdwatching is still a joy while the vegetation is at peak lush.
There was only one day to play with this month as I was busy elsewhere on Sunday morning and it rained for the rest of the day. Never mind though...
Saturday 5th June
Morning around Harpham; 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 2 Oystercatcher, 5 Great Spotted Woodpecker (4 together at New Road - presumably 2/3 juveniles), 1 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Sedge Warbler, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Goldcrest, and at least 30 Long-tailed Tits in one loose flock.
Arfernoon around Gembling and Brigham Quarry; 2 Grey Partridge, 4 Little Grebe, 2 Grey Heron, 1 Kestrel, 11 Coot plus 5 young at Brigham Quarry, 1 Oystercatcher, 1 Barn Owl, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 5 Common Whitethroat, 2 Tree Sparrow, 1 Reed Bunting and 1 Corn Bunting (Foston bridge - as in May). Approx 30 Sand Martin holes at Brigham Quarry, though it's not obvious how many are in use.
Evening around Lowthorpe; 8 Mallard ducklings, 1 adult Lesser Black-backed Gull heading north east, 1 Cuckoo, 1 Barn Owl, 2 Reed Warbler (Kelk Lake), 1 Whitethroat, 11 Long-tailed Tit, 60 Starling on fresh cut silage.
Not many butterflies on the wing, a little disappointing - 1 Holly Blue (Foston), 10 Orange Tip, 1 Speckled Wood and 3 Wall.
This pair of Tree Sparrows have been using that old woodpecker hole - and for whatever reason I'd never noticed this hole before... doh!
Nice male Swallow on wires.
Wall buttrerfly at Foston.
There was only one day to play with this month as I was busy elsewhere on Sunday morning and it rained for the rest of the day. Never mind though...
Saturday 5th June
Morning around Harpham; 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 2 Oystercatcher, 5 Great Spotted Woodpecker (4 together at New Road - presumably 2/3 juveniles), 1 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Sedge Warbler, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Goldcrest, and at least 30 Long-tailed Tits in one loose flock.
Arfernoon around Gembling and Brigham Quarry; 2 Grey Partridge, 4 Little Grebe, 2 Grey Heron, 1 Kestrel, 11 Coot plus 5 young at Brigham Quarry, 1 Oystercatcher, 1 Barn Owl, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 5 Common Whitethroat, 2 Tree Sparrow, 1 Reed Bunting and 1 Corn Bunting (Foston bridge - as in May). Approx 30 Sand Martin holes at Brigham Quarry, though it's not obvious how many are in use.
Evening around Lowthorpe; 8 Mallard ducklings, 1 adult Lesser Black-backed Gull heading north east, 1 Cuckoo, 1 Barn Owl, 2 Reed Warbler (Kelk Lake), 1 Whitethroat, 11 Long-tailed Tit, 60 Starling on fresh cut silage.
Not many butterflies on the wing, a little disappointing - 1 Holly Blue (Foston), 10 Orange Tip, 1 Speckled Wood and 3 Wall.
This pair of Tree Sparrows have been using that old woodpecker hole - and for whatever reason I'd never noticed this hole before... doh!
Nice male Swallow on wires.
Wall buttrerfly at Foston.
Friday, 4 June 2010
Ruddy photos
Finally, here's a couple of photos of the Ruddy Shelduck. Lack of a black neck band indicates this to be a female.
Another shot of the shelduck.
Oystercatcher at Harpham - an odd location for them. Look at the state of that puddle, yuk!
Female Yellow Wagtail in a paddock at Kelk. The male was a few yards to the right.
Pheasant looking at home in the yellow jungle.
Buzzard doing what buzzards do best - sitting about in the distance!
Another shot of the shelduck.
Oystercatcher at Harpham - an odd location for them. Look at the state of that puddle, yuk!
Female Yellow Wagtail in a paddock at Kelk. The male was a few yards to the right.
Pheasant looking at home in the yellow jungle.
Buzzard doing what buzzards do best - sitting about in the distance!
Thursday, 3 June 2010
May I?
If I leave it any longer there'll be no review of May at all so here's an abridged version. Time to move on!
Friday 14th May
Having traveled over in the afternoon there was still a couple of hours daylight left, not to be wasted. Around Harpham were a Cuckoo (seen and heard), a Tawny Owl sitting out in the open at dusk, 2 Barn Owl, a Sedge Warbler, 2 Blackcap, a Garden Warbler and a Lesser Whitethroat - the latter two were the only ones of the weekend.
Best of the bunch was the GRASSHOPPER WARBLER at New Road which 'reeled' (song) for a grand total of about 30 seconds in the 20 minutes we stood waiting in the hope it would really get going. This is the first one I've heard locally for a long time, so while more than welcome it was a bit disappointing not to have a bit more of a show. Consolation while waiting was the 2 Barn Owls mentioned and a fox slipping through the rough grass - my first of the year.
Saturday 15th May
Harpham (morning): 3 Sparrowhawk, 1 Common Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 2 Oystercatcher, the Cuckoo again, c20 Swift, reasonable numbers of warblers (summarised later).
Gembling/Brigham (afternoon): 3 Shelduck, 9 Gadwall, 2 Shoveler, 3 Pochard, 22 Tufted Duck, 7 Little Grebe, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 3 Grey Heron, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Common Buzzard, 12 Coot, 1 Oystercatcher, 3 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Corn Bunting singing by Foston Bridge.
Strangest, though prettiest bird of the day was the RUDDY SHELDUCK at Gembling. Sightings in UK are typically considered escapees from wildfowl collections but there is discussion that a small number could reach us from either feral populations in western Europe or in exceptional circumstances from wild populations further east. In Yorkshire in mid-May... who knows?
Green Lane / Barf Hill (evening): buzzard, 2 Kestrel, 1 Oystercatcher, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 55 Linnet and 2 Bullfinch.
Butterflies today were; Holly Blue at Harpham, 13 Orange Tip, 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 7 'whites'.
Sunday 16th May
Kelk Beck (morning): 2 Canada Goose, 1 Gadwall, 14 Tufted Duck, 1 Kestrel, 2 Coot, 1 Common Gull (the only one all weekend!!), 4 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Tree Sparrow, 4 Reed Bunting.
Gransmoor / Kelk Lake (lunchtime): 1 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Sparrowhwak, 2 Commom Buzzard, 2 Coot, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 Herring Gull, 1 Cuckoo, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Yellow Wagtail.
Lowthorpe / Harpham (late afternoon): 2 Common Buzzard, 2 baby Moorhen, 40+ Swift, 4 House Martin, 1 Tree Sparrow, 1 Bullfinch.
Butterflies today were; 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 1 Speckled Wood, 5 'whites'.
Warbler summary
Number of singing males across the whole area over the three days
Sedge Warbler............... 14
Reed Warbler................ 1
Grasshopper Warbler...... 1
Blackcap..................... 10
Garden Warbler............. 1
Lesser Whitethroat......... 1
Common Whitethroat...... 26
Chiffchaff.................... fewer singing than in April
Willow Warbler.............. 11
Goldcrest..................... 1
The number of Common Whitethroat is much higher than 2009 but the others are low, especially Lesser Whitethroat of which there were half a dozen last May.
Year list additions:
095 Cuckoo
096 House Martin
097 Swift
098 Lesser Whitethroat
099 Garden Warbler
100 Grasshopper Warbler
101 Sedge Warbler
102 Common Whitethroat
103 Marsh Harrier
104 Corn Bunting
105 Shoveler
Friday 14th May
Having traveled over in the afternoon there was still a couple of hours daylight left, not to be wasted. Around Harpham were a Cuckoo (seen and heard), a Tawny Owl sitting out in the open at dusk, 2 Barn Owl, a Sedge Warbler, 2 Blackcap, a Garden Warbler and a Lesser Whitethroat - the latter two were the only ones of the weekend.
Best of the bunch was the GRASSHOPPER WARBLER at New Road which 'reeled' (song) for a grand total of about 30 seconds in the 20 minutes we stood waiting in the hope it would really get going. This is the first one I've heard locally for a long time, so while more than welcome it was a bit disappointing not to have a bit more of a show. Consolation while waiting was the 2 Barn Owls mentioned and a fox slipping through the rough grass - my first of the year.
Saturday 15th May
Harpham (morning): 3 Sparrowhawk, 1 Common Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 2 Oystercatcher, the Cuckoo again, c20 Swift, reasonable numbers of warblers (summarised later).
Gembling/Brigham (afternoon): 3 Shelduck, 9 Gadwall, 2 Shoveler, 3 Pochard, 22 Tufted Duck, 7 Little Grebe, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 3 Grey Heron, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Common Buzzard, 12 Coot, 1 Oystercatcher, 3 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Corn Bunting singing by Foston Bridge.
Strangest, though prettiest bird of the day was the RUDDY SHELDUCK at Gembling. Sightings in UK are typically considered escapees from wildfowl collections but there is discussion that a small number could reach us from either feral populations in western Europe or in exceptional circumstances from wild populations further east. In Yorkshire in mid-May... who knows?
Green Lane / Barf Hill (evening): buzzard, 2 Kestrel, 1 Oystercatcher, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 55 Linnet and 2 Bullfinch.
Butterflies today were; Holly Blue at Harpham, 13 Orange Tip, 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 7 'whites'.
Sunday 16th May
Kelk Beck (morning): 2 Canada Goose, 1 Gadwall, 14 Tufted Duck, 1 Kestrel, 2 Coot, 1 Common Gull (the only one all weekend!!), 4 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Tree Sparrow, 4 Reed Bunting.
Gransmoor / Kelk Lake (lunchtime): 1 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Sparrowhwak, 2 Commom Buzzard, 2 Coot, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 Herring Gull, 1 Cuckoo, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Yellow Wagtail.
Lowthorpe / Harpham (late afternoon): 2 Common Buzzard, 2 baby Moorhen, 40+ Swift, 4 House Martin, 1 Tree Sparrow, 1 Bullfinch.
Butterflies today were; 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 1 Speckled Wood, 5 'whites'.
Warbler summary
Number of singing males across the whole area over the three days
Sedge Warbler............... 14
Reed Warbler................ 1
Grasshopper Warbler...... 1
Blackcap..................... 10
Garden Warbler............. 1
Lesser Whitethroat......... 1
Common Whitethroat...... 26
Chiffchaff.................... fewer singing than in April
Willow Warbler.............. 11
Goldcrest..................... 1
The number of Common Whitethroat is much higher than 2009 but the others are low, especially Lesser Whitethroat of which there were half a dozen last May.
Year list additions:
095 Cuckoo
096 House Martin
097 Swift
098 Lesser Whitethroat
099 Garden Warbler
100 Grasshopper Warbler
101 Sedge Warbler
102 Common Whitethroat
103 Marsh Harrier
104 Corn Bunting
105 Shoveler
106 Ruddy Shelduck (ooh controversy!)
107 Reed Warbler
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
True Blue
No no no, not the new electoral map of England. A blue butterfly. Much nicer than all this unpleasantness they call politics :)
Ah, I digress.
Erm.
My visit for May was last weekend but I'm busy so this is a filler post until there's time for a proper report. I made nearly a dozen additions to the year list including a brief singing Grasshopper Warbler at Harpham - my first since the 1990s. Hurrah!
The picture below is a Holly Blue, at Harpham. Holly Blues are regular but uncommon in the area. Even by butterfly standards they're spectacularly beautiful - not that this woeful picture is going to convince anyone.
Ah, I digress.
Erm.
My visit for May was last weekend but I'm busy so this is a filler post until there's time for a proper report. I made nearly a dozen additions to the year list including a brief singing Grasshopper Warbler at Harpham - my first since the 1990s. Hurrah!
The picture below is a Holly Blue, at Harpham. Holly Blues are regular but uncommon in the area. Even by butterfly standards they're spectacularly beautiful - not that this woeful picture is going to convince anyone.
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