Saturday 28 June 2014

Yellowhammer's Golden Halo

Yesterday we visited the Wolds again.  Previous visits this year can be viewed here and here
This time on a very dull day the Redstarts were much harder to locate, but both groups did eventually see the male Redstart.  It was quite a long wait for the afternoon group, but they were rewarded with a more prolonged showing.  Neither group managed to see the Spotted Flycatchers.  In the morning some strange Sedge Warbler like notes were traced back to a Garden Warbler feeding its chicks.  The morning group when passing through the hamlet saw a young Great Spotted Woodpecker near a Woodpigeon, when they turned round one of its siblings was on a garden feeder with an immature Robin close by.   The Yorkshire Broomrape had nearly finished its flowering and had turned brown.  It was so overcast in the nature reserve, we could only find one Marbled White, but no other butterflies.  In the afternoon a fluttering Wood Tiger disappeared in the grass, and when it was relocated it was conjoined with another.  One of the most pictorial highlights was a Yellowhammer perched on a rock, which seemed to be surrounded by matching yellow Hawkbits.  

Yellowhammer with halo
 Male Redstart
 Garden Warbler
 Pied Wagtail
 Immature Great Spotter Woodpecker
 Another immature Great Spotted Woodpecker
 Chiffchaff
 Ditto
 Immature robin with GSW in the background
Wood Tiger Moths copulating
 Bee Orchids
 Clustered Bellflower
 Thistle Broomrape 27/6/2014
 Thistle Broomrape - 19/6/2014
 Mirid Bug (Grypocoris stysi) [Thanks to Barry Warrington]
 Marbled White
 Goats
 Yellow Halo Again

Friday 27 June 2014

Special Offer - S.O.G.O.F

Yesterday the supermarket shelves were groaning under the weight of all the young birds now added to the shelves.  We were watching one Puffin when Carol spotted an unexpected youngster waddling from the back of the crevice until it came to rest behind its parent.  Ken ensured that everyone was able to enjoy this spectacle through his scope.  So, we saw one Puffin and saw another free!

The rest of the visit was similar to last week's visit, so see those pictures Here 

Differences this time include a hunting Barn Owl catching a vole & hauling it what appeared to be over a mile to its nest; plus a sunbathing Peregrine, and over-hot Shags and Herring Gulls.  A Puffin carrying Sand-eels to its burrow was also something you don't see on the Yorkshire coast every day!
A Puffling with its parent
 Barn Owl with catch
 Barn Owl
 Guillemots
Panting Shag & Herring Gulls
 Herring Gull

 Jackdaw dropping part of a chip
 Linnet
 Meadow Pipit
 Ditto
 Skylark
 Skylark
 Starling
 African Savannah
 Puffin with sand-eels
 Ditto
 View
 Yorkshire Belle
 Sunbathing Peregrine
 Peregrine
 Peregrine

Thursday 26 June 2014

An Eye-Opener!

Yesterday was a rerun of the previous Tuesday.  Most of the wildlife was the same, so that one may be read here
New things yesterday included a family of Jays, a dead Mole, many more Marbled Whites, a single fast-flying Dark Green Fritillary.  Of course the most unexpected new experience was the cavorting lesbians.  Standing on the limestone pavement and admiring the view was meant to be the climax of the morning, but I spotted what was going on, and led my students away.  Instead, we peered over the cliff a little further on, and this Little Owl stared back briefly before flying off with what looked like bits of old Rabbit. The sun made the butterflies much more active than last week, so the Dark Green Fritillary photo is an old one.  

Little Owl
 Kestrel
Dark Green Fritillary
  
 Banded Demoiselle
 Ditto
 Female Demoiselle
 Pair of Banded Demoiselles
 Marbled White
 Recently Emerged Marbled White
 Bee Orchid
 Brimstone
 Burnet-Moth
 Comma
 Record Shot of Goldcrest
Jay (c) 2014 Aileen Urquhart
 Goldcrest (c) 2014 Aileen Urquhart
 Meadow Brown (c) 2014 Aileen Urquhart
 Pyramidal Orchids (c) 2014 Aileen Urquhart
 Hoverfly (Volucella pellucens) [Thanks B. Warrington]
 Large Skippers
 Male Large Skipper
 Marbled Whites
 Little Owl
 Plantain
 Poppy
 Agrimony
 Chimney Sweeper
 Deceased Mole
 Speckled Wood
 Welsh Chafer (thanks to Barry Warrington)
 Ditto
 Ditto
 Ditto
 Small Tortoiseshell
 Toadstool (Technical Assistance Doug Ombler)