Sunday 24 July 2022

Autumn Vacancies

There are less than 8 weeks before the Autumn course starts, and there are a few vacancies on Friday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.  Migration is the keyword of the term, and initially we will be encountering summer migrants as they prepare to leave these shores.  We will also spend some time identifying waders at a variety of seashore and estuarine locations.  Some people find waders tricky, so I will do my best to point out out all the key features.  Later, winter migrants will arrive, and these will be identified too.  The best ever Autumn class was 6 years ago when the star birds were probably two confiding Hen Harriers, several Short-eared Owls, a Barn Owl and a Woodcock all seen at the same locartion.  If they reappear, the intention will be to connect with them once more.  


Peregrine - a photograph taken in the company of the Wednesday afternoon group.  In the Autumn we are most likely to find one of these looking far more active whilst it is harassing the waders on the Humber estuary!
 Bearded Tits - at Ness End
Autumn is the best time to see these charismatic birds 
 Wryneck - at Spurn
One of Autumn's unusual birds, which we'll try and see if we get an influx on the coast
 Moulting male Redstart  - on migration at Spurn
 Stonechat - this beauty over-winters with us
Ring Ouzel - on migration at Spurn
 Snow Bunting - we may encounter these later in the Autumn term
 Goldcrest - some years thousands appear on the coast
 Pallas's Warbler - this is less common than the previous bird
 Rough-legged Buzzard
 Great Grey Shrike - 8 years ago these were eating many of the exhausted Goldcrests
 Bar-tailed Godwit in breeding plumage
 Black-tailed Godwit
 Greenshank
 Spotted Redshank
 Water [as thin as a] Rail
 Hen Harrier - the star bird of a previous Autumn
Ditto
 Short-eared Owls - always popular with the classes
 Ditto
Bewick's Swan
 Starling Murmuration

Friday 8 July 2022

Spring Term Ends

This Monday I tried out Potteric Carr to see the family of Black-winged Stilts.  They were distant, but easy to spot.  They were very attentive parents, even to the extent of chasing off Lapwing, which strayed too close to the youngsters.  I had a look at Barlow Common on the return journey, but it wasn’t quite at its floral peak.

Black-winged Stilt 

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On Tuesday and Wednesday we made our end of term visits to Kilnsea Wetlands.  There was quite a lot to see from the hide, but we also walked towards Beacon Ponds to observe from there.  Birds seen included: Little & Sandwich Terns, Little and Mediterranean Gulls, Black-tailed Godwit, Avocet, Dunlin, Ringed & Little Ringed Plover, Swallow, Sand & House Martins, and many Swifts heading south.  On Tuesday we also had time to try out Sammy’s Point, whilst on Wednesday we walked along Beacon Lane.
Meadow Pipit
Oystercatcher 
Ditto
Reed Bunting
Ditto
Sandwich Tern
Ditto
Little Gull
Little Ringed Plover
Ditto
Sedge Warbler
Record shot of Immature Blackbird 
Wednesday's birds
Avocet Family
Avocet
Black-tailed Godwit
Snipe
Little Gulls
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Little Tern
Mediterranean Gulls (centre)
Mystery Tern
Little Egret (c) 2022 Symon Fraser
Skylark (c) 2022 Symon Fraser
Whitethroat (c) 2022 Symon Fraser
Kestrel Chick
Tuesday's Insects
Small Skipper
Ditto
Hummingbird Hawk-Moth
Ditto
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Painted Lady
Ditto
Gatekeeper
Shrew
Wednesday's Insects
Gatekeeper
Peacock
Female Common Darter
Common Darter (c) 2022 Symon Fraser
Swallow (c) 2022 Tony Robinson
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Little Grebe (c) 2022 Tony Robinson
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Grey Seal (c) 2022 Tony Robinson
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On Thursday we made our final visit of the year to Skerne.  It was very overcast when we started, but it soon brightened up and became quite warm albeit rather breezy.  The Kestrels were still hanging around the Barn Owl box, and a few Sedge Warblers, Yellowhammers, Whitethroats, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaffs were still singing.  As the sun increased in intensity the dragonfly and butterfly sightings became more prolific.  The noisy Marsh Frogs were slightly harder to spot this week. 
Kestrel
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Immature Marsh Harrier
Tree Sparrow
Wren
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Comma
Male Common Darter
4-Spotted chaser
Tench
Banded Demoiselle
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Brown Hawker
Goatsbeard

On Friday we made our final visit of the year to the Deserted Medieval Village.  We met in their car park, but drove to the nature reserve, as there were only a few vehicles.  The Marbled Whites had more Knapweed plants to sip from than last week.  A Marsh Tit was in the quarry, as was a Bullfinch, Willow Warbler, Yellowhammers and Linnets.  On the old railway line we saw Tree Sparrow, Buzzard, Marsh Harrier and House Martins. After lunch a Red Kite was added to the list.  

Marsh Tit

ditto
Marsh Tit (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
Immature Blackcap
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Male Blackcap
Blackcap (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
Linnet
Tree Sparrow (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
Marbled White
Marbled White (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
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Common Blue (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
Meadow Browns
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Meadow Brown (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
Small Skipper
Small Skipper (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
Large Skipper
Six-Spot Burnet-Moth
CraneFly pecies
Salad Burnett
Carline Thistle
Clustered Bellflower (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
Tufted Vetch & Lady's Bedstraw
Golden Tufted Grass (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
Quaking Grass & Woolly Thistle (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
Tufted Vetch & Meadowsweet (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
Hedge Woundwort (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
Carpet of Orchids (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
Fungi (c) 2022 Jane Robinson
ditto



And in the moth trap this week…
Garden Carpet Moth
Dun-Bar
Footman
Garden Grass-Veneer
Uncertain
Swallowtails
Nola Cuculatella

Swallowtail
Carpet Moth Sp.
Clouded Border
Elderberry Pearl

7 July
A brighter Dun-bar?
Garden Carpet Moth
Common Emerald
Coronet
Craniophora sp.
Dagger Moth sp.
Silver-Y Moth
Snout
8 July
Poplar HawkMoth
Giant Casemaker CaddisFly Sp.
Bird-Cherry Ermine Moth sp.