Friday 26 May 2023

Birding with Blossom

 Red Grouse

Wheatear

Curlew
ditto
ditto
Emperor Moth Cocoon?
Meanwhile, the moth trap on Monday actually had some moths in the trap.
Cinnabar Moth
The Lychnis?
Clouded Bordered Brindle?
Ground Beetle
Mulin Moth
ditto
Poplar Hawk Moth

On Tuesday I set off early and diverted slightly to Paull Holme Strays at high tide.  An American Golden Plover had been there since Friday.  Sure enough it was still there, but very distant.  I then went on to the class meeting at Leven Canal, only to find that the vegetation had rioted, and almost choked the path in places.  The usual suspects were all present: concealed Reed Warblers and Cetti’s Warblers with slightly easier to see Sedge Warbler, Willow Warbler, Whitethroats, Linnets and Yellowhammers.  Steve found a field containing 5 Hares, probably a record for us.   There were also Lapwings attacking Crows in the same area, and an immobile Pheasant.  Margaret was also on form.  First, she identified a silent flying Cuckoo, whilst later she spotted a distant Barn Owl quartering the fields.  There were also plenty of Orange-Tips, dragonflies and damselflies.

Record Shot of Distant American Golden Plover
ditto
ditto
ditto
Grey Plovers
Sedge Warbler
Willow Warbler
Yellowhammer
Silent Cuckoo
ditto
Margaret's Barn Owl
Common Blue Damselflies
ditto
4-Spotted Chaser
ditto
ditto
Hairy Dragonflies?
ditto
Steve's Five Hares
ditto
Orange-Tip
Red-Eyed Damselfly
Blue Beetle
Cardinal Beetle
Giant Puffball
Green-Veined White

On Wednesday we went to Haverfield Quarries for the first time in a couple of years, only to find it almost a construction site. Despite the trundling lorries, trucks and diggers we saw plenty of Whitethroats, Reed Buntings, Yellowhammers, plus Sedge Warblers and Swallows.   

Buzzard
Buzzard (c) 2023 Symon Fraser
ditto
Meadow Pipit
Meadow Pipit (c) 2023 Symon Fraser
ditto
We saw newly flooded areas, which held Oystercatcher, Avocet, Geese, Cormorants and Little Egrets.  We were looking across at these when a male Cuckoo abandoned the hedgerow it had been calling from and flew behind us before alighting on some hawthorn blossom much further down the lane which we had just travelled along.  
Yellowhammer (c) 2023 Symon Fraser
Yellowhammer (c) 2023 Tony Robinson
ditto
The eponymous quarries had more warblers, plus wildflowers and butterflies including our first Brown Argus butterflies since before the pandemic.  
Brown Argus
Brown Argus on Cut-leaved Cranesbill
Broad-Bodied Chaser
Broad-Bodied Chaser (c) 2023 Symon Fraser
Orange-Tip on Common Vetch
Female Orange-Tip
ditto
Poppies
Thorn Moth?
Some of the Wednesday participants went on to Kilnsea in the hope of seeing a Red-Backed Shrike…
Record shot of Red-Backed Shrike (c) 2023 Tony Robinson
Ditto
Ringed Plover (c) 2023 Tony Robinson
Ringed Plover & Common Sandpiper (c) 2023 Tony Robinson
Skylark (c) 2023 Tony Robinson
Curlew Sandpiper (c) 2023 Tony Robinson
Ditto
Little Ringed Plover [foreground] & Ringed Plover (c) 2023 Tony Robinson
Little Ringed Plover (c) 2023 Tony Robinson
Common Sandpiper (c) 2023 Tony Robinson
Ditto
Swallow (c) 2023 Tony Robinson
Ditto

On Thursday we made an annual pilgrimage to MSQ.  The most unusual aspect of the morning walk was that we went around it in the contrary-wise direction to our normal one.  This was in the vain hope of maximising our chance of watching Hobbies catch their food.  The insects put on a good show.  In the afternoon my bad cold took over, so I left the camera behind.  Towards the end a Hobby did show and we watched it hawking for insects.  It was then Gordon realised he’d already seen one at the commencement of the session, but I was looking at a different bird.

Goldcrest Hopping
Goldcrest
Hairy Dragonfly
Hairy Dragonfly (c) 2023 Paul Green
Drinker Moth Caterpillar
Jackie’s Garden Chafer
Large Red Damselfly
Nettle Weevil
Scorpion-fly
Hobby (c) 2023 Mike Day [archive]
A Thursday participant got his best photo of a Green Hairstreak last week when climbing a scree looking for Duke of Burgundy butterflies.
Green Hairstreak (c) 2023 Paul Green
On Friday morning I released the 4th Poplar Hawk Moth of the week before setting off for Tickton.  We walked around Swinemoor, but because I was under the influence of my first severe head cold since the beginning of the pandemic I can’t remember what happened in detail.  The images will have to speak for themselves.
Poplar Hawk Moth
Swallow
Ditto
Swift
Ditto
Heron
Kestrel
Little Egret
Meadow Pipit
Immature Moorhen
Greenfinch 
One of the new Friday pm attendees is getting daily visits from a Fox in his garden.
Red Fox (c) 2023 John Terry



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