A Logical Viewpoint

All pictures (c) 2012 Richard Whateley

Thursday morning was our final visit to an urban nature reserve.  Everyone but the lady from Castle Howard seemed to find it OK, but she probably isn’t used to real urban driving!  The car park was quieter in the gentle drizzle, but we did see a few Linnets, a House Sparrow and low-flying Swifts and House Martins.  I left my camera at home because my previous one ‘died’ in heavy rain, and downpours were forecast.  Richard was braver, so I’m completely reliant on him to illustrate this blog.  On the playing field there were 2 Lesser-Black Backed Gulls for the first time, and the Starlings, Rooks, Carrion Crows, Magpies and Jackdaws were still present.  A male Bullfinch flew from left to right just at the beginning of the walk but it couldn’t be relocated.  There were actually more birds singing on the walk up the hill in today’s bad weather than the 2 gorgeous days we visited last week.    

Water Vole

 Linnet

For the second Thursday am running we heard a Cuckoo, but this time despite several apparently close encounters we failed to see it.  The Warblers were harder to see this time, though we did have an early Chiffchaff near the beginning and then a definite Willow Warbler at the end.  The Lesser Whitethroat had gone silent again, and we only heard a couple of Whitethroats this time.  A Chiffchaff was heard, but it was harder to locate this time.  There were a few Blackcaps singing from deep cover on the path parallel to the Poplar Avenue, but apart from one brief flyover, again these remained concealed from sight. 

Chiffchaff

 We waited for a time on the bridge but there were fewer things to see round here too.  2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers flew from a young Ash tree on the bank & headed into the reserve towards some large Willow trees.  The adult soon flew off, but a fledgling remained for several minutes.  I don’t think everyone managed to lock onto it in time, but those that did were able to watch trying to peck at the bark for and climb the tree.  People were discussing this sighting when Phil G spotted something swimming across the drain.  Everyone spun round and got a great view of a Water Vole.  It was then busy for a few minutes on our side of the bank, because we could see the ripples spreading out from our side, but the vegetation screened it from any further views.  

Immature Great Spotted Woodpecker

 ditto

 Chaffinch

We popped into the reserve again, but took a different circular path, which took us past a Willow Warbler and the den area, which was recently featured in the local press.  There were fewer butterflies and other insects to see because of the drizzle, but we were climbing the steps out of the reserve when the Cuckoo stared calling again nearby.  Unfortunately, a Search & Rescue helicopter then flew low over us, and we weren’t able to track it down.  The final sight of the morning was provided by a Greenfinch, which at first twittered & wheezed in the car park before embarking on its slow-motion butterfly courtship flight.  A nice way to bring these urban visits to an end.

 Willow Warbler

Greenfinch

Algebra or Logarithms?

Bullfinch

Today was our first visit to a brand new venue.  Unfortunately, some participants found it quite a difficult location to find.  In the car park as soon as I arrived a Wren, Linnet, and Greenfinch were all perched in a bare young tree.  When the others arrived there were also House Martins & Swifts flying on the field around us.  In the afternoon most of these birds had gone, but a pair of House Sparrows had moved in instead – not sure if this was an adequate compensation! We set off trying to to avoid the frequent dumpings of dog mess – although it still wasn’t quite as bad as Allerthorpe Woods.  

Maureen correctly identified a Whitebeam, while it was Ellen who did the same in the afternoon.  As we climbed the incline Anthony discerned a distant Skylark singing over the fields. As we walked along the Poplar Avenue Miles spotted a pair of bullfinches. The male cleaned himself in the centre of a Willow bush long enough for everyone, even Maxine to observe him.  While we observed him a Great Spotted Woodpecker made its ‘pic, pic’ sounds, and a Chiffchaff sang nearby.  We couldn’t find the bullfinches in the afternoon, but there was a family of Long-tailed Tits here instead.  Behind us on the playing field there were plenty of corvids, including many Rooks, several Carrion Crows, a pair of Magpies and a single Jackdaw.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t spot a Jay and there was no sign of a Raven or Chough – otherwise every member of the Crow family was represented.  

Rook

 We approached an area which has been scraped for a pond and here we had a Whitethroat, and a Chiffchaff, whilst a small, almost black vole was running through the grass.  There were various Linnets flying over which became more numerous as we approached the area which had previously held greenhouses.  Our first Willow Warbler was in this area too.  A Sparrowhawk plunged through a row of trees, and later another was seen chasing a small passerine, which managed to escape.  We examined a map near the entrance to work out which route we had actually taken & what wildlife we were likely to see.  There were several Linnets and a Greenfinch on some wires.

Linnet

We left the reserve & watched the wildlife which could be seen from a bridge over Holderness Drain.  Here we saw Whitethroat, a Song Thrush and perched Goldfinches.  2 Mistle Thrushes flew into a single tree & then set off across a field towards the drain.  However, the best bird here was a Great Spotted Woodpecker which fluttered down towards the bottom of the drain bank.  It flew off a few minutes later with its beak stuffed with food.  In the afternoon there were fewer birds seen in this area, but Barbara spotted something swimming across the drain, which by colour & the way it swam seemed to be a Water Vole.  

 Song Thrush

 While walking along the drain a Sparrowhawk carrying prey flew towards us, and passed relatively near to where we were standing.  Only a few minutes later Anthony & Miles saw a bird leave the golf course.  It flew over the drain and into cover right in front of us, although it failed to utter a sound of any sort.  It was probably a female Cuckoo – this was a first for Maxine, but I think she’d have preferred it to have been a calling male.  All these birds were absent in the afternoon, but were replaced with a Chiffchaff and a panicky Coot on the drain.   On the return journey there were fewer Rooks on the playing field, but one allowed its picture to be taken. 

Sparrowhawk carrying Blackbird/Starling?

 Peacock

 Blackcap

 ditto

 Chiffchaff

 Whitethroat

 The afternoon was a lot quieter from the bird point of view, although the sunshine brought out the butterflies in profusion.  There were several Brimstones, a couple of Speckled Woods, a Small Tortoiseshell, and plenty of Orange-tips, Peacocks, & both Green-veined and Small Whites.  We had good views of a Blackcap, a Chiffchaff, and the silhouette of a Willow Warbler, but I could sense a growing sense of unrest.  The unrest was dispelled by a pair of Stock Doves, which flew out of a Sycamore on Poplar Avenue.  The simmering mutiny was only finally vanquished in the dying moments when I managed to track down a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers and a Male Bullfinch.

Bullfinch

 Bullfinch (with something on its bill?)

 Speedwell