Monthly Archives: August 2025

Back at RSPB Old Moor, a familiar place, home from home, good wildlife, great staff, and a lovely cafe, a good place to be. The nature today was great, Birds, Butterflies and Dragonflies abound

Birds seen : Black-headed Gull, Black-tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Canada Goose, Cetti’s Warbler, Chaffinch, Coot, Curlew, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Greenshank (4), Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Lapwing, Little Egret, Little Grebe, Mallard, Moorhen, Redshank, Ruff, Wigeon, Woodpigeon

Butterflies seen : Small Copper, Small White, Speckled Wood

Dragonflies seen : Common Blue Damselfly, Common Darter, Migrant Hawker, Ruddy Darter

A quick stop at Bullcliffe to see if there was anything of interested about, I did find the European Hornet still hanging around the same hedgerow, I also found a couple of hoverfly species, a Common Darter, which was a nice surprise, and a white butterfly species

Decided on a visit out to North Cave Wetlands on my way back home from the North Yorkshire Wildlife Photography Hide, seems to be a good place to on my way way back home, as I was in the car park at the hotel I was stopping at Burythorpe Hose Hotel, beautiful place, fully recommend, a Hobby flew thru chasing a couple of Swallows, good start to the day.

I arrived at North Cave Wetlands at about 10:30am and left a few hours later, about 3pm, I decided that today was going to be an insect day, hoping for Willow Emerald Damselfly. The car park at North Cave is free at the moment, this will soon be changing to a pay and display, the site is run by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, the car park will be free to members

Birds Seen : Black-headed Gull, Blue Tit, Chiffchaff, Coot, Cormorant, Gadwall, Green Sandpiper, Greenshank, Greylag Goose, House Martin, Little Egret, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Sand Martin, Swallow (17)

Today I was up at the North Yorkshire Wildlife Photography Hide hoping to photograph the Kingfisher and the Common Buzzard. The hide is paced in a Golf complex and is run by a guy called Gary, contact on the Facebook page HERE.

Alas I wasn’t fortunate to see either of the birds I wanted to photograph, it was a pleasant day seeing various other woodland species, like Blue Tit, Dunnock, Great Tit, Marsh Tit, Mallard, Moorhen, Robin, Buzzard and Kingfisher were heard only

Dunnock

A quick visit out to Blacktoft Sands with a friend today, a dry dull day but with few birds, we’d gone for the waders at this time of year, our highlights being Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Ruff, Blavk-tailed Godwit, Snipe and Redshank

Birds Seen : Bearded Tit, Black-tailed Godwit, Carrion Crow, Green Sandpiper, Greenshank, House Martin, Little Egret, Mallard, Marsh Harrier, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Ruff, Snipe, Spotted Redshank, Swallow, Teal, Woodpigeon, Yellow Wagtail (20)

Dropped into Bullcliffe NR today, mainly to see what was about and to be out with the camera

European Hornet

European Hornet

Small White

Meadow Brown

Batman Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)

Long Hoverfly (sphaerophoria scripta)

Day again to what is becoming to be my local site, despite it being forty five minutes away, today I was out looking for Dragonflies again but did also get a couple of other highlights

Dragonflies seen : Blue-tailed Damselfly, Brown Hawker, Common Blue Damselfly, Common Darter, Emerald Damselfly, Migrant Hawker, Ruddy Darter, Southern Hawker

Highlights : Four spotted Orb Weaver, Yellow-girdled Fleckwing Hoverfly (Dasysyrphus tricinctus)

Common Darter

Four-spot Orbweaver (Araneus quadratus)

Yellow-girdled Fleckwing (Dasysyrphus tricinctus)

Another great insect day down at RSPB Old Moor

Dragonflies seen : Blue-tailed Damselfly, Brown Hawker, Common Blue Damselfly

Hook-barred Spearhorn Hoverfly (Chrysotoxum festivum)

Common Darter

Ruddy Darter

Eupeodes luniger Hoverfly

Southern Hawker

Another visit to RSPB Old Moor for insects

Butterflies seen : Common Blue, Green-veined White, Large White (3)

Dragonflies seen : Azure Damselfly, Black-tailed Skimmer, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Common Darter, Migrant Hawker, Red-eyed Damselfly, Ruddy Darter, Southern Hawker (9)

Common Blue Butterfly ♀

Common Blue Damselfly

Common Darter

Green veined White

Migrant Hawker

Ruddy Darter

Sawfly (Tenthredo notha)

German Wasp (vespula germanica)

Hairy Shieldbug

Another visit to Bullcliffe on the 6th resulted in a few interesting pieces

Cheilosia illustrata Hoverfly

Yellow-legged Beegrabber (Conops flavipes)

Red-spotted Plant Bug (Deraeocoris ruber)

Didea fasciata Hoverfly

“Batman Hoverfly” (Myathropa florea)