Huddsbirder

I decided to check out a new site this week namely Thurstonland Bank, it’s within My Patch area at SE159101, mainly for Butterflies but my ears are always listening for birds and there was a few bird species around mainly Whitethroat, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff and at one point a fly over Buzzard. The Butterflies there in abundance were Common Blue, Ringlet and Small Heath (I think Small Heath should be renamed Tiny Heath) along with a couple of Speckled Woods. I spent a couple of hours here mainly taking photos on what promises to be a good butterfly site, a Dark Green Fritillary was seen a couple of weeks back, there was also a few day flying moths Brown Silver Line was the only one I got a name on.

Small Heath

Common Blue Butterfly

It was on then to the old Bulcliffe Colliery site in the vain hope of some Dragonflies but with the day turning more cloudy and the wind picking up it was a slim chance and it was there was none seen whilst I was there. However wildlife is always about and the place was awash with 5 Spot Burnet Moths they were everywhere you had to be careful where you were walking, the place was that alive with them. Large White, Large Skipper and Ringlet  butterflies were also on site along with Latticed Heath and Yellow Shell Moths and a few Bee Orchids still hanging on, there was also a couple of bird species about namely Yellowhammer and Goldfinch

5 Spot Burnet Moth

Bee Orchid

It was either a visit to Blacktoft Sands or Old Moor today and Old Moor won the toss due to the fact it has a cafe easy really no competition. The day was overcast with a little wind so the insects were very thin on the ground Azure and Blue Tailed Damselflies the only Odanata seen and no butterflies. Birds were a little bit more in evidence with me adding a new Old Moor species to my list with Black Necked Grebe, other birds around from the family hide were the Med Gulls, Redshank, Black Headed Gulls, Sand Martins, Little Grebe, Lapwing.

We moved on to the wader scrape hide adding Reed Warbler, Dunnock and Reed Bunting on the way at the hide we saw Green Sandpiper, more Redshank, Tufted Duck, Shoveler and Gadwall. We soon moved on to the  Wath Ings hide seeing a fly by Kingfisher, twice, also at Wath Ings plenty of Swifts, a couple of House Martins along with more Sand Martins and  a solitary Grey Heron.

It was soon break time and Gannets Cafe was the venue for a well-earned coffee and cake but it wasn’t long before we were soon back out this time looking around the Dragonfly ponds looking for the ever elusive Dragonflies but not today, maybe next time, no photos today but we have a list as always :-

In no particular order > Tree Sparrow Bullfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Robin, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Woodpigeon, Collard Dove, Magpie, Willow Warbler, Coot, Moorhen, Mallard, Black Headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Canada Goose, Greylag Goose, Black Necked Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Tufted Duck, Sand Martin, Lapwing, Dunnock, Reed Warbler, reed Bunting, Green Sandpiper, Redshank, Jackdaw, Starling, Mute Swan, Shoveler, Gadwall, Swift, Kestrel, Oystercatcher, Kingfisher, Pied Wagtail, Grey Heron, House Martin, Ringed Plover, Linnet, Blackbird and Azure Damselfly, Blue Tailed Damselfly

A few new species and firsts of the year on my work patch this week that’s why I have brought this to the posts page as well as the Patch Highlights page. The first new species was a Small Heath butterfly [no picture due to me messing with camera at the time], secondly an Azure Damselfly, and thirdly a Yellow Shell Moth, forth a Small Tortoiseshell Caterpillar, and last a Large Skipper Butterfly,  other wildlife on site this week my first Meadow Brown Butterfly on site, Small White Butterfly, birds on site Wren, Nuthatch, Blackbird,  and Swift  {This now takes my Butterfly count on this site to 17 species, 5 species of Odonata, 3 species of Moth, with 59 species of bird, not bad for a small site}

Azure Damselfly

Tortoiseshell Underwing

Yellow Shell Moth

Small Tortoiseshell Catapillar

Large Skipper

Today was a visit to Bempton Cliffs RSPB to see the usual cliff nesting seabirds and of course take a few pictures. Birds seen today at Bempton included Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Tree Sparrow, Dunnock, Blackbird, Kittiwake, Herring Gull, Gannet, Fulmar, Puffin, Razorbill, Guillemot, Rock Dove, Jackdaw, Crow, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Swallow

Gannet

Gannet

 

Gannet

 

Not to forget everyone’s favourite

Puffin

Today since the weather was good we decided on a visit to Fairburn Ings RSPB near Castlefird for some Butterflies and Dragonflies and we were not dissapointed, I went mainly to capture Four Spotted Chasers on film, see below. other Odanatas about were Azure Damselflies, Common Blue Damselflies and Blue Tailed Damselflies. On the other hand there wasn’t many butterflies about all we got was a Small Skipper. Whilst we were there we got news of a Great White Egret around the moat area of Fairburn, we had to go and find it  did become a welcome addition to the Yorkshire list after a bit of chasing, other birds noted Swift, Blackcap, Green Sandpiper, Grey Heron, Redshank

Four-Spotted-Chaser

Great-White-Egret

We were having a couple of days off work and spoiling ourselves with a couple  of days in Norfolk the plan was to stop off at Narborough for butterflies and a planned walk with Limosa Holidays around the Brecks. So Monday the 6th we eventually headed off towards Norfolk after the early morning distraction to the hospital. We arrived at Narborough, which is an old railway line good for butterflies, in overcast skies , light rain, and a light wind, the feeling wasn’t good, however a walking we did go seeing Yellowhammer, Common Whitethroat and Great Spotted Woodpecker and hearing Garden Warblers the only butterfly of the day was a female Common Blue.

Narborough Railway Line

We moved away from Narborough to Weeting Heath in the vain hope of seeing Stone Curlew and once again we were disappointed no sign but Pied Wagtails, Crows, Lapwings kept us entertained and of course plenty of Rabbits [Cost for Weeting £3.50 pp].

Time to sign into the B and B and once again it was Magdalen House excellent choice no disappointments here first class welcome, first class B and B and first class food [see B and B tab for more information]. After the evening meal we called in at Lakenheath RSPB for 30 minutes to get sight of a Marsh Harrier and Barn Owl to round the day off.

Tuesday the 7th was to meet a gang of people doing the Birdwalk+ organised by Limosa holidays which would take in Lakenheath RSPB and Santon Downham around the Brecks and it was at Lakenheath that we meet at 9am prompt. After the introduction by a member of the RSPB staff we hit the reserve stopping a the feeders first seeing Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Chaffinch, Reed Bunting and very vocal Reed Warblers. On the reserve the first bird we saw/heard were Cuckoos’ they seemed to be in every part of the reserve flying to and fro we couldn’t miss them, other birds that showed themselves off were Sedge Warblers, Common Whitethroat and Marsh Harriers. There was wildlife everywhere we had brief views of numerous Bittern heard Golden Oriole saw and heard Cettis Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Egyptian Goose, Swift, Swallow and somebody made out two Hobbies which I never picked up, bearded Tits, Cormorant, Skylark, Grey Heron. Dragonflies which I saw where Hairy Dragonfly and Banded demoiselle, butterflies about Meadow Brown and Common Blue, day moths Mother Shipton It was sad to leave Lakenheath behind but new birding places beckoned but first dinner at Mundford and a ploughman’s lunch at The Crown Inn, good grub.

Banded Demoiselle

The Brecks called and it was on to Santon Downham where our first port of call for birds was a struggle but I caught up with Large Skipper for the year. Our second stop down the road was more productive on the bird side with a number of Tree Pipits a Stonechat, and a few Stock Dove and Woodpigeons about. Here also were a few Small Skippers but also more day flying Moths Speckled Yellow, Brown Silver Line, Clouded Buff but the day had to come to an end but it ended with a fine bird a Breckland Special and a family party as well Woodlark

A few Photos to finish along with the  List >The List      More Photos

Limosa Holidays > Tour Report

Speckled Yellow Moth

Brown Sliver Line Moth

Large-Skipper

Well after a week of nights I have missed alot this week if you can call a 12 hour shift form 4:30pm to 5:00am nights’ I call it where’s my life gone shift, I finally woke from my slumber over the weekend to catch up with young birds in my garden and a couple of firsts. Firstly a family party of Greenfinch [2 Adults 2 Young] visited over the weekend and I finally caught up with these colurful birds, my wife had seen them over the last few weeks, this time I had my camera to hand

Male Greenfinch

Another first this weekend was in the form of a butterfly which caught my eye from the room window so out I ran with again camera in hand to catch my first Speckled Wood

Speckled-Wood

The rest of the weekend was catch up time with what was happening in the garden with young House Sparrows and young Starling begging for food from there parents even when the food was at there feet, the Blue Tit was kept busy to and fro from the nest box we can know hear the young in the box won’t be long now before we are watching young Blue Tits in the garden, know where did I put that camera or is it time for bed again [click the pics to enlarge]

Blue Tit

Young Starling food begging

I thought I would start with the Avocet from today’s visit to Old Moor, these have breed at Old Moor for the first time this year we say two chicks today, I believe the first was hatched on the 20th, lets hope they make it to full size apprantely the Black Headed Gull chicks are having a hard time from the Lesser Black Backs that are about

Avocet

On leaving the visitor centre we firstly paid a visit to the feeders like you do here there were the usual bird species about that now seem to have settled done into breeding the ones we saw were Bullfinch, Collard Dove, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Willow Tit, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Dunnock, Robin. We finally left the feeders behind to find a good assortment of Damselflies nearby, we spent quite a while here taking a good number of photos the species we saw Azure, Common, and Blue Tailed

Azure Damselfly

Note the ‘U’ shape on the above Damselfly on segment two, one down from the body, this is on the Male Azure you’ll have to look on my Flickr site to see whats on the Females.  Moving on we finally caught up with a few more bird species from the family hide namely the above Avocet Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Gadwall, Little Grebe, Redshank to name a few highlights but no Med Gull for us today.

After dinner it was the turnof Butterflies namely Common Blue they did seem to be the ‘Common’ butterfly of the day but we did see Large White and Orange Tip

Common Blue Butterfly

Female Bullfinch

Todays Species List :-

Things have been quiet this week but the finding of a Lime Hawk Moth lifted the spirits on one of my early morning walks to work.

Lime Hawk Moth

Caterpillar of the Brown Tailed Moth

Swallow

Here we are again back down at Old Moor which is becoming more like home at the moment the first birds seen today were the Common Swifts overhead and plenty of them to great to see these back and then Whitethroat from the car park hedges. We made our way inside and to the feeders which at the moment held very little bird life except the odd Bullfinch, Collard Dove, Woodpigeon, Pheasant and Tree Sparrow so it was into the reserve and the family hide being our next port of call hearing/seeing on the way Willow Warbler, Coot, Mallard and Linnets overhead. Settling into the hide the Mediterranean Gulls were soon located amongst the Black Headed Gull colony fighting its corner again with the intrusion of the Black Heads. Scanning about we picked up Redshank, Lapwing, Sand Martin, Swallow, Tufted Duck, Great Crested Grebe, Gadwall, and Canada Goose. It wasn’t long before we were off again and making our way down to the Wader Scrape hide along Green Lane hearing Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler singing from dense cover keeping out of the full force of this high wind today, from the hide we picked up a couple of waders notably Grey Plover in full summer dress and with Avocet along side, here was also saw a couple of Common Terns. Other wildlife today including Gypsy Marsh was Dinky Skipper, Orange Tip, Green Veined White, Large Red Damselfly, Azure Damselfly

Wildlife List for Today :-

Common Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Linnet, Collard Dove, Woodpigeon, Tree Sparrow, Magpie, Jackdaw, Crow, Tufted Duck, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Shelduck, Redshank, Avocet, Grey Plover, Lapwing, Common Tern, Black Headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Canada Goose, Sand Martin, Common Swift, Swallow, Pheasant, Coot, Moorhen, Starling, Large Red Damselfly, Common Damselfly, Green Veined White, Orange Tip, Dinky Skipper

Azure Damselfly

Large-Red-Damselfly