Spurn Bird Observatory

 This was not a visit to Spurn for birding as such, and it was just as well. Persistent northerlies, complete with rainstorms all but ended any hope of significant migration. The ringing was a bust, Paul had already shut the nets by the time I dragged my hungover corpse out of bed. Still, it was lovely to see people who I not seen for almost a year, and the evening socials were more than sufficient compensation for the lack of birds. 
  The only species of note was a pair of European Jays that flew over the road when I was out counting dragonflies. Although normally uncommon at Spurn, this year seems to have a small number sticking around throughout the summer. Dragonflies were very quiet, with just a handful of species. Any hoped-for Red-veined Darters quite simply failed to materialise. 

  It was supposed to be a weeks visit to Spurn, with a wedding thrown in the middle, but in the end that idea all collapsed, and being home with Soil Hill and work seemed the better option. 

-Emperor Dragonfly

Species List: 

Spurn Bird Observatory: Greylag Goose, Mute Swan, Common Shelduck, Mallard, Common Pheasant, Little Grebe, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Eurasian Oystercatcher, European Herring Gull, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Jay, Eurasian Magpie, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Sedge Warbler, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Common House Martin, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, White Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting, 

Spurn Bird Observatory

  Between Monday and Thursday, I spent a few days visiting Spurn to catch up with old friends. This time there was no mega that arrived simultaneously with me, but there were a few nice birds and a lot of nice insects. I spent most of my time checking the various ponds and waterways to tot up exactly how many dragonflies and damselflies there were on the wing.

  That said there were still a few birds around. A Great Egret was enjoying life on Canal Scrape before roosting at Pancho’s Pond at night. There were also a large number of terns around, mostly Little Tern and Sandwich Tern but also a pair of cracking Roseate Terns that were delightful to watch during one afternoon. The birding highlight though was finally adding Red-legged Partridge to my Spurn list. I had been checking the local fields from the vantage point of the observatory tower but had neither seen nor heard anything. Then one evening as we were ringing Swallows and Sand Martins in Sykes Field I heard the distinctive call of a single Red-legged Partridge in the fields on the far side of the road. I rushed across and spotted the bird making a break for it across the recently cut North Field. A long-awaited addition to my Spurn list finally falls.  

  On the insect front I managed to record up to 10 species of Odonata on each day, which will help greatly when it comes to writing the report this year. The highlight were the Small Red-eyed Damselflies. Initially we could only find them distantly on Canal Scrape, their usual hangout, but we then subsequently found them in Sykes Field and a single on Clubleys Scrape, both new sites for the species. Emerald Damselflies were also in good numbers, and among the throngs of Common Darter it was possible to find the occasional Ruddy. I also did a full area count of Emperor Dragonflies and managed to get 45 adults flying around, a new area record by more than 10 insects. 

-Great Egret

-Common Lizard

-Ruddy Darter

-Emperor Dragonfly

-Emerald Damselfly

-Small Red-eyed Damselfly

Species List:
Spurn Bird Observatory: Greylag Goose, Mute Swan, Common Shelduck, Mallard, Red-legged Partridge, Common Pheasant, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Swift, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Eurasian Oystercatcher, European Golden Plover, Eurasian Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, Red Knot, Dunlin, Common Redshank, Little Gull, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Roseate Tern, Common Tern, Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Great Egret, Little Egret, Eurasian Spoonbill, Western Marsh Harrier, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Sedge Warbler, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Common House Martin, Common Chiffchaff, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Song Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Northern Wheatear, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Western Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Yellowhammer, Common Reed Bunting, Roe Deer, Brown Hare, Red Fox, Emerald Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Azure Damselfly, Common Blue-tailed Damselfly, Small Red-eyed Damselfly, Emperor Dragonfly, Four-spot Chaser, Black-tailed Skimmer, Ruddy Darter, Common Darter,

Soil Hill; Isolation week 13

Soil Hill has been slightly livelier this week than the last few weeks, cooler conditions followed by baking hot conditions with a dash of rain have helped boost the average species list for a daily visit to above forty on a number of occasions. Highlights are still thin on the ground but there were a few standouts from the week.

On the 20^th a Chiffchaff could be heard singing from Ogden plantation. While not actually on the Hill it could be heard from the Ned Hill Track and so it my second site recording of the year. On the same date I recorded the first Siskins of the week. However they featured more towards the end of the week, when I recorded singles on both the 25^th and 26^th followed 05.30 starts to try and cash in on the insane finch migration happening on the East Coast. Sadly, these two Siskins were all I have to show for my effort. On the subject of finches, a Lesser Redpoll flew over Taylor Lane during the morning of the 22^nd calling loudly and giving the full call. I had suspected a Redpoll was lingering around Soil Hill after hearing a bird twice, but only ever seeing it flying over at altitude. This time the bird was much lower in height and was giving a full rendition of its flight call. Also on the finch front, a single Bullfinch was at the bottom of the north slope, also on the 22^nd with a pair present in the same location the following day. On the 23^rd a new Blackcap took up territory half way down the North Slope Treeline, but sadly it had moved on by the 26^th. At least four of the six Stonechat fledglings were still going strong, feeding together at the bottom of the North Slope on the 25^th and 26^th. And finally a Common Buzzard flew over on the 22^nd.

The standout bird of the week was a cracking juvenile Great-spotted Woodpecker that came bombing over the North Slope on the 25^th. I managed to grab some flight shots, the first time I have seen on actually in Soil Hill airspace and the second time I have seen one from the site. Then, on the 26^th I found presumably the same bird in the North Slope Tree Line, calling loudly but occasionally showing. This brings my Soil Hill yearlist up to 92.

There was also a female Emperor Dragonfly during the week, my third Dragonfly species on site this year.

On the 21^st I headed out to Withens Clough Reservoir following a reported Red-necked Phalarope. Alas the bird could not be found, with suspicions the report may have involved a juvenile Black-headed Gull, which I also did not see. A few Stonechat and Little Ringed Plover were the best birds of the afternoon. On the way back I called off at Fly Flatts where there was two pairs of Tufted Ducks and a Ringed Plover to enjoy. And on the 26^th I visited Whiteholme Reservoir following a scattering of wader reports from inland sites. The best I could manage in this unseasonable time was a pair of Dunlin and a Ringed Plover. But it was very pleasant birding all the same. 

-Great-spotted Woodpecker

-Emperor Dragonfly

-Volucella bombylans

Species List:
Soil Hill: Canada Goose, Mallard, Red-legged Partridge, Common Pheasant, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Swift, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Northern Lapwing, Eurasian Curlew, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Grey Heron, Common Buzzard, Little Owl, Long-eared Owl, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Sedge Warbler, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Willow Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Eurasian Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, European Stonechat, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Common Reed Bunting, European Rabbit, European Red Fox, Western Roe Deer, Emperor Dragonfly, Azure Damselfly, Large Red Damselfly, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Meadow Brown, Small Heath, Common Blue,

Fly Flatts: Canada Goose, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Northern Lapwing, Common Ringed Plover, Eurasian Curlew, Common Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Kestrel, Meadow Pipit, Common Reed Bunting,
Whiteholme Reservoir: Canada Goose, Mallard, Common Swift, European Golden Plover, Common Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Eurasian Curlew, Dunlin, Common Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Skylark, Northern Wheatear, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Reed Bunting, Black-tailed Skimmer, Emperor Dragonfly, Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Small White, Large Skipper, 
Withens Clough Reservoir: Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Mallard, Common Swift, Little Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Western Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Barn Swallow, Willow Warbler, Eurasian Blackcap, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, European Stonechat, White Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting,

Spurn Week 4

Monday 04 July

The wind of the last of the few days dropped for the morning at least, resulting in still and quite muggy warm conditions. Passage was all but dead, although there were a few Sand Martins moving through. I am no longer on mornings, much to the relief of my weary body. Somehow I managed 12 hours kip the previous night.

The best of numpties were a pair of juvenile Great-spotted Woodpeckers that were flitting between the fence posts. As passage was dead I headed out to clubleys field late morning to try and find some Red-veined Darters. I managed to find one but its red veins were not overly pronounced, leaving me with a few doubts initially, although it clearly is. There were also multiple Emperor, Four-spot Chaser, Black-tailed Skimmer and Common Darter to enjoy.

-Great-spotted Woodpecker

-Red-veined Darter

-Emperor Dragonfly

In the afternoon I headed up to ponds. My shift now works with the high tide, allowing me to sift through the increasing numbers of waders, Tonight's count racked up; Dunlin 783, Redshank 78, Common Sandpiper 3, Knot 2, Greenshank 1 and Sanderling 1. The best birds were a group of 4 Common and 1 Arctic Tern that came through late evening.

Sightings List:

Numpties: Woodpigeon, Sandwich Tern, Common Scoter, Sand Martin, Swallow, House Martin, Swift, Black-headed Gull, Little Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Dunlin, Redshank, Curlew, Golden Plover, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Goldfinch, Linnet, Mallard, Gadwall, 

Beacon Ponds: Greenshank, Little Tern, Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Wigeon, Great-crested Grebe, Dunlin, Redshank, Lapwing, Avocet, Cormorant, Sand Martin, Little Egret, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Knot, Sandwich Tern, Common Sandpiper, Kittiwake, Sanderling, Common Scoter, Guillemot, Gannet, Teal, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Tern, Arctic Tern

Tuesday 05 July

Another nice day with no stupidly early morning. I was down at the seawatching hut early morning for a few hours. There were a few bits and pieces moving on the sea, including 3 Manx Shearwaters and a few duck. The highlight of the duck was a Pochard that went north, possibly a Spurn tick for me, but I will have to check.

On my way to ponds I got the highlight of my day when I spotted a massive Grass Snake cross the path and go into the gabions on the other side. I had only seen its tail and figured that would be that. That being until its head emerged from the top of the gabion and sat there for about 10 seconds before slithering back into the grass. It was about a meter long and thick as rope, I had no idea they got that big. Since I was hardly expecting it I did not manage any photos, but trust me it was awesome.

Wader numbers had picked up again on ponds, with Dunlin numbers not at 1216, over 1000 for the first time this autumn. Redshank numbers had taken a slight dip, but Whimbrel had picked up. The cracking Red Knot was still there, and there were a couple of Greenshank too.

-Dunlin

Sightings List:

Seawatching: Shoveler, Teal, Gadwall, Gannet, Red-throated Diver, Guillemot, Fulmar, Kittiwake, Sandwich Tern, Common Scoter, Curlew, Knot, Dunlin, Meadow Pipit, Puffin, Pochard, Manx Shearwater, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Little Tern, Woodpigeon, Magpie, 

Beacon Ponds: Dunlin, Oystercatcher, Whimbrel, Ringed Plover, Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Common Scoter, Curlew, Redshank, Wigeon, Mallard, Common Tern, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Grey Plover, Knot, Little Egret, Linnet, Greenshank, Sand Martin, Barn Owl, Reed Bunting, Common Sandpiper, Common Gull, 

Wednesday 06 July

The vis-migging in the morning was very limited. We ended up not watching any birds on the sea to pass the time, and wrapped up by eleven. Since it was a nice day I headed onto Clubleys scrape but was unable to find any dragonflies other than Black-tailed Skimmers. I did however spot another Ruby-tailed Wasp that I was able to get a couple of photos of, maybe a bit of an improvement on my prior efforts.

-Ruby-tailed Wasp

Up at the ponds it was a very familiar affair on the bird front, but I was treated to something really special whilst on long-bank. I heard the Mallard family in the ditch go absolutely berserk, and given that an Otter has been in the area I immediately wondered if that might be the cause. I was thrilled to see that it was indeed the cause, but my views were only fleeting and no photos. All I managed was the back end of the body and tail as it swam into the reeds, but given I'm only the fourth person to have seen the animal in over 3 weeks that it has been present I am not complaining. What a treat!

Sightings List:

Seawatching: Gannet, Common Scoter, Teal, Sand Martin, Mistle Thrush, Cormorant, Swallow, Arctic Tern, Curlew, Pied Wagtail, Whimbrel, Redshank, Dunlin, Little Tern, 

Beacon Ponds: Oystercatcher, Greenshank, Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Great-crested Grebe, Mallard, Ringed Plover, Reed Bunting, Carrion Crow, Redshank, Dunlin, Mute Swan, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Wigeon, Black-headed Gull, Pied Wagtail, Curlew, Common Snipe, 

Thursday 07th July

Numpties this morning finally had some real movement, with Swifts moving through all day. The final day total was 3480 but I had gone up to the ponds for the latter part of those numbers, I clocked out at around 2000. A handful of Sand Martin also went south, but not as many as previous days.

Up at the ponds the numbers of waders continued to increase. A lovely total of 780 Dunlin with a few additional species mixed in, including 117 Redshank, 9 Knot and one of each Godwit. Things looking up for wader passage.

-Swift

Sightings List:

Numpties: Swift, Swallow, Sand Martin, House Martin, Gannet, Dunlin, Redshank, Whimbrel, Curlew, Golden Plover, Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Little Egret, Cormorant, Knot, Oystercatcher, Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Arctic Tern, Carrion Crow, Sparrowhawk, Linnet, Goldfinch,

Beacon Ponds: Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Little Tern, Wigeon, Great-crested Grebe, Swift, Swallow, Cormorant, Mallard, Whimbrel, Curlew, Greylag Goose, Bar-tailed Godwit, Sanderling, Common Teal, Marsh Harrier, Sand Martin, Mediterranean Gull, Pied Wagtail, Mute Swan, Black-tailed Godwit, Knot, Common Tern, Lapwing, Redshank, Dunlin, Black-headed Gull, Greenshank,

Friday 08th July

A noticeably lighter Swift passage this morning, with only a steady trickle of birds moving. I gave swing netting a go with Paul to try and catch some but sadly I was far too inexperienced and kept swinging too early. That being said, we only really had a couple of birds to swing for, so its not like we missed out on much. Despite the slower stream, we managed to clock 1500 Swift and 1000 Sand Martin. Two Turnstone out over the sea were also nice.

Wader totals were slightly down at ponds, but it could be as I left the ponds before the high tide which was later in the evening. Still, a healthy count of 660 Dunlin with 60 Redshank and 4 Knot was not a bad count. A few wader continued moving back in as well, with 16 Whimbrel and 19 Black-tailed Godwit. 

-Swift

-Common Lizard

Sightings List:

Numpties: Swift, Swallow, Sand Martin, Knot, Turnstone, Cuckoo, Kestrel, Goldfinch, Dunlin, Little Egret, Starling, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Sandwich Tern, Little Tern, Goldfinch, House Martin, Linnet, Redshank, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Whimbrel, Curlew,

Beacon Ponds: Whimbrel, Black-tailed Godwit, Oystercatcher, Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Swift, Sand Martin, Swallow, Great-crested Grebe, Grey Heron, Skylark, Starling, Reed Bunting, Dunlin, Little Egret, Ringed Plover, Fulmar, Common Scoter, Greylag Goose, Redshank, Knot, Greenshank, 

Saturday 09th July

The Swift movement of the last few days really labored today, but still almost 1000 birds were reach by the end of the day, but that was over the entire day and I was only at numpties in the morning. There were a few Waders coming in though, especially Redshank landing on the Humber.

The ponds was very much the same, but now the tide times had changed such that I completely miss any birds coming in. However I did get a smashing compensation in the form of an adult Little-ringed Plover, my first adult and only second ever at Spurn. Cracking little thing, although always a bit distant unfortunately. A single Arctic Tern and Little Gull also added a nice bit of spice to a chilled out evening. 

-Little-ringed Plover

Sightings List:

Numpties: Swift, Swallow, House Martin, Sand Martin, Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Dunlin, Bar-tailed Godwit, Knot, Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Curlew, Whimbrel, Mallard, Common Scoter, Gannet, Sandwich Tern, Goldfinch, Linnet, 

Beacon Ponds: Swift, Sand Martin, Little Egret, Little Tern, Arctic Tern, Common Tern, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Cormorant, Gannet, Mute Swan, Avocet, Bar-tailed Godwit, Swallow, Redshank, Dunlin, Little-ringed Plover, Grey Heron, Yellow Wagtail, Little Gull, Greenshank, Knot,

Sunday 10th July

A rough night in the pub meant no presence from me at Numpties in the morning, the world was still spinning somewhat when I woke up at 10.00. I did manage to recover somewhat for my time at ponds, but sadly there was nothing really worth recovering for. It was a very quiet evening to say the least. The best of it probably two Grey Plover coming in off.

Sightings List:

Beacon Ponds: Swift, Sand Martin, Little Egret, Little Tern, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Cormorant, Gannet, Mute Swan, Avocet, Swallow, Redshank, Dunlin, Little-ringed Plover, Grey Heron, Yellow Wagtail, Little Gull, Grey Plover, Greenshank

Spurn Day 4 - LIFER ALERT

I managed to sleep in til 9.00, but awoke at 5 feeling completely awake. I guess that confirms that my sleeping pattern is screwed. However, I now had a full day ahead of me full of exploring and casual birding.

I decided to start with a little Seawatching as the weather was not exceptional. However, the sea was completely flat, no waves at all. I settled down to watch and see what would emerge. The highlight of my hour’s shift were 21 Common Scoter, which flew by in flocks of 10 and 11. The only other birds were the Gannets, but these were way out. It was a nice start to the day though, and the weather picked up during my stay.

Next I moved to join the small group of birders that was stationed near the seawatch hut. These were counting swifts and were made up of locals and regulars. Initially it was very daunting being among so many birders familiar with each other, but I got to speak to a couple as they started to drift. There were good numbers of Swift even while I was there, but the total for the day was already about 1000. The real buzz was regarding a certain bridled tern that was slowly progressing down the coast, and many were wondering if it would make it so far down to Spurn.

As the weather picked up, and I mean really picked up, I decided to head over to the ponds near the warren to see if there were any red-veined darters. The place was buzzing, with about 10 Black-Tailed Skimmers and 2 Emperor Dragonflies strutting their stuff along the pond. Another birder was also there looking, and we got chatting. He mentioned that there was another pond where there may be some, in Churchfields. We stuck around the warren pond though, and good thing too. I did find a darter, but I was unable to approach it very easily so was restricted to long range views and photos. However, it was very red, so I put it down as a Ruddy Darter and thought nothing much more of it.

However we now jump ahead in the story. I returned for lunch and filtered through my photos to see if there was anything funny about said dragonfly and also a couple of other things. I zoomed into my best photo and what do you know; Red Veins. However, the dragonfly lacked the blue eyes and had black legs. It was almost like someone had taken red-veined darter wings and stuck them onto a ruddy darter. Obviously the 2 ruddy features are more subjective to light than the very obvious red veins, but I was reluctant to call it.

That afternoon I spoke to Paul the warden and showed him the picture. He too was not confident with it, but we decided it was obviously an older insect as it had tatty wings. This supported the Red Veined school of thought as ruddys had only just started to emerge. This and the fact that it had a more red face (And Pauls opinion having seen them before) confirmed the dragonfly as my first ever Red-Veined Darter. 

-Red-Veined Darter

Unknowing this of course we continued to Chruchfields to see if we could find any there. Apparently four had been in the Heligoland trap the day before, but not today. We met Tim Jones there and he fished out 3 Ruddy Darters from the trap. There were also a few very fresh Ruddy Darters on the pond looking rather lovely. Add to that a couple of Emperors and Four Spot Chaser. But the lack of Red Veins made me wonder if I was actually going to get one. Tim said that they often get another influx, so it was likely more would appear.

  On my tour of Spurn the next stop was the Canalside walk. Along there was supposed to be a family of lesser whitethroat. Bob was already watching them, and said that he could hear them. Apparently numerous people had been past claiming these birds as Lessers. I heard the call and thought it was common whitethroat, but since so many had apparently claimed them as Lessers I assumed I was wrong, not knowing the call for a Lesser. As a result I claimed this as a great find for the day. However, I got home and checked just for good measure and they were indeed Common Whitethroat. The moral of the story kids is always trust your instinct and just because someone tells you something does not make it right. 

-Common Whitethroat

After lunch, having checked my photos, I decided to go to the pond and try to re-find the dragonfly to get some more photos to clear up my dilemma. It was around for about 5 mins, but the wind had picked up and it was chased off by a Black-Tailed Skimmer, so no answers were found at this point. I did grab some photos of the Black-Tailed Skimmers though, but they did not come out very well.

-Black-Tailed Skimmer

I decided to walk back up Canalside, have a look at Churchfields again and then come back down, doing ‘the triangle’. On the way up Canalside I picked up Reed and Sedge Warbler, as well as Reed Bunting. I am accumulating some great species for my trip here. However, it was another dragonfly that stole the show as I found an Emperor Dragonfly eating a Bumble bee of some description. Sadly it was not out in the open for a full body shot but I got some great close ups of the jaws. I got close enough to hear it crunching the bees carapace, but it was so loud that I did not have to be excessively close. 

-Emperor Dragonfly

Timing would have it that when I arrived at Churchfields it was raining so there were no dragonflies to be found anywhere. I continued along the road where there was an actual family of lesser whitethroats but did not find them. I did find a Blue Tit though, which was a much needed addition to my site list.

I headed back to the warren ponds but the wind had put all the dragonflies down, so nothing was happening there unfortunately. As a consequence I headed back to the Warren where I asked Paul about my dragonfly and had it confirmed as a Red-Veined Darter, my first. I decided to do some Seawatching but that did not last long, as after half an hour I had only managed one distant Gannet.

However, my time there was livened up when Paul brought a recently ringed Sand Martin juvenile to be released. It’s a different view of a bird when it’s in the hand and it was a real privilege to be able to see this young bird so close, and then watch it go on its journey south. 

I wandered back to the warren to work on this and to make dinner. During dinner Tim walked in and told me about a young Cuckoo that had perched on a post near the warren. I came out and had a look and it was still there. It had just been rung, so that was probably why it was sticking around, that and the fact that there were good numbers of cinnabar moth caterpillars in the area. It was lovely to see, and very docile so I could approach it and grab some photos. In the evening light the brownish plumage really shone, one of the best views I have ever had of Cuckoo.

-Juvenile Cuckoo

Thats the end of this post, but I'm on nights tonight which will be a new experience for me, so I will update this post tomorrow should anything happen during the night.

Nothing much happened in the night, as it was quite dark when I got there. I did however stumble across some Turnstones along the beach as I made my way to the hut, which were a nice addition to my daylist

Species List:

Seawatch: Swallow, Meadow Pipit, Gannet, Common Scoter, Sandwich Tern, Woodpigeon, Swift, Herring Gull, Oystercatcher, Common Gull, Linnet, Grey Seal, Meadow Brown, Large White,

Warren Ponds: Reed Bunting, Meadow Pipit, Swift, Swallow, Sand Martin, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Linnet, Skylark, Starling, Emperor Dragonfly, Black-Tailed Skimmer, Common Darter, Red-Veined Darter, Common Blue Damselfly, Common Blue-Tailed Damselfly, Common Emerald Damselfly, Meadow Brown, Large White, Small Heath, Gatekeeper, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral

Churchfields: Sparrowhawk, Woodpigeon, Ruddy Darter, Four-Spot Chaser, Emepror Dragonfly, Black-Tailed Skimmer, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Oak Eggar,

Canalside: Common Whitethroat, Swallow, Linnet, Magpie, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Mallard, Mute Swan, Whimbrel, Reed Bunting, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Blue Tit, Emperor Dragonfly, Small Skipper, Small White, Large White, 6-Spot Burnet Moth

Warren: Cuckoo, Woodpigeon, Meadow Pipit, Swallow, Swift, House Martin, Rabbit,

Swillington Ings

For my final birdwatching trip in Sheffield for this academic year I decided to head off to Swillington Ings for one final look. Obviously I can get here from home, but its far more work due to a change in Leeds. Yesterday there had been 5 black terns so I was hoping for similar today, as well as hobby and grasshopper warbler. I can say right now that none of these birds made an appearance today. Neither did Garden Warbler, though I must have heard about 10 different birds sing all around me at various points. There is little I have found more frustrating than hearing a bird but not being able to see it, so hearing them this many times and still not seeing one... well, words fall short.

On stuff that I did see; Swillington was quite quiet for its usually high levels bird wise, with me being unable to find anything major on the main lake. Obviously there was the usual which is all good stuff; Gadwall, Teal, Lapwing and Common Tern diving right in front of where I had set up. I also had good numbers of Whitethroat, Reed Bunting and Long-Tailed Tit on the bank.

On the insect front we were far more successful, picking up my first Banded Demoiselle of the year, and recording Brown Hawker again. The main species of dragonfly in the early stages of the walk were Black-Tailed Skimmer, that were resting on the path in many places.

-Black-Tailed Skimmer

I decided to miss out 'Gropper Corner' since it was dead last time. Continuing round I failed to pick up much birdwise but there continued to be a multitude of insects, including Red Admiral, Common Blue, Large Skipper, Speckled Wood, Ringlet, 4-Spot Chaser and my first Emperors of the year. One of the Emperors started ovipositing, but as I have seen before it was harassed by Common Blue Damselflies, which tried to nip the wings. This behavior is one of the most fascinating I have ever seen, so to see it again was a real treat.

-Emperor Dragonfly

I continued round to where the Gropper had been calling from previously, but no joy this time. There were other birds calling in the area however; Whitethroat, Reed Bunting, Skylark (Which I also got to watch have a rather spectacular dust bath), Meadow Pipit, Reed Warbler and Sedge Warbler. Continuing along the northern path I got incredibly views of the latter, when it came and moved around the tall plants surrounding the path. Initially when it landed I thought 'what a view' but then it came closer and even positioned itself, best view of a Sedge ever. I spoke to a local birder and he said that he thought it was one of this years young, explaining why it was so fearless. Said birder also had a knowledge of soil hill...

-Sedge Warbler

I made my way along the northern path and then turned down the eastern reedbed, hoping for some Black-Necked Grebes with chicks. They did not disappoint. At first I spotted only one bird, a well grown juvenile looking very similar to a winter plumaged bird. But then an adult surfaced right next to the path and proceeded to move behind the reeds and feed a small family that was there. The family then moved out from behind the reeds so I was able to get great views. I assume the bird I first saw was the male since the other bird, presumably the female had a chick on its back. There was an additional chick swimming along side the female, while the male kept on fishing and then feeding the chicks. It was a true joy to watch this, but it was too short as the birds moved off behind some reeds. 

- Black-Necked Grebes

After they swum off I decided to settle down on the bench near the main lake to observe comings and goings and see if anything turned up. It was also a chance to get a breather, the last few days had really taken it out of me and I had started to trudge rather than stride.

There was nothing much to add from my vigil on the side of the lake, but I got outstanding views of Common Tern as they moved over the path between the eastern reedbed and the main lake. One settled on the near shore of the main lake so I got a couple of shots of that particular individual, but did not really try with any of the others, content just to watch them. 

-Common Tern

I had intended to head back with time in hand to listen for some garden warblers and hopefully track at least one down, but they had all shut up when I arrived and failed to find any. I had also intended to stop off at Old Moor on the way back to see if I could get barn owl, but I was such a tired, sweaty mess, that I decided to go home and get some food and water.

So that ended my final Swilly visit from the Stevenson Base. Alas that first year is already over, but looking to the future I now have experience getting to all the sites I should need and am looking forward to second year.

Species List:

Swillington Ings: Starling, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Black-Headed Gull, Mallard, Mute Swan, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Goosander, Pied Wagtail, Grey Heron, Kestrel, Lapwing, Long-Tailed Tit, Cormorant, Tufted Duck, Moorhen, Coot, Great-Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Meadow Pipit, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Common Teal, Pochard, Redshank, Gadwall, Reed Bunting, Oystercatcher, Skylark, House Martin, Sand Martin, Swallow, Canada Goose, Graylag Goose, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Black-Necked Grebe, Common Tern, Whitethroat, Swift, Banded Demoiselle, Common Blue Damselfly, Common Blue-Tailed Damselfly, Large Red Damselfly, Brown Hawker, Emperor Dragonfly, Common Darter, Four Spot Chaser, Black-Tailed Skimmer, Large Skipper, Small White, Large White, Common Blue, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, 

Dorset Holiday-Day 10: Higher Hyde Heath

So today was our last day in Dorset, we moved on to Fareham today so it was farewell to all the heathland. The day started well as I found more unusual moths on the toilet block. This time it was Pebble Hooktip, a first for me, and a Large Emerald. As usual, I hoped that this would be a good omen for the day

-Pebble Hooktip Moth

-Large Emerald Moth

Today my family was going to Bovington Tank Museum, while I wandered over to Higher Hyde Heath, the last reserve I had flagged up. It was some walk to get to the reserve from where I was dropped off since we could not really go up to the reserve to go back with the caravan on the back.

On the way there the heat really started and I considered giving up. I did see a few things on my walk Common Emerald Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly and Large Skipper. There were also some Large very orange fritilaries, none of which would land for a photo. The only other things I found were 6 Spot Burnet Moths, which had been in abundance through the whole holiday.

-Large Skipper

I turned down the road the reserve was meant to be on and there I found some drainage ditches along the side of the road. In these there were 2 Keeled Skimmers hunting, so I decided to take some photos since they decided to perch very conveniently. 

-Keeled Skimmer

And just up from the pool there was some ragwort, with some Cinnabar Moth Caterpillars on it, which were my first of the holiday.

-Cinnabar Moth Caterpillars

I was beginning to doubt if this reserve I was looking for actually existed, as all the entrances on my OS map seemed to have vanished or not existed. Even more worrying was the sound of gunshots that kept coming from where the reserve was meant to be.

My doubts were laid to rest when I found an entrance stile to the reserve, only on it there was a notice saying that the reserve was only open on Mondays, and the rest of the time it was owned by the shooting club. I diddnt really know what to make of this, but decided to plow on and see if the reserve section on the other side of the golf club road I had not yet reached was accessible.

At the stile though I noticed some bracken in front of me which had drawn the attention of some oddly flying insects which when they landed turned out to be rather striking beetles. A little bit of book looking in when I got back and it turns out that these are Strangalia Maculata. Whatever they are they are very striking.

-Strangalia Maculata

I continued to make my way down to the golf club road, and along the road I continued to encounter the large orange fritiliaries, but they continued to not land. 

I made my way along to the golf course road and there found that I could access the reserve, but that there was a lack of a definite footpath. I made my way across the heath away from the shooting club. I wont write it all down here as it turned out to be a pretty pointless section of walk. I flushed a few Common Lizards, but never long enough for a photo. I also flushed a Sika Deer, and on the dried up remains of ponds there were Black Tailed Skimmers, Keeled Skimmers and Common Blue Damselflies. The most notable part of this section was that I found a Brown Hawker hunting near the woods at the top, which was my first of the holiday and meant I reached my target of 20 dragonfly and damselfly species.

However, the lack of path turned into a problem as I kept falling into old stream beds which had become overgrown, and in the heat this was very annoying, so I only spent around an hour there before deciding to go back to the tank museum and endure what I would.

On my way back via the road though, I found the entrance to the reserve, which I passed before without noticing. Feeling very relieved I wandered down and was delighted to find that the reserve even had its own notice board, which had a map, which showed a much smaller reserve than my OS map had led me to believe, but it did have a hide. 

Therefore, since it was nearly lunch time that's the way I headed. My reserve walk started well as in a big tree above me after I had started I spotted a Nuthatch, my first of the holiday. The distance to the hide was short and so not a lot happened on the way. There was a Golden Ringed Dragonfly hunting the path on the way down but more significantly perhaps, there were some Ruddy Darters perched next to the path, a species I don't often see.

-Ruddy Darter

I settled down in the hide to have lunch. It looked out over a small pond where there were loads of dragonflies, but all too far away for identification. I had been in there about 10mins when I heard voices outside and two other people walked in. During the whole week these were the only people I had seen also birding. One was a fireman who was surveying the heaths due to the dry, hot weather and the obvious vulnerability of the heaths. The other was the reserve warden, so I asked him about the fritilaries. He said that they were likely to be Silver Washed Fritilaries since it was about the time for them to come out. He said that the best I had to see one landed would be down at the bottom in the woodland.

The fireman then commented on the heat and said that he was going outside to take some heat readings on the decking next to the hide. When he came back in he said that there was a large sand lizard sunning itself on the decking, so I went outside to see if I could see it. The warden said I should wait 5 mins if he was not there when I got out because he soon would return. I went out and spotted the lizard resting under the decking. I waited for some time without taking a picture but he did not seem keen to come out. I knelt down to look under since so far all I had got was an excellent view of a Sand Lizard's bum. I did see its face when I knelt down, but then he moved his head so I couldn't see it any more. Therefore, I took some snaps of what I could see, but the camera click disturbed it and he dissapeared under the decking. 

-Sand Lizard

After that I went down to where the warden had said I should go to see the fritilaries. I headed down that way-towards the ponds of the reserve which were under woods and so there was very little light there, but in the clearings he said they might be. He was right, but once more they were but they were reluctant to land and so I was unable to get some photos. However, they were not the only wildlife down that end of the reserve. I was walking through the woods when a dark darter sized dragonfly flew at me. It was the eyes that got me again and I knew instantly that it was a Downy Emerald but at the same time it vanished into the woods and I did not catch up with it again. I headed back up to the open space where the hide was to see if I could have any more fritilary luck up there. 

Once there I noticed that there were some metal plates laid down for reptiles, so I had a look. It was unfortunate that I could not flip the tins over as I had done before because of the growth over them. When I flipped the first one I found up there were two Slow Worms under it, but I could not flip up the tin and so I could not really get the photos I wanted. I made a fist of it though and got a few nice record shots.

-Slow Worm

I checked the other tins and doubled back on myself to find more. I found about 7, but only one other had anything under it, and that was also a Slow Worm. I did however, had the same problem as what I had done before with not being able to flip up the tin. 

-Slow Worm

Since I had moved back to where the hide was I was once more in the hunting region of the Golden Ringed Dragonfly and I saw it land on a random pillar in the middle of the road. Once more I found that it was to flighty for me to get close enough for a real photo, but I did get a site record shot.

-Golden Ringed Dragonfly

I headed off down the path that I had been going down where the tins had been and found myself in a large tarmaced space where birch trees and shrubs had pushed through the cracks in the tarmac, creating a very odd habitat. There were more tins here but none had anything under them. 

The area was odd, and there was plenty of Budlia, but no fritilaries. There was however an Emperor Dragonfly hunting the area and it was keen to land so I could actually take some emperor photos which did not involve it ovipositing.

-Emperor Dragonfly

I followed the path down from the tarmaced area and it led onto the proper heath. This section of the reserve did not really excel, as the only thing I saw was a Comma Butterfly, though it did perch rather conveniently 

-Comma Butterfly

The final section of the heath before I re-entered the proper reserve at the woodland bit was more boggy and here I found some Black Tailed Skimmers here, though that was about all. 

Back in the woodland area I had another quick look to see if there were any Silver Washed Fritilary, and was on my way back up when in a clearing I spotted one that was landing, though it was landing some way from the path. I spent around half an hour watching and trying to photograph this butterfly though my final efforts left a lot to be desired. 

They are an impressive butterfly and no mistake, the second largest wild butterfly I have ever seen after swallowtail. It flew quite close to me as well but never chose to land close, except on on occasion, where it landed on the top side of a leaf and I was on the bottom side of it...

-Silver Washed Fritilary

I would have liked to have stayed longer here, to see if the butterfly would land closer, but decided it was probably about the time I should be setting off back to the tank museum, since I had told my parents to give me half and hour and the actual walk too an hour and a half.

I left my final site in Dorset feeling very good, but it was not over yet as on the walk along the side of the road I spotted another Silver Washed Fritilary on a bramble bush by the side of the road, and this one was a bit more photogenic, though a a passing car disturbed it before I had really got going and so I only got a few photos. 

-Silver Washed Fritilary

I made my way to the tank museum absolutely exhausted. The only other thing I had seen on my walk were some Bonobos at the monkey world zoo.

The journey to the new campsite was very hot, but that's about all I can remember. The new campsite was one we have been to once before, and no need to be reminded of that since its the only time I have seen a nightjar. So even though we had only just arrived my dad and I set off to look for nightjars where we had seen it before. We had no luck and we only heard distant churring, but the warden has told us of a better site, so hopefully we will get them before the end.