Soil Hill & Whiteholme; Week 30th August - 06th September

Soil Hill

The week started nicely with a typically seasonal scattering of Willow Warblers, Wheatears and the last few Whitethroats still lingering in the scrub. But even on the 31^st there were signs of change as I had my first Chiffchaff of the autumn. By the end of the week I could only manage to find a single Willow Warbler but managed six Chiffchaff. Autumn is already moving on rapidly. Among these commoner migrants there were a few other bits around. Surprisingly on the 1^st, and then subsequently on the 2^nd I flushed a Sedge Warbler at the bottom of the North Slope. There is a good chance this is one of the birds from the end of August, as the two Grasshopper Warblers had also lingered until at the least the 2^nd, but they could all have been new arrivals. On the 2^nd there was also an additional Grasshopper Warbler on the summit, which I flushed from the long grass. In my attempts to refind the bird I spotted its head emerging from the grass right in front of me giving me the eyes before it scuttled off to be left in peace. On the 4^th there were two juvenile Bullfinch on Ned Hill Track, presumably the survivors of the three that were there in August. On the 5^th a Whinchat was travelling along the dry stone walls at the bottom of the North Slope, but was always very distant. And finally on the 6^th I added to the weeks migrant total with a single Blackcap and a very fine Spotted Flycatcher.

At the end of the week the wind finally turned SW and as such there was a little bit of passage to enjoy. I managed 129 Swallows heading south on the 6^th, as well as a single Sand Martin and four House Martins. There were a few Grey Wagtails passing over throughout the week, and Pied Wagtails also began to pick up again. On a couple of days, I spotted Jays flying around as well, although always distant as they pass between fragments of woodland. Snipe numbers increased dramatically with a flock of 8 flying around on the 4^th. Who knows the true number, as many appeared to fly off towards the moors without returning! There was also a juvenile Curlew on the bottom field on the 31^st, with another heard calling on the 6^th. Presumably these are the last few birds heading off to the coast for winter. 

-Common Chiffchaff

-Spotted Flycatcher

-Common Snipe

-Vapourer caterpillar

Whiteholme Reservoir

I did visit Whiteholme a couple of times but there was precious little to report. On the 6^th there were a few birds but 10 Teal and a patch tick of two Goldfinch were the best I could muster. The female Goldeneye also remained in situ throughout the week.  

Species List:
Soil Hill: Canada Goose, Mallard, Common Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Curlew, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Jay, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Sedge Warbler, Common Grasshopper Warbler, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Common House Martin, Willow Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Eurasian Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Common Blackbird, Spotted Flycatcher, European Robin, Whinchat, Northern Wheatear, Dunnock, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Tree Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting,
Whiteholme Reservoir: Eurasian Teal, Common Goldeneye, Common Kestrel, Carrion Crow, Northern Raven, Northern Wheatear, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, European Goldfinch, 

Dorset Holiday Day 6

It was meant to be another pleasant day, though cool in the morning, but the wind had picked up again and this was the issue of the day. I slept in after an exhausting day yesterday, so the number of moths was quite low again, with a female four-spot footman being the main highlight.

Since the weather was still reasonably unsuitable for insects I decided to go to RSPB Arne where there was a chance of some birds, as well as some insects. As soon as I arrived I was treated to a rummage through the onsite moth trap. The highlight was an Elephant Hawkmoth, but it was in too much of an inconvenient position to photograph. Other goodies were a plenty though, including 3 footman species and some other nice specimens. 

 -Rosy Footman

-True Lovers Knot

 As I arrived I immediately heard a nightjar churring, which filled me with hope of possibly finding a day churrer. However, that did not occur, which was only a mild disappointment, as there were plenty of other nice birds on site. Of course, the Middlebere channel Spoonbills were a must see. They spent a lot of time sleeping and were distant, but woke up occasionally allowing me to appreciate that bill. Whilst watching them it was lovely to see large families of Shelduck and a flock of Black-tailed Godwits in the saltmarsh. Other none coastal birds included a nice hobby hunting over the heath, which was also distant and all too brief, and a Siskin on the feeders in the car park .While they have hardly been in short supply it was nice to be able to see one properly as opposed to a calling black speck.

-Siskin

 -Spoonbill

-Hobby

 Perhaps the most curious and fantastic addition to the bird day list was a stunning male Peacock strutting around the car park, picking off the cinnabar moth caterpillars from the ragwort along the edge. Apparently it was quite a show-off but sadly did not perform while I was there.

-Peacock

 Despite the wind there were still a few insects around, the best of them being from the Lepidoptera. Across the heathland paths I stumbled across two Emperor Moth caterpillars trying to cross the path, which allowed me to take some photos of these stunning caterpillars. Also on that note, today I saw my first ever Clearwing Moth, a female Yellow Legged Clearwing to be precise, which is apparently nationally scarce. Not a bad one to get myself started with on the clearwing moths.

-Emperor Moth Caterpillar

-Yellow-Legged Clearwing Moth

 Of course the speciality of Arne is Britain’s largest spider, the raft spider, but sadly none would perform for me today. I did however spot a rather nice Nursery Web Spider, which I opted to take some photos of. I also grabbed some photos of a very obliging Common Lizard which was basking adjacent to the pool. I flushed it initially, but by waiting it did not take long for it to come back.

-Nursery Web Spider

-Common Lizard

I left Arne at around half 4, after a very productive day. In the evening we went into Weymouth for a walk alongside the quay and to have some fish and chips. No meds this time, but I was able to hand feed some of the adult Herring Gulls with my chips, which was something of a novelty.

Species List:

Arne RSPB: Grey Heron, Siskin, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Swift, Meadow Pipit, Spoonbill, Little Egret, Shelduck, Black-Headed Gull, Canada Goose, Graylag Goose, Oystercatcher, Black-Tailed Godwit, Dartford Warbler, Common Buzzard, Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Curlew, Cormorant, Redshank, Swallow, Great Black-Backed Gull, Starling, Blackcap, Wren, Willow Warbler, Hobby, Stonechat, Green Woodpecker, Common Lizard, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Comma, Painted Lady, Small Red Damselfly, Emperor Dragonfly, Four Spot Chaser, 

Peak District Field Course

Day 1
For the first day we headed out to Burbage edge to do a 'plant survey' of a recently felled plantation. Of course there were a few birds about, including a couple of Peregrines blogging around the cliff and a good number of singing Siskins along the edge of the remaining plantation. The real bonus for the day was a Merlin that flew past the coach as we were pulling up. When I first spotted it I thought it was a swift, but it soon became clear it was a small falcon, which could only mean one thing. Merlin is my 192 species this year.

Species List:
Burbage Edge: Merlin, Kestrel, Peregrine, Siskin, Robin, Grey Wagtail, Great-Spotted Woodpecker, Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Reed Bunting,

Day 2
Another day out in the field, but this time looking specifically at Insects around the Padley Moor and Surprise View area of the Longshaw Estate, and area I am very familiar with. Sadly we did not get to explore the actual moor where the birds are, but we did get plenty of nice things down in the quarry and around the car park. Sadly we had to kill a number of the insects we found for our assessed collections, which was a real shame (though not the big dragonflies and moths), as many casualties were Green Tiger Beetles, which are my favorites.

-Golden-Bloomed Grey Longhorn Beetle

-Stick Caterpillar

-Freshly Emerged Common Hawker

-Oak Eggar (Sadly did not sit still for a photo)

Species List:

Lawrencefield Quarry and Surprise View: Jackdaw, Meadow Pipit, Long-Tailed Tit, Common Buzzard, 

Day 3

Today we started our personal group projects, and my group worked on the Moor itself, so I could sit and watch the birds that I am used to on moors. One of the lads in my group had not seen cuckoo before and I was quite keen to find one for him, as they are pretty frequent on the moor here. Sadly, despite it calling frequently, I was not able to pick it up. I did get a lovely male Whinchat, and a few Stonechats, including a juvenile. It was difficult to try and remain focused on our assessment whilst trying to get stuff seen.

Species List:

Padley Moor: Kestrel, Common Buzzard, Meadow Pipit, Linnet, Carrion Crow, Whinchat, Stonechat, 

Day 4

While we crammed to finish off collecting the data for the project I got a few birds in, namely the Cuckoo finally gave us a flyby. Though breif it was decent, and more than enough to tell what it was. It landed in a tree further down the moor, before it took off again and entered the wood at the bottom. The Whinchat was still showing and singing, and one of the guys in the group picked out a Green Woodpecker flying down the moor, which was pretty nice to see.

Species List:
Padley Moor: Cuckoo, Green Woodpecker, Whinchat, Meadow Pipit, Siskin, Stonechat,

Soil Hill

Not been much going on recently as I have been mainly birding Soil Hill, where there tend not to be many birds. However, there was a little bit today so I may as well do a round up of the last few days.

Nothing happened yesterday, though I bumped into Nigel up there and we had a chat about the remarkable lack of wheatears up on the hill. Was there anything else up there? Nope! Just the usual suspects, though there was a reasonable fall of Mipits and Skylarks, better than any of my previous visit.

Species List:

Soil Hill: Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Lapwing, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Grey Heron, Kestrel

Today was much better, probably as a result of the weather, which was very warm. Still no wheatears but plenty of Mipits and Skylarks and other usual suspects. I had hoped to maybe pick up an osprey moving but no joy. However I did pick up a raptor moving over Ovenden moor. It was soaring and appeared to have broad, rounded wings with a short, rounded tail. Sadly the haze meant I could get nothing much on it, but on profile and giss I put it down as a Buzzard, which is a patch tick for me (Somehow).

Also, on the way up I spotted my first caterpillar of the year though I seem to recall this species (whatever it is) that I have seen it before in November, so I am familiar with this species in odd seasons.

-Caterpillar

Species List:

Soil Hill: Sparrowhawk, Curlew, Lapwing, Meadow Pipit, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Common Buzzard, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Skylark, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, 

We also had a fantastic day in the garden with the warm weather. We must have had about 15 frogs in the pond, and they spent all day singing. I took a few shots but not as many as usual. We have no frogspawn yet but it shouldn't be long, that's for certain.

-Common Frog

While waiting for dinner I set up the scope in the back yard on the decking and scanned the horizon for stuff. I picked up a Grey Heron flying over the hills, as well as a descending Skylark, which is a garden tick technically. There remained Mipits flying overhead, which has been a regular feature of the recent time at home.

In the evening when I was outside I heard the local Little Owl calling. I decided to get up my new scope and see if I could find it. I spent a while looking before I picked it up in a tree on the far hillside. The scope more than rose up to the challenge, though the view was not exceptional I did manage to get a very poor record shot. Still, its great to have seen it again, since its always around and I have only ever seen it twice before. Fantastic!!

-Little Owl

So its been a pretty good day, and have got some really nice birds to show for it...

Species List:

Garden: Grey Heron, Little Owl, Chaffinch, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Woodpigeon, Blue Tit, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, 

Spurn Day 17

Last time on the dayshift for a week now. Once more it began in fog, so I took a power nap. I was awoken to the radio, the message of which I thought said something about ‘spotted redshank’ and ‘tern hut’, so I had a look. I later discovered this was not the case, but in looking I re-found the Curlew Sandpiper that’s been around, milling about with the Dunlins.

It turned into another really warm day, which I had been dreading given that it was a weekend in the school holidays. It was a quiet day though thank goodness. Nobody really bothered the terns, and there was nothing exceptional on the bird front. The highlights were a Yellow-Legged Gull on the beach, and a Yellow Wagtail that dropped in around lunchtime, the first time I have seen one on the ponds.

In the evening I had a bit more stuff. I had to take my laundry up to Kew, so decided to go via Canalside. There was a sea fret in, but that meant any birds would not see me. The first birds I saw were a flock of Shelduck that were over the Humber. They looked really mysterious in the fog, but since I had nothing else photographed all day I decided to grab a few pics.

-Shelduck

The tide was still quite high, and as a result there were good numbers of waders along the shoreline. I got really good views of Whimbrel along the bank, as well as views of Redshank and Dunlin.

-Whimbrel

-Whimbrel, Redshank and Dunlin

And that was about it Birdwise. There was one other item of interest, and a lifer for me, in that near the top of Canalside I found a Puss Moth Caterpillar. Sadly it had been trodden on and its guts were spilled out, but it was still alive, just in a less than magnificent state. It’s the first time I have seen this species of caterpillar, and they are just as weird as they look in the books.

-Puss Moth Caterpillar

The Daily Oystercatcher

Pretty standard day for the Oyks today, much feeding and wing stretching. By the looks of it, it won’t be long until they can fly, and then will be free from the necessary protection that they get as a side effect of the tern project. It’s the last time I will see them properly for a good while now, given that I’m back on nights. By the time I get back to days they will probably be ready to roll.

Species List:

Beacon Ponds: Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Redshank, Curlew Sandpiper, Knot, Common Tern, Black-Headed Gull, Sanderling, Woodpigeon, Marsh Harrier, Little Gull, Swallow, Little Egret, Meadow Pipit, Carrion Crow, Yellow-Legged Gull, Yellow Wagtail, Gannet, Kestrel, Sedge Warbler, Feral Pigeon, Blackbird, Linnet, Grey Plover,

Canalside: Whimbrel, Redshank, Dunlin, Shelduck, Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat, Common Gull, Black-Headed Gull, Puss Moth Caterpillar

Kinder Scout

Today is my last full day in Sheffield prior to my homecoming. Its sad to say the least. Since 'Le tour' was causing chaos on the roads of Yorkshire, I decided to venture into the peaks a final time, and climb Kinder Scout again. The day started with grim rain, but by the time I arrived in Edale the sun was breaking through and it had the look of a nice day.

I made my way through the small village, and on the way found a delightful family of 4 Pied Wagtails, one adult and 3 juveniles. They came quite close to me as I watched them from over the wall, so I was able to get some decent photos of them. The juveniles were hunting insects with the exception of one individual that was more interested in harassing its parent.

-Pied Wagtail

I climbed the hill making it up the top slower than last time, but still fairly quickly. The only birds I saw were Meadow Pipits, and one Kestrel. On the whole I had not expected many birds, and so it was surprise when they were in short supply.

There were a few more insects, including Small Heath and Meadow Brown on the butterfly front. The real noteworthy beast from the top was this caterpillar which I found crossing the path. For a caterpillar it was quite a monster. Sadly I had the wrong lens, but I did the best with what I could and the results are not bad. So far as I can tell, this is an Oak Eggar caterpillar, but don't hold me to that.

-Oak Eggar Caterpillar

I carried on round and came to the region where I had seen the hares previously. Sadly I failed to find any today, and the moor was very quiet. There were quite a few Meadow Pipits, also a couple of Swifts and a solitary Red Grouse.

Back on the edge of the peak the sun decided to come out and with it came one of my favourite animals, the Green Tiger Beetle. Again I lacked the lens for a good photo, but they were not very approachable, flying away if you got anywhere close. There were at least 3 in this area, but it was difficult to tell due to the flighty nature of the beetles.

-Green Tiger Beetle

Continuing round I found more of the caterpillars, with 3 in one area. These were on a more natural background than the one previously, so I tried again to grab some photos but it was difficult given the nature of the lens I had. 

-Oak Eggar Caterpillar

I finished the walk with little more wildlife. There were a couple more butterfly species with Small Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral added, but there were no additional birds and no more beetles were found.

But with a walk like this it is hardly about the wildlife and more about the scenery and stunning views. Having done it before I knew just how good the views were, but I had not brought the camera last time. This time I came prepared, hence the lack of the macro lens. As a result I was able to photograph the stunning views. Due to the bright nature of the clear sky, many of the photos were quite dark. But those that came out Ok I have included just to show how simply stunning a walk it really is.

-Kinder Scout Views

So not much wildlife, and no hares, but an incredible walk none the less. Sadly the wind and the clouds made it less pleasant that it had been before, the wind being a real issue in places. However, it was still a lovely morning, and a great way to spend my last day in Sheffield.

Species List:

Kinder Scout: Kestrel, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Red Grouse, Swift, Swallow, Blackbird, House Sparrow, Carrion Crow, Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Oak Eggar Caterpillar, Green Tiger Beetle

Potteric Carr twitching Spotted Sandpiper

Yesterday at approximately 9.45 in the morning an adult summer plumage Spotted Sandpiper was found at Potteric Carr. Pretty special to say the least, but due to it being a Sunday and revision I decided not to go for it there and then, but to go after my 9.00 lecture on Monday.
I arrived at around 11 to the heartbreaking news that the bird had not been seen that morning, and since the reserve had opened early specially it seemed that the bird had cleared off, just my luck. I made my way straight to the main marsh to see what was around, on the way I encountered Song Thrush, a cuckoo calling but not seen and a Brimstone Butterfly looking lovely in what was glorious sunshine.
I arrived first at the hide where the  BNG's had been last time, but there was very little around today, a Whitethroat singing very visibly was probably the highlight. I made my way round the hide, not encountering an excessive amount but still plenty of nice things.
All the way round I had been surrounded by Damselflies, of the Common Blue, Common Blue-Tailed and Large Red varieties. However, south of the viewing screen there was a ditch and it was here that I encountered my first Dragonflies of the year in the form of a pair of Four-Spot Chasers. I tried to grab some photos but was unsuccessful.
The first hide where there was much of note was 'Roger Mitchell Hide'. Right outside the hide there were 4 lapwings and a flock of starlings feeding, so I was able to grab some pretty decent photos for the day, in case I encountered naught else.

-Lapwing

But there was else, as I checked the island in the middle of the lake I observed a wader on the end that I was not confident was a redshank, at which it initially appeared. I grabbed some photos but the bird was too far off for a clear diagnosis, however my hunch told me that it was almost certainly a Greenshank. Sadly though the bird flew off while I was not looking, leaving me with a few photos on which to base my analysis. 

I need not have worried as in the next hide, 'West Scrape Hide' there were two stunning Greenshanks feeding right in front of the hide. Almost certainly the same one that I had seen on the other marsh. They were happy feeding, back on forth in front of the hide. I managed to pick up some great shots of this species which I am not overly familiar with. However, the true significance of this find is that it is my 150th species this year. So that made up for the lack of Spot Sand, the big 150...

-Greenshank

After a while the Greenshank took off and landed on the far side of the lake, where they were difficult to see. I began looking round for other birds and spotted 3 redshank, a pair of shellduck and no less than 8 Ringed Plovers, a pair of which were sat right in front of the hide. Where the other 6 birds thought it would be a good idea to join them on the near island I got to watch a very territorial display from the original birds which was very nice to see. 

-Ringed Plover

West Scrape was where the spot sand was meant to be incidentally, but it was distinctly lacking in such species. After a while I decided to move on, as work would be waiting for me when I returned. I called in at 'Piper Marsh Hide' where the kingfishers were meant to be last time. And this time they were there, or at least one was, but it was some way off. Through the bins I got pretty decent views but the bird was very mobile, flying into trees and reeds so it was not often that it showed well except when it was in flight.

-Kingfisher

On the way out from the hide I spotted a very large and subtly colourful caterpillar on the path. I have done some research and reckon this is a Drinker Moth Caterpillar but I stand to be corrected should I be incorrect.

-Drinker Moth Caterpillar

 On the way round the 'Black Carr Field' I found one of the nicest surprises of the day when I spotted my first Long-Tailed Tit fledglings, or certainly the first I can ever remember seeing. Sadly I had to look up to it, but I was able to watch it being fed by the adult, but I did still get a pretty decent view so that I could see the brown face mask.

-Long-Tailed Tit fledgling

I decided to take a longer way round back to the entrance in case I could find a cuckoo. I could not, but did find Grey Heron and a very large Dragonfly Exuvia, of what I can't begin to imagine as there was no dragonfly species that large that emerge this early in the year. I would assume it was probably an early emerging emperor.

And thats that then. No Spot Sand but I managed to find my 150th species so I'm pleased. And the weather was good, and I was bitten and stung and covered in cobwebs and just generally beaten by nature, and the train copped it on the way home, but that's pretty standard really.

--150 SPECIES--

Species List:

Potteric Carr: Jackdaw, Dunnock, Great Tit, Black-Headed Gull, Jay, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Canada Goose, Moorhen, Wren, Shelduck, Song Thrush, Swift, Coot, Tufted Duck, Mute Swan, Gadwall, Whitethroat, Mallard, Pochard, Willow Warbler, Great-Crested Grebe, Woodpigeon, Lapwing, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Graylag Goose, Reed Bunting, Oystercatcher, Magpie, Starling, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Cormorant, Greenshank, Shoveler, Redshank, Ringed Plover, Common Buzzard, Sand Martin, Chiff-Chaff, Kingfisher, Collard Dove, Long-Tailed Tit, Robin, Grey Heron, Blue Tit, Blackcap 

None Birds: Speckled Wood, Brimstone, Large White, Small White, Red Admiral, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Orange Tip, Common Blue Tailed Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Large Red Damselfly, Four-Spot Chaser