Butterflies and a nice surprise

The sunny weather on Sunday prompted me to take a stroll round looking for Butterflies. There were lots of Peacocks, Large White and Green-veined Whites on the wing. I also managed Comma, Small Copper, Speckled Wood, Small Tortoiseshell and a few Gatekeepers.

Peacock

Small Tortoiseshell

Gatekeeper

The nice surprise was waiting at WHP when I got back to the van with three Green Sandpipers feeding on the expose mud, this is the largest number I have seen grounded in the BM area. There was also a nice selection of Sedge, Reed and Willow Warblers here and the Coot and Moorhen families have turned into rowdy teenagers causing havoc scrapping and chasing each other about.

Juv Moorhen

Green Sandpiper

BONJOUR

A fine morning with overcast skies and no wind were conducive to some ringing at Bishop Monkton. On the first net round a very pleasant surprise was a Sedge Warbler wearing a french ring. Hopefully if I live to be 117 I might find out when and where it was ringed.

The Ring

The bird

Mid week Moffing and the odd Bird

A day off today allowed for some mid week Moff action, to be honest I wished I had stayed in bed. There was a few nice ones, but numbers and species were disappointing. Best were Old Lady and the fist Sallow of the Autumn.

Sallow

Old Lady

Only 41 moth species as the temperature dropped away quite a lot with clear skies. Very few new birds in the nets undoubtedly the best was the first Grasshopper Warbler of the Autumn.

Grasshopper Warbler

The most interesting thing today in my mind was an invasion of hoverflies, there was 100s if not 1000s about. They were on every flower, I have no idea as to identity so if anyone actually reads this and knows, please let me know.

Just a few of the Hoverflies

Thankyou

Its pouring down and theres no chance of any Swallows or Martins at Wetherhills pond tonight, I must thank Dave Watkins for the super picture of the pond he sent through tonight, it now my banner picture.

Lapwings over the pond

Salthome Double Whammy

A page mid morning alerted me to a Juvenile Whiskered Tern at Salthome on TeesSide so after work a quick trip home for the camera and bins and off northwards. About 10 mins out the pager went again and a bonus bird had shown up in the guise of a White-rumped Sandpiper which rather conveniently was stood right next to the Whiskered Tern when I arrived, two year ticks in the same scope view, what an evening.

As Kes had tollerated sitting in the car for quite some time we went onto the North Gare where one of us chased a stick and had a swim, whilst the other did some tern watching, which paid off as mixed in with several Common, Sandwich and a few Arctic was a nice adult Roseate. Unfortunately the Terns and the Sandpiper were too far off to get a picture but happily a fine Merlin sat on the fence near the car when we returned to it was more obliging.

Thats me upto 234 for the year now, waiting for an update from ticker.

Better late than never

In early july I was lucky enough to be invited to join a trip round the Western Isles surveying and ringing White-tailed Eagles, what a fantastic experience, I can report without giving too much away that the birds are doing quite well and there are a good number of birds breeding this year.

Mother

The Kids

I took along my moth trap and ran it from the cottage where we were staying, several "Northern Specialities" were, the most impressive in my book was the Saxon which was a new species for me.

The Hedge

Hi, upto a couple of weeks ago I was getting some friendly joshing from my neighbours as to when I was going to cut my rather unkempt privet hedge at the front of my house. My answer to them was that I was waiting for it to put on a show. Well its now in full bloom and is litteraly buzzing, its covered in a wonderfull array of insects from the huge bumble bees to the tinyist beetles and butterflies. Those same neighbours are now commenting how wonderfull it looks, sounds and smells, I personally think its a valuable lesson for us today in this world of obsessive tidyness.