Yorkshire's coast and moors

 The rspb reserve at Bempton Cliffs on the Yorkshire coast is a place I've wanted to visit for long time due to the vast numbers of sea birds that nest there including everyone's favourite - puffins.

So when my sister  casually suggested that maybe we should both stay there for a night or two I jumped at the chance. Half term would be a perfect time of year so we booked some accommodation and I also bought tickets for a boat trip which would take us out  to see the birds  from  the sea  below the cliffs

After an early start with a stop off at Far Ings nature reserve near the Humber bridge, we arrived at Bridlington and  took the park and ride bus down to the harbour in good time and explored  for a  while before heading for the Yorkshire Belle which was moored against the pier. We were first in the queue and  therefore able to choose the seats that we wanted, in this case on the side nearest the cliffs on the outward journey and with the best protection from the rain which was forecast and had already started to fall! We opted to stay outside rather than under cover in order to get better views and were glad we did.  As the boat passed Flamborough head, we could see sea birds all around, including gannets, razor bills, guillemots, kittiwakes and a few puffins, either on the water or flying to and from the cliffs as they paired up and collected nesting material. We even saw a 'bridled' guillemot amongst them and an occasional seal popped its head out of the water. The cliffs were impressive with the huge numbers of nesting birds and the resultant noise. Every now and then the rain would get harder and I had to keep hiding my camera under my coat between  shots and wiping it after use. Nevertheless the boat trip gave us the opportunity to see just how many birds were there, something we could never see from the top of the cliffs and as we returned to our accommodation at nearby Flamborough, there was plenty to muse on. 

Next morning the weather had improved and by 7.40 a.m.  we were at Bempton Cliffs carpark in brilliant sunshine, before  the visitor centre opened. We made our way out to to the cliff top, passing through a flower strewn meadow, with sedge warblers and whitethroats singing from the hedges and tree sparrows frequenting some feeders.  As we approached the cliff path and the first viewing platform, the noise  of seabirds became louder and, peering over the cliffs; we could see many razorbills and guillemots nesting on the ledges together with good numbers of kittiwakes.  Taking the path to the left we followed the edge of the cliff, gannets could be seen circling out at sea, then returning to the cliffs. They were pulling grass from the top of the cliffs only a few metres away and flew almost at eye level before coming into land. I took far too many photos, experimenting with different flight shots. At the final platform we eventually came across a couple of puffins, although they were quite distant and difficult to photograph even for a record shot. 

After concluding that we had had our fill of seabirds for the morning we set off on a drive  which would take us  north over the Yorkshire Moors. We took a route that my sister suggested, as she had been before, which would lead us to Danby where there was a tea room. She assured me that we would see red grouse on the way and it wasn't too long before we did, a small head poking above the bracken. Slowing down we saw a female too but they disappeared behind a hump and we continued on. 

Suddenly we heard the familiar call of a curlew, another bird of the moors, but when we stopped on the side of the road it started to run towards us .. it was then we realised that we had stopped just in front of where its young were hiding!   We moved on a bit and found another bird which posed nicely for us on top of a mound, calling. 

A few more grouse could be seen as we made our way slowly along the road which had open views all around. The flowering heather looked as if it had gone over, as it was more brown than purple. I thought how pretty it would look when the moors were covered in purple heather. We also saw some grouse chicks with a few female birds. 

After refreshing ourselves at Danby we drove back down to Pickering- a quick walk at Fen Bog failed to turn up the hoped for Large heath and Small Pearl bordered fritillaries -   probably too early in the season, but I did find my first small copper butterfly of the year.  

After eating back at Flamborough we decided to make the most of the light evening,  and drove out to  Flamborough Head. We parked by the lighthouse, and spoke to some other visitors  who told us they hadn't seen puffins but there were plenty of seals and we soon found these hidden down on a beach. I had heard that this would be a good place to  try to see puffins and  despite what we had been told,  we found three of them in a good position to photograph on the edge of the cliffs. I lay down to get a better view and to eliminate any risk of standing  too near the edge! After a while the sun began to sink, and we returned to our cottage, delighted to have at last had some good views of puffins. 

                                                                 nesting kittiwakes at Bridlington

kittiwakes

guillemot

'bridled' guillemot

razorbills and guillemots

tree sparrow near  Bempton cliff feeders

gannets near the cliff top

BUTTERFLIES AT BOSCOMBE DOWN WEST

A month ago I had to cancel a visit I had hoped to make to a reserve called Fishlake Meadows near Romsey with a rspb birding group. However, with another sunny day forecast, I decided I would make the trip myself to find out what the reserve had to offer. There had been recent reports of ospreys and hobbies so having seen neither so far this year, it would be something to look out for. 

I was at the reserve by  just after eight, when the gates are unlocked ( though I'm not sure if the time is adhered to as another visitor had been there since six o'clock and they were already open!)  The first part of the reserve follows a path by side of an old barge canal and here there were numerous cettis warblers calling. Then you can take a path into the centre of the reed bed overlooking a lake from a screen. Reed and sedge warblers were singing; I also heard a cuckoo, and saw a great white egret, marsh harrier, red kite, buzzard and kestrel. Sadly no hobby or osprey during my visit. 

Although the morning had been slightly cloudy with a cool breeze at times, by lunch time the clouds had cleared and temperatures rising so I took a different route home,   stopping off at a butterfly nature reserve at Boscombe Down West.  This is a 1 km long disused railway line alongside some ministry of defence land, and is bordered by chalk embankments which attract a range of butterfly species taking advantage of the sheltered environment. For anyone in a wheelchair this is an ideal place to spot butterflies as it is level and easy to access. 

The butterflies I saw were mostly on the sunny side of the track, and provided a range of species, although not in particularly large numbers. I was pleased to find my first Painted Lady of the year, this was a species missed out on last year. However my sighting was only brief, with the butterfly stopping on a flower a only a few seconds before rising and disappearing through some wire fencing and over a bank.  I also saw a couple of Adonis blues, another first for the year, together with small and common blues, brown argus, grizzled skippers, brimstones, small heath and a green hairstreak. There were a lot of white butterflies but none stopped to enable identification. 

SMALL BLUES AT CROG HILL

 Yesterday I paid my annual visit to Crog Hill, near Lambourn where there is a a colony of small blue butterflies. Although it had been sunny all morning, a few clouds had gathered, blocking out the sun for a time, and I didn't see any small blues for a while as I walked up the deeply rutted track. However, as I reached the corner where there were some more  open areas, they began to appear, though not in the large numbers I saw last year ( 100+) . I suppose I probably found a couple of dozen at the most, together with two common blues, Brimstone, Peacock and some whites which I couldn't identify in flight.  The sun was shining again by the time I returned to the car so a few more butterflies were around in that area. 

hawthorn and cow parsley turning the countryside white at crog hill.

small blue

common blue

small blue

this green carpet moth had chosen a good leaf as camouflage

common blue

SLIMBRIDGE BLUETHROAT

 Once more the white spotted bluethroat has decided to pay its annual visit to WWT Slimbridge. Its favoured location is in the reedbeds adjacent to the River Severn and it can be viewed from the summer walkway. Some taller sticks have been erected amongst the reed bed, providing suitable perches from which the bluethroat can sing, and at the same time give visiting birders an improved, though distant view. 

I therefore paid a visit to Slimbridge this morning, making straight for the Shepherds Hut positioned on the sea wall, where visitors tend to congregate to get the best views. Within minutes the bluethroat had been pointed out to me, a dark shape amongst some distant reeds, but it wasn't long before it hopped onto the nearby post, enabling me to get a good view of its blue breast and white spot which gives the bird its name. It spent the next half hour moving around the area, sometimes unseen in the reeds before re appearing. I think I saw it at least four times in half an hour, which was probably the most frequent sightings I've had over the years. Always distant though, so the photos I took are very heavily cropped. 

Back at the centre, there were many broods of goslings, of differing ages, together with coot and moorhen chicks and a brood of mallards. The first avocet chicks had also hatched. One of the pairs of cranes had hatched a chick but it was hidden in the vegetation although I could see one of the parents obviously attending to it. 

Sedge and reed warblers were singing their hearts out, though not always easy to see. Not a large total of birds seen today, but nevertheless a lovely late spring morning to enjoy the sights and sounds of the centre. 

FRITILLARY FORAY

 The sunshine continues and the butterflies are out so I thought I'd take a trip into Gloucestershire to see if I could find the Duke of Burgundy. It used be known as a fritillary due to its similar markings but isn't in fact one of that family.

My favoured site is Rodborough  Common where one or two are generally found in a sheltered area where two ridges meet. It was slightly breezy on the plateau and I thought might be too early in the day at 10.30 but I soon saw small heaths and dingy skippers so hoped that the Duke would be up early too. I sat down on the slope and prepared to wait a while but in minutes I was on my feet, a small orangy brown butterfly was a few metres away, and after a short time it settled on a blade of grass, wings spread to absorb the sunshine, a fine Duke of Burgundy butterfly.

There were a few other species about, dingy skipper, small heath, brown argus but no more dukes appeared so I decided to leave, and head for another site where I hoped pearl bordered fritillaries (PBF) might also be on the wing. 

Heading up the slopes nearer the car park I was surprised to find single marsh fritillary, a species I've not seen here  before. It only lingered a few seconds though . (Grr! I accidentally deleted the record shot I took!) That would save me a visit to another site ! Perhaps its going to be a good  butterfly year!

 Siccrridge wood is a site I visited for the first time last year, having discovered it was a good place for PBF along the edges of the path. There is limited parking but I managed to secure a spot by the reserve entrance rather than face s steep walk up the road from the layby. There were plenty of bluebells as I walked onto the wood and as the edges widened and I saw my first PBF of the year. It was the first of around a dozen I saw today.

A few bugle plants were in flower and occasionally a PBF would settle on one but mostly they were flying about.

Duke of Burgundy

Sicarridge Wood

Pearl bordered fritillary

MORE SPRING BUTTERFLIES

Another sunny morning brought out the butterflies in good numbers at Aston Upthorpe Downs near Didcot. Having left my car in the parking area I followed the deeply rutted track to the reserve entrance, a walk of about 20 minutes, and entered the valley through a gate. A grassy path runs the length of the valley with sloping sides either side, making a sheltered area for downland butterflies. Having missed my target butterflies at Martinsell, I thought I'd travel a little bit further to this reserve I knew fairly well, especially as both species  ( green hairstreak and grizzled skipper) had been reported earlier in the week.

I was soon finding typical species for this habitat - dingy skipper, common blue, brown argus, small heath ( numerous) and some of the larger butterflies - orange tip ,brimstone, peacock, red admiral. 

I didn't spot any grizzled skippers as I walked the length of the reserve, and then headed slightly uphill toward a flower covered hawthorn ( are they particularly good this year?) However I did spot one green hairstreak two thirds the way along which I mentally ticked off. I scanned the hawthorn and soon saw a couple more hairstreaks flitting about the flowers One in particular was particularly active on my side of the bush and posed nicely for the camera! 

On the way back down the valley, I did at last spot a small dark butterfly which was dog fighting with a small heath and common blue eventually separating and landing for a short time to produce my second year tick of the morning - a grizzled skipper.  Despite a number of  reported sightings a few days ago, I just saw one more on the track returning to the car park. 

1ST MAY BUTTERFLIES

 There were amazing  views across the Wiltshire countryside from the top of Martinsell Hillfort this afternoon. I was on my first 'butterfly foray' of the year and was keen to get a few species under my belt; reports seem to be suggesting that species are emerging early this year,  due to the warm weather.  

I was hoping for grizzled skipper and green hairstreak but sadly saw neither that I could definitely identify. A couple of small butterflies quickly took off from some hawthorn and disappeared before I could check them out, and a probable grizzled skipper was flying at speed low across some rough grass before  it crossed in front of me and disappeared over the hedge. 

However there were a variety of other butterfly species to be seen including  orange tip, brimstone, wall brown, brown argus, common blue and various unidentified whites and good numbers of small heath.