yaffle

it was August 2002 when the last Green Woodpecker occurred at Waters' Edge after a run of three years with regular records so hearing a brief yaffle this am caught me off balance---doubting my ears it was another hour before I heard it again and then managed to track down not one but two juveniles feedign on ants on the sides of the western paths

flying birds

a visit to Gib Point yesterday enhanced its reputation for having waders which are imposible to photograph due to the location and distribution of hides v waders and mud---a fly by Greenshank and Sandwich Tern were the rewards while the Lesser Yellowlegs and long-billed Dowitcher remained hazy blobs!

new butts etc

several Brown Argus over the last few days including this one on Waters' Edge today with a female Common Blue (wings open) and male Common Blue for comparison and a flying Common Darter

bizarre record

a male Ruddy Darter at Worlaby was expected but a female Common Hawker was an amzing record even more so when it appeared briefly, started ovi-positing and then disappeared over the pond bank never to be seen again----

juv tern

managed to get a few shots of one of the juv Common Terns on Waters' Edge this evening--in the post shot being displaced by an adult--also a flock of 8 Green Sands dropped in briefly; the largest ever count for Barton

ladies

huge numbers of superb Painted Ladies in the local area--I estimated 500 on a field of ragwort at Worlaby Carrs---also some nice second brood Brown Argus and billions of silver Y's --click on the images for larger versions

butt of the day

huge numbers of pristine P Ladies around in the last two days now being swamped by Peacocks

CTern

the Common Terns are still providing good photo sport on Waters' edge

Black-tails

nice sp icelandic birds

Caspian Gull

a first-summer 2cy Caspian Gull joined the hoardes of Lesser Black backs on the sand bar off old cements at Barton this afternoon along with 5 Yellow-legged Gulls---rather long distance shots in heat haze but the state of the wing and tail moult is interesting

more Caspians

a couple more images of this afternoons 2cy Caspian Gull

gull reward

after two weeks of gull watching on the local patch we have now located 3 different Caspian Gulls including this fine adult and two first-summer birds plus 25+ Mediterranean Gulls more than the combined total of Meds recorded in the last 10 years!

Caspian

at long last I have managed to find and get decent photos of an adult Caspian Gull and on the locla patch--this bird photographed this afternoon was on the favoured Blow Wells pit--note that the tips of the outermost primaries have both been broken off

local gulls

there are still exceptional numbers of gulls around the Barton patch with upwards of 2000 Lesser Black-backs, 4000 Black-headed and still up to 15 Med Gulls---this pit at the blow Wells is currently the best place to watch them

Meds

several Mediterranean Gulls are still around the local patch with apparent new birds still turning up--two second summer birds moulting to adult winter here

butts

the light has been rather too bright for butterfly photography of late but sometimes things are just too tempting--the 300f4 lens is great for insects --Comma and Small Skipper

juv Sedgy

this juvenile Sedge Warbler led me a merry dance constantly calling and coming within 2m of me until I got the camera out! eventually by laying down behind my camera bag I got a few shots

morning sky

an early start before the heat produced a nice sky at Worlaby