Quieter Days

 We are getting to the time of year when things change again. Gone are the hectic breeding days for the birds, and the hedgerows and reed beds are quiet now. I miss the ever-present songs of warblers, Skylarks, Robins, Song Thrushes and even the rasping call of pheasants. One or two pipe up every now and then but they are the exception now.

 The last week has seen waders coming and going at the Mere, with a few Common Sandpipers being a constant and seen each day. Redshanks were also regularly seen but were absent this morning. 

Common Sandpiper and Great Crested Grebes

Common Sandpiper and Great Crested Grebes

Common Sandpipers along the Mere south side

Little Gull numbers have been generally increasing, as have Little Egrets. A maximum count of 27 Little Egrets one morning was a new high for the Mere.

Little Gull juvenile

Little Gull

Eight Little Egrets

Oystercatchers are still seen and heard at the moment having completed their breeding duties. The Mere will be a lot quieter once they have departed 😂

Oystercatcher

Further to the previous post about Common Blue butterflies, just the day after I posted that I saw three Common Blues in second field, but they were all either worn or damaged. I'm guessing they were damaged in the day's hay cut rather than being worn through fair wear and tear.

This and two below, damaged Common Blues?

Certainly several butterflies along the south side looked past their best and they may all have been caught up in the general upset that goes with cutting the fields.

A very worn (or damaged) Ringlet

The moths I have come across during the day have all looked fine so they seem to have come through unscathed.

Magpie moth

I have been surprised by the number of small toads I have seen recently. I'm still stuck in the past few month's mind-set of dry day after dry day, and forget it has actually rained a few times this last week, so marching toads shouldn't surprise me.

Small toad on the move

Small toad

 I found a new hoverfly species (new for me that is) with a Two-banded Spearhorn turning up on the edge of Wassand wood. This brings my total up to 34 species.

Two-banded Spearhorn hoverfly

Plants have taken a back seat as I haven't seen a new species for a while, but that's no real reason to ignore them on the blog. Here's a photo of Agrimony taken this morning. 

Agrimony

Agrimony was used to colour wool back in the past, and was also used in medicine as a supposed cure for snake bite, poor sight, loss of memory and liver complaints. An infusion of the leaves is still used as an alternative to tea - never tried it myself!

Common Blues and Marsh Harriers

 I've been a bit side-tracked by workmen at home so I haven't been out as much as usual, but a few days is enough to keep me going as long as it doesn't last for too long 😂

 

 In the 14 years I've been here I have not seen more than two Common Blue butterflies at any one time. I was therefore overjoyed to see four yesterday at my favoured butterfly spot!

Common Blue male

Common Blue male with female incoming

Three Common Blues, two males and a female

Four Common Blues, three males and a female

Common Blue male (female partially hidden)

Common Blues mating

Gatekeepers are now seen every day which is great and long may it continue, although the rain may subdue them for a bit.

Gatekeeper on ragwort

 The Marsh Harriers are still here and gracing the skies with their presence. They can be seen anywhere round the Mere, but the easiest place to see them is at the hide at Decoy.

This photo and all below - Marsh Harriers at the Mere

The dry weather has been good for spotting grasshoppers, however seeing them and getting photos of them are two different things 😀 but I did manage to get some of Lesser Marsh Grasshopper yesterday in first field at the Mere.

Lesser Marsh Grasshopper

 

Small Skipper butterflies look more like moths but they are indeed butterflies. We have Small and Large Skippers locally and both are pretty common.

Small Skipper

Small Skipper on thistle

Small Skipper

This morning, before the rain started, we saw a couple of Knot fly through over the Mere going south. I got a few pics as they went over our heads.

Knot flying south over the Mere

 The Mere water level continues to, get lower as the long dry spell rolls on. It is good for waders though and also for seeing birds coming down to the water's edge for a drink, like this Reed Warbler.

Reed Warbler going for a drink

Five Black-tailed Godwits with Redshanks

Low water at the hide

As I write this on Saturday afternoon the rain is coming down, which in general is much needed, but it isn't very good for the carnival I'm afraid.

 

That's it for this week's round up of wildlife sightings in and around Hornsea. Another update will arrive next weekend, unless something catches my eye of course, in which case it may be sooner 😉

Ulrome, Barmston Drain, Rickaby Woods

 I spent a good few hours wandering around Ulrome/Barmston yesterday and it was thoroughly absorbing and enjoyable.

 

Sighting of the day was a couple of Whimbrel on the beach, sound of the day was a singing Corn Bunting and miss of the day was an all-too-brief view of a brownish butterfly with patterned wings - possible Grayling? I spent an hour trying to relocate it but never saw it again.

 

Birds 

Swallow	Great Crested Grebe	Moorhen
Sand Martin	Common Scoter	Oystercatcher
Whitethroat	Yellowhammer	Starling
Sedge Warbler	Meadow Pipit
Chiff Chaff	Skylark
Willow Warbler	Linnet
Yellow Wagtail	Reed Bunting
Sandwich Tern	Pied Wagtail
Whimbrel	Dunlin

 Butterflies

 

Peacock	Large White
Red Admiral	Small White
Comma	Green-veined White
Speckled Wood	Meadow Brown
Gatekeeper	Ringlet
Small Tortoiseshell

Other sightings

 

 Weasel   

Shaded Broad-bar moth

Two Whimbrel on Ulrome beach

Two Dunlin

Dunlin

Juvenile Yellow Wagtail

Whitethroat

Sedge Warbler

Starling

I had a 10 minute show performed by a weasel that was dancing and diving around near a rabbit. I have no idea what it was doing but the rabbit wasn't impressed. I was alerted to the fact there was something going on by the rabbit jumping in the air, and I guess it was the weasel that caused that.

The weasel and the rabbit

 

A Yellowhammer joined the party...

but the weasel soon saw it off

While I was looking for the unid butterfly I came across a moth species I hadn't seen before - Shaded Broad-bar.

Shaded Broad-bar moth

Out at sea lots of Common Scoter were passing and five Great Crested Grebes were drifting by.

Common Scoters

More Common Scoters

Great Crested Grebes lazily drifting

Great Crested Grebes

Talking of lazily drifting by - a fisherman in a kayak did just that.