August 1st-10th Round Up

 The day after finding a Brown Argus for the first time in a few years I found another! This one was near Weatherhill Farm.

Second Brown Argus of the year 

Brown Argus

 Holly Blues are always nice to see, especial;ly this one that has been loitering in our garden for a few days now.

Holly Blue on our lavender plant

As above

No different dragonflies have been seen unfortunately, but lots of the usual species have been on the wing. Common Darter, Ruddy Darter and Migrant Hawkers seem to be all over.

 

Common Darter

Common Darter Close-up

Migrant Hawker in flight

I spent a morning at the sea front watching the birds come and go. The Gannets and Guillemots were pretty distant but the Sandwich Terns were closer - on the breakwaters and rocks at South Beach.

Gannet after an unsuccessful dive for fish

Guillemots

Adult Guillemot

Juvenile Guillemot with fish

Sandwich Tern with unreadable Darvik ring

Sandwich Terns

Sandwich Terns, one with a fish

Sandwich Terns

Final Sarnie

The young Kestrels are managing on their own now and are still hanging around the natal tree, calling every now and again.

Kestrel

Kestrel calling

On 4 August I had a very good hour at the hide. Bearded Tits (heard only) a Bittern and two Hobbies all within the space of 15 mins, with the Hobbies flying through feeding for about half an hour.

This and two below - Bittern over north reed bed

The Hobbies were catching dragonflies and nipping off their wings, but then they flew off with them rather than eating on the wing. Perhaps they were feeding young.

Hobby de-winging a dragonfly

Hobby off elsewhere with prey

Hobby

That's the first nine days of the month sorted. This morning was another good morning at the Mere with my first Bank Vole of the year seen (but not photographed), Buzzard, Marsh Harriers, Kestrels, Green Woodpecker, Bullfinch, Whitethroats, Reed Warbler, Great White Egret, Little Egrets, eight Common Sandpipers, two Curlews circling the Mere, and plenty of Chiff Chaffs seen and heard. Not so many butterflies but still lots of Common Blues in second field, and dragonflies galore.

Bullfinch, looks like a juvenile

Two of eight Common Sandpipers

Same two Sandpipers

Reed Warbler at Weatherhill

 

And finally, water is scarce and you need to fill up whenever you can. If water is hard to find, try sloe gin instead 😂😂😂

Could be a good crop of sloes this year

Brown Argus

 This week's highlight was finding another Brown Argus at the Mere. My last confirmed sighting was in 2022. I've probably seen some since locally but getting a good sight of them in order to id them is not always possible. They are so similar to female Common Blue butterflies so you have to be careful. On the forewing underside on the Brown Argus none of the circles are nearer the body than half way down the wing. Also they have no hint of blue on the upper wings.

Brown Argus (Aricia agestis) 

Brown Argus with better view of the underside wings 

Common Blues are still to be found in the best ever numbers I've managed to see around Hornsea. Males are seen more often than females, but if this is because there are more of them or females are less showy I couldn't say.
 

Male Common Blue butterflies

Painted Lady and Gatekeepers are still numerous.

 

I didn't think it was possible but the birds have been even quieter than the previous week! If not for Wood Pigeons the fields and woods would be totally silent 😂

 

One or two photos are worthy of note:

I've never seen a Whitethroat perched on anything but a branch or twig, so when I saw this leggy Whitethroat on a roof I was immediately drawn into taking some pics. Looks like a young one and it was feeding on insects of some sort.

Whitethroat on a hot tile roof

 Reed Buntings are quiet along with the other birds but are still flitting around, and when this one landed right next to me and stayed for a short while, more photos were taken.

Reed Bunting up close

Reed Bunting

 I did have a brilliant close encounter with a Barn Owl but by the time I got the camera on it the bird was off and away.

Barn Owl

Dragonflies? Common Darter and Black-tailed Skimmer as usual with the odd Migrant Hawker. Ruddy Darters now being seen more often.

Ruddy Darter

Ruddy Darter

Ruddy Darters can be distinguished from Common by their black legs and bulbous abdomen.

 

 A Common Blue Damselfly took my attention for a while as it had a strange kink in its lower abdomen. 

Common Blue kinky damselfly

A new hoverfly was also added to my growing sightings, this time a Golden-tailed Leafwalker.

Golden-tailed Leafwalker hoverfly (Xylota sylvarum) 

Every now and then a moth appears and they usually disappear just as quickly during the day. This one didn't though and I was able to see it clearly to later id it as a Dingy Footman.

 

Dingy Footman moth

I've had a poor year for mammal sightings with just the same old same old species, not even a stoat or weasel yet. A sleepy squirrel and a roe deer in the set aside field were worthy of some images.

 

Green Woodpeckers

 The past week has been characterised by cool, grey and cloudy mornings which then burst into sunshine at about tea time. As I am a morning walker and don't often get out in the afternoons this was unfortunate, as it wasn't warm enough for butterflies and dragonflies to be out and about when I was out and about.

 

We are also in that period of time when birds disappear into post-breeding moult and the place goes deathly quiet. Gone are the warblers singing and the other birds are almost non-existent too - apart from the water birds of course - they keep the whole thing going but aren't very good singers!

 

The week's highlight was a couple of young Green Woodpeckers, one at Bewholme and one in Wassand Wood. The one at Bewholme was more developed than the one at Wassand so I'm guessing they are from different nests.

Young Green Woodpecker at Bewholme

Bewholme 'pecker

Wassand Young Green Woodpecker

With warblers having gone quiet they don't appear on my lists very often apart from yesterday afternoon when I saw two Sedge Warblers and three Reed Warblers. One of Sedge Warblers was collecting food so possibly still feeding young.

Sedge Warbler in hunting mode

Reed Warbler

Reed Warbler

Reed Warbler

This morning there were 19 Common Terns at the Mere. At one point almost every buoy seemed to have a tern on it, resting and preening.

Common Tern

Common Terns

Almost every buoy - Black-headed Gull juv

Common Tern

Common Tern

I managed to see a Willow Emerald Damselfly near the hide yesterday afternoon but by the time I'd got the camera on it the little blighter had flown off, and I never did find it or another again but at least I know they are there now.

 

Migrant Hawkers were out in reasonable numbers - I saw five yesterday. Also Ruddy Darters, Common Darter and Emperors at the hide.

Female Migrant Hawker

Emperor dragonfly in flight

Ruddy Darter

Common Darter

I managed 10 different species of butterfly yesterday, which isn't bad but not my best ever day hereabouts. Common Blue and Gatekeeper were the most numerous, with more female Common Blues than I've seen at any one time.

Speckled Wood

Small Copper

Female Common Blue

Male and female Common Blue

One last insect to mention and that is a grasshopper - Lesser Marsh Grasshoppers are abundant locally, this one was spotted in a field next to the railway line.

Lesser Marsh Grasshopper

I see lots of Grey Squirrels as I wander the highways and byways of Hornsea, too many for my liking as they are an introduced species and have a derogatory impact on wildlife. They are part of our flora and fauna however and are here to stay, so I take an interest in what they are doing. 

 

The other morning I'd seen a couple of squirrels dashing out of a crop field as I approached and when I walked on to Weatherhill I saw another squirrel sitting on the drive eating. As I got closer I could see it was a stalk of wheat and it was eating the seed and discarding the husk.

Grey Squirrel eating wheat

Husks

A final photo for this update - a Roe Deer watching me pass by. It didn't run off as they usually do, it just watched me and carried on eating 😊

Roe Deer