Caspian Tern at The Mere

 I can't start this update any other way than with the year's highlight (to date anyway) of a Caspian Tern at Hornsea Mere. 

 

It was sighted yesterday morning (Saturday 25 June) on the spit to the west of Swan Island and stayed until about 12:35, giving reasonable views when it took off to feed. We got a few very distant photos via digiscoping of the bird on the spit.

 

Today however was much better as the bird flew up and down the Mere many times during feeding forays. 

 

Only the fourth record for the Mere and it was popular, with many visitors arriving to see it.

Caspian Tern over Hornsea Mere

Caspian Tern over Hornsea Mere

Caspian Tern flying behind a Common Tern on a buoy

The last image's quality is a bit iffy but I thought I'd include it for size comparison. Turns out the size of the Caspian Tern isn't obvious on this photo 😉

 Also this morning at the Mere a rare Four-legged Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus quatropin) made a brief appearance before disappearing into the ether of my imagination 🤣🤣

Chroicocephalus quatropin

This morning started off almost a white-out with thick fog and a cooling north easterly breeze, this was ideal for some atmospheric photos.

Yesterday morning before the Caspian Tern was found, I was watching a few Sandwich Terns off the sea front catching fish. Again they were distant and image cropping was necessary to get a recognisable photo.

Sandwich Tern with fish

The rest of the week was pretty mundane compared to the weekend but a few sightings were captured on the camera. 

Song Thrush

Juvenile Reed Bunting

As above

Sedge Warbler song flight

Sedge Warbler song flight

Butterflies were very well represented through the week with the emergence of Meadow Browns. Large Skippers continue their presence along with Painted Lady and Common Blue.

Painted Lady

Large Skipper

 

 

Large Skipper close up showing a very long tongue

As above

Common Blue

Tufted Vetch is providing the latest new source of food for bees and invertebrates along the Mere south side, as well as looking good.

Tufted Vetch hosting a Common carder bee

Tufted Vetch (Vicia cracca)

I'll close off this post now as there are more than enough photos to cope with for one update. More soon.

Mixed Success On The Photo Front

After many attempts I got some acceptable images of Red-legged Partridges - the field margins are the only places to see them now as the crops are higher than they are.

Red-legged Partridges

We are seeing young warblers now, these juvenile Chiff Chaffs were seen this morning.

Juv Chiff Chaff

Juv Chiff Chaff in flight

Juv Chiff Chaffs

Song Thrush

Song Thrush

Insect news is good with a new hoverfly species for me, recording a Stripe-faced Drone Fly on a bramble flower.

Stripe-faced Drone Fly (Eristalis nemorum)

Meadow Brown butterflies are emerging and I saw six yesterday morning. Won't be long now until Ringlet and Gatekeepers join them and brighten the meadows even more.

Meadow Brown butterflies

Meadow Brown

Red-eyed Damselflies are being sighted at the hide - I saw two last Monday. Poor photos but I will try and get better ones before the end of the season.

Red-eyed Damselfly

Red-eyed Damselfly

 

Vestal Cuckoo Bee - a beautiful bumblebee

Vestal Cuckoo Bee

 I don't come across many species of fungi through spring and summer, so seeing this magnificent spread of Dryad's Saddle bracket fungus this morning was a lovely surprise. It's also called Pheasant's Back Mushroom.

Dryad's Saddle (Polyporus squamosus)

 A new plant in flower around the Mere is Meadow Vetchling. Widespread and common but also very fetching.

Meadow Vetchling

Spring Turns To Summer

 Meteorologically speaking we are now in Summer! Yay!! Doesn't particularly feel like it yet but it's early days 😊

 

There were no big news stories through the last week, with the highlight being the sighting of my first Cuckoo of the year.  In previous years I've seen a few Cuckoos by now, although last year was worrying with only a single sighting, but I thought this year was going to be a landmark year for the wrong reason until one flew in front of the hide yesterday. It announced its presence a minute or so before with a clear call from the East of the hide then whizzed by so quickly the camera had no chance of getting it.

 

Young birds are out and about all over the place with Blue Tits, Great Tits, Long-tailed Tits, Great Spotted Woodpeckers joining the Mallards and geese with fledged broods. This female Linnet looked a bit frazzled as it collected food for its nestlings and probably wished they were out and about too:

Female Linnet with food

Adult Great Spotted Woodpecker

Adult and young GSW

Young GSW with red cap

Young GSW placing its feet carefully

 Some local Herring Gulls have young ones running around out of the nest while others are still sitting on their nests. The location isn't hard to guess 😂😂

Herring Gulls and chicks

I haven't seen any young warblers yet, nor any adult birds carrying food.

Sedge Warbler

Sedge Warbler in song

It's getting harder and harder to see and count the geese in the fields now the crops are growing well. 

Greylag Geese slowly submerging in the wheat

We have two pairs of Lapwings locally but whether they have young in the nest is impossible to tell. Fingers crossed they have but I see them in multiple locations...

Adult Lapwing 

I see Red-legged Partridges regularly but they are very wary and never come within reasonable photo taking distance. I obviously need to work on my field craft.

Red-legged Partridge

I found a new insect species, well for me it's new, and first checks online said it was rare - further research showed it to be rather mundanely common. Still, a new species for the list is not to be sniffed at is it?!

Slender-footed Robberfly (Leptarthrus brevirostris)

Butterflies and moths were in profusion early in the week and made walking though the fields an absolute joy. 

Yellow Tail moth caterpillar

Poseudargyrotoza conwagana micro moth

Common Blue

Large Skipper

Small Copper

Speckled Wood

Yellow Shell moth

Yellow Shell moth

Let's finish on a happy note for a change, with a mammal taking centre stage. Rabbits have all of a sudden seemingly increased in numbers, as I see lots every day. Most seem pretty normal but this one was obviously having a bad day 😀🤣