Dragonflies Galore

In my previous post I was bemoaning the fact that I hadn't seen many dragonflies this year.

 

Since then I've seen loads of them!! We even had two in the garden visiting our new pond, which has now been in place for just a year. I'll cover those first.

 

I expected and hoped Common Darter would arrive at the pond as it is by far the most commonly seen locally. One duly arrived, a female, and it took up position on the plant stalks put there for that specific reason. It hung around for over an hour, intermittently taking off and flying around before landing back in the same place.

Female Common Darter at our pond

Female Common Darter at our pond

After the Common Darter had left we were lucky enough to get a Four-spotted Chaser in its place! This one stayed for over four hours and used the same plant stalks as the darter.

Four-spotted Chaser at our pond

Looks like it's had a rough life so far

There is plenty of time left for more species to visit before the end of the dragonfly season, so fingers crossed for new arrivals.

 

At the Mere I've seen lots of Common Darters, a few Black-tailed Skimmers and Emperors, then yesterday I saw three Migrant Hawkers and a Southern Hawker.

Black-tailed Skimmer in flight

Emperor dragonfly in flight

As above

Female Migrant Hawker well camouflaged against an umbellifer

Female Migrant Hawker

Southern Hawker

Southern Hawker

Things have been somewhat quiet on the birding front, apart from a Quail heard in the barley field adjacent to Heslop's. It was heard very clearly, singing near to the footpath, but over the other side of the hedge. As is usual with Quail it was heard but not seen.

 

A few photos have been taken of the local birds and here are just some of them. Nothing new but it's good to keep your hand in 😂

Marsh Harrier juv

Marsh Harriers, one with prey

Black-headed Gull

Yellowhammer in song

Whitethroat

Swallow in flight

Greenfinch

Grey Heron

Last year was an awful year for butterflies but this year has seen a resurgence of numbers for most of our locally seen species. Perhaps the long, dry spell allowed them to breed well and we are now seeing the fruits of that. Meadow Browns and Ringlets are the most numerous with the three whites also well represented. Gatekeepers did surprisingly well last year and have continued that success into this year. I've never seen as many Large Skippers as I have this year, and the same goes for Common Blue and Small Copper. Red Admiral, Comma, Peacock and Speckled Wood seem to be about the same as previous years.

Common Blue

Meadow Brown

Small Copper (underside for a change)

Gatekeeper, with a beard?

Gatekeeper

Another Gatekeeper

As a bit of a change I drove down to Ulrome and walked through to Barmston Drain in the hope of seeing some different birds. Two species on my hit list were Corn Bunting and Yellow Wagtail and both were ticked off soon after my arrival 👍

Singing Corn Bunting

Corn Bunting

Juv Yellow Wagtail

As above

Three juvenile Yellow Wagtails

I had a really good morning with loads of birds, butterflies, insects and a few mammals seen. I should go there more often but then I'd probably miss something at the Mere! 

I saw four Small Tortoiseshells. More than I've seen in one day in Hornsea

Barmston Drain

Whitethroat

Wild flowers and plants provide the setting for all the wildlife we see and I take a keen interest in what's growing and flowering each time I take a walk. The flowers to catch my eye in the past week were...

Agrimony

Cornflower

Poppies

Poppies

I'll finish this update with another new moth species for me - a small moth fluttered into the undergrowth, and actually stayed within camera distance so I could get a photo for id purposes. Thank goodness it has a common name as the Latin name pronunciation is beyond me 😉

Bird-cherry Ermine moth (Yponomeuta evonymella) I think

Owlets Ringed

 Last night I went to watch a local ringer process a brood of Barn Owl chicks. A friend has a barn owl box in his barn and each year, if a brood of chicks is raised, a ringer comes along to ring them.

 

It was thought there were five chicks but there were six! Different sizes as the eggs are laid over a period of days with gaps in between each one.

Six barn owl chicks being ringed

It's always a privilege to see owlets at such close quarters and is no less thrilling when you've seen the process a few times before.

 

A pair of Kestrels have been seen over the weeks displaying behaviour that suggested breeding and I hoped that they would be successful. The last few days I've seen up to three young Kestrels with their parents in the trees around the Mere.

Kestrel at the Mere

Continuing the theme of young wildlife being seen around Hornsea, here are a few photos taken over the last week of young birds and deer: 

Three young Herring Gulls

Two roe deer young 'uns

Juvenile Reed Warbler

Lapwing chick, close to fledging by the looks of it

Apart from the young birds and deer, there hasn't been much else to draw attention, so my focus has switched to insects and wild flowers.

 

Dragonflies are out and about but are not in particularly good numbers yet. My experience locally is that they are few and far between but others are seeing them more often than I am. 

Male Black-tailed Skimmer

Female Common Darter

Pied Hoverfly

Furrow Orbweaver spider wrapping up a burnet moth

Furrow Orbweaver spider wrapping up a burnet moth

Common Globetail Hoverfly

Cinnabar moth caterpillars

Soldier Beetle

Enchanter's Nightshade