A Last Glimpse Of Summer

 As autumn wears on and the weather gradually cools off we have had a brief period of sunny and warm weather. This has reminded me of the glories of summer just past and I have enjoyed these pleasant days - but I haven't been tempted to change back into my shorts!! Oh no, that's tempting fate that is.

This morning I walked along the sea front to see if anything was passing given that  the gentle south westerlies had veered to a gentle northerly breeze. Not much as I feared, but a skein of about 170 Pink-footed geese flew overhead going north west.

Pink-footed geese

I headed inland to the Mere and on KP I was greeted by a whole host of people. This isn't usually the case at 9 in the morning but there was a sailing event on so boats were being prepared and moved onto the water.

Jon had found a Slavonian Grebe over by the eastern reed bed and I found it OK through the bins, but my naff Nikon bridge camera didn't make much of the view...

Slav Grebe at 800mm

Slav Grebe at 2000mm

I am seriously considering upgrading my P900 to a newer bridge camera. It is absolutely great for close up photography but that isn't why I bought it 5 years ago. I got it for its 83X zoom and minimal weight, but the reviews I read were off the mark by a long way regarding image quality.

Yesterday's walk along the south side, also in bright, warm sunshine, was a total pleasure and did remind me of summer with dragonflies and butterflies out and about. I don't think they'll be lingering much longer but let's enjoy them while we can.

Red Admiral

Migrant Hawker

Common Darter

Walking along the fence line I noticed that most of the fence posts had ladybirds on them, basking in the warmth of the October morning.

Harlequin ladybird, we have lots around Hornsea

Ladybird - not native species though

As I meandered through Heslops, a Marsh Harrier drifted by and came close enough to warrant a few photos. Although we have them breeding locally and they are a pretty common sight, it's always great to see these lovely raptors.

Marsh Harrier

This year's migration season hasn't really happened yet, with no large falls of migrating birds coming through. We've had a smattering of them with Wheatear, Whinchat and Stonechats being seen locally but nothing like the numbers or variety we hope for. A Wheatear in first field yesterday morning reminded me of what we are missing.

Wheatear enjoying a tasty insect

On Friday I went to Bempton and Flamborough to meet up with my good friend Andy for a day's birding, and the weather was almost too warm! We missed the good birds that were reported at each site (Barred Warbler, Yellow-browed Warblers and Red-flanked Bluetail) although we gave them a good looking for. We did however see a species that neither of us had seen before, not a bird but a damselfly - Willow Emerald no less.

Willow Emerald Damselfly - missed the twig with its rear legs!

Willow Emerald Damselfly on a willow tree

Apparently when these insects are ovipositing they lay their eggs into the bark of willows and you can actually see where they have done this (thanks Mark!).

A beautiful insect and to make things even better - there were two of them. We watched them for about an hour before deciding to move on - but not before a stunning Brimstone butterfly flew past. Gobsmackingly smashing in the sunshine, it was the second highlight of the day for me.

I'm ready for the depths of autumn now and winter can do its worst for all I care. These few days of sun have almost rejuvenated me 🤣😎