Birds at Bempton

I had a couple of hours at the RSPB Bempton Cliffs Reserve in North Yorkshire yesterday. Despite a grey sea fog I had good views of Gannets flying to their nests and Kittiwakes with chicks.

There was a jackdaw perched on the cliffs and a Herring Gull feeding its chicks. On close inspection the Herring Gull chick appeared to be eating a small chick from another species that had been brought in by the parent bird.

Herons and badgers

Earlier this week I went to Low Barns and spent an enjoyable hour watching a Heron fishing close to the West Hide.

Last night I went with some of the photo group to the badger hide in Dalby Forest near Pickering. We had some very good views and I managed to get some photographs and some video.

Rain on the Wear at Frosterley

I spent a few hours up at the River Wear at Low Bat west of Frosterley on Monday morning. There was fresh otter spraint near the artificial otter holt and sandpipers and oyster catchers on the river.

I took this photograph of a juvenile dipper during one of the many downpours.

Painted Lady and juvenile Greenfinch

I saw my first Painted Lady butterfly of the year yesterday at Low Barns Reserve near Witton -le-Wear.

This morning I was trying out a new lens I had bought for my camera and took this shot of a young Greenfinch on the garden seed feeder.

Hauxley Northumberland

I spent an enjoyable day at Northumberland Wildlife Trust's reserve at Hauxley near Druridge Bay in Northumberland on Monday 8th June.
I saw Yellow Wagtail, Little Egret, a very pretty Lapwing and a Mute Swan doing an impressive touchdown.
There was also a single male Ruff, but too far away for a photo.

Fledged Great Tits and nesting Swallows

The final pair of Great Tit chicks left the nest yesterday.
A pair of swallows are investigating the porch of our neighbour's house. We can see them flying back and forth from our kitchen window.

Bird box update

Two chicks have fledged and two remain. One seems to have a problem as its feathers are bare on its head and it seems less active.

Great Tit nest box

The chicks in our garden nest box have developed rapidly over the last fortnight. There are four surviving from the original six which hatched. They are now almost ready to fledge and should leave the nest in the next few days.

Gulls in Lancashire, butterflies in Cleveland and Gannets in Yorkshire

Chris and I have had a few days away in the last fortnight. We spent three days in the Lake District including a visit to the RSPB reserve at Leighton Moss. Although we had good weather generally, on the day we visited the reserve the weather was very poor with strong winds and rain. There were lots of Black Headed Gulls nesting on the lake. We also saw Marsh Harrier and heard a Bittern 'booming.

Recently we visited the Saltholme Reserve at Teesside where we encountered a large group of 'Twitchers' assembled to see a Purple Heron which had been sighted on the reserve. It didn't show while we were there but we did see Green Veined White butterfly.

Yesterday I went to Bempton reserve in East Yorkshire with one of our friends (another Christine confusingly). We spent some time trying to photograph flying Gannets with some success.