A few more when the sun came out!

Ring-Billed Gull

Sleeping Bonaparte's Gull

Head out! Bonaparte's Gull

Ringed-Billed Gull

Bonaparte's Gull - video clip

A little walk and wing stretch

Bonaparte's Gull and Ringed-Bill Gull - only on the Humber

A quick call last night from Graham to say he had found a 2cy Bonaparte's Gull at Chowder Ness, Barton - so we quickly abandoned Brazil v Chile to arrive in record time(sub 15min) to see our first record for the Scunthorpe area.  Things only got better when a Ringed-Bill Gull was standing next to it - another Scunthorpe tick for us!  Could they have crossed the Atlantic together?

Head under - Bonaparte's Gull

Still under

A little more

Ringed-Bill Gull

The Flame, Peppered Moth(dark form), Buff & White Ermine, Dark Arches, Small Angle Shades, Cream Bordered Green Pea etc.

A few moths caught in the trap last night - we have tried to id them all but I'm sure some may need correcting so feel free...  we did have many many more but couldn't come close to id'ing them!

The Flame

Peppered Moth (dark form)

Peppered Moth (light form)

Buff Ermine

?

White Ermine

Cock Chafer - always manage to catch one of these!

Dark Arches

Small Angle Shades

Elephant Hawk Moth

Footman

?

Cream-bordered Green Pea

Flame Shoulder

Ingrailed Clay

Peach Blossom

Varied Coronet

Shouldered Striped Wainscot

Archers Dart

Double Square Spot

Green Woody flew in while processing the moths!

A mixture!

Breakfast time!

A couple more meadows

A glorious day for England (and Scunthorpe Town Centre)

Finally England can breathe a sigh of relief - we're through to the next round of the World Cup along with the USA from our group so to celebrate we decided to live wild and go for fish and chips which led to these lovely images!  It's not often we go into Scunthorpe town centre so it was a great surprise to find that North Lincs Council have demolished three blocks of terrace houses along West Street and temporarily replaced them with the most fantastic flower meadows - a mix of poppies, cornflowers and lots of other little things I'm not sure of so if any one from the Council is reading I would love to know the exact mix - hopefully they wont be cut but will left for the hundred or so Goldfinches which roost in the town centre - anyway well done to the council it certainly brightens up a dingy run down town center.

Alkborough Flats and Humber Bridge

These images are of Flowering Rush down on Alkborough Flats - not a true rush but a member of the Water Soldier family.  I have never seen them anywhere else in the Scunthorpe area so its nice to have this one small group - I took them on Sunday in between sneezing my head off with hay fever and being bitten to death by midges. A single Spoonbill was present on the main lagoon.  Last night we had a visit down to Messingham Sand Quarries where I was lucky enough to see the Otter again - unfortunately one of the Otter family has been found run over very close to the reserve.  In total we had 45 species in a couple of hours including an unexpected Barn Owl appearing in the entrance of the owl box.

It occurred to me that we only live 10 minutes away from the Humber Bridge and yet I have never put a photo of it on my blog - this was taken this morning in glorious sunlight.  The bridge at one time held the record for the world's longest single span suspension bridge - today it is more famous for its high tolls!

Tulip Tree, Golden Fly and good news on the Spotted Flycatcher front!

I am delighted to report that the Spotted Flycatchers are nesting in Normanby Park and is actually using a flycatcher box - at the moment the female is sitting and being fed by the male, I only hope that they survive the squirrels, I feel that I need to do a 24hr surveillance operation!  Also the Tulip Tree is in flower and I never noticed until this morning - it is quite bizarre that it is actually full of stunningly beautiful flowers but unless you specifically look you don't notice them. Also pleased to report that the Treecreepers have been successful and the family can be spotted around the nest site - see post dated 14/5/10 (the answer to the question I posed was that  Treecreepers were nesting behind the bark above the bat box!).

Tulip Tree full of flowers but can you see them!

Double click this one - it is a sublime flower

No idea what this is but I can't ever remember seeing a golden fly before

The Park is so special at the moment that even after spending 4 hours there this morning I couldn't resist a quick visit this evening - so to the deer park - the Red Deer stags are in tip top condition and I can only imagine the great battles to be had in the October rutting

Red Deer stag with Starlings fly catching from antlers (double click to see flys!)

Fallow Deer - very rarely do you get this close - much shyer than the Reds