Evening at Alkborough

Had the most wonderful evening at Alkborough yesterday - the weather during the day had been wet and very breezy but the evening was still, so as the author of The Shadoxhurst Garden (aka as Nick my brother) is visiting we decided on a late visit.  The light was fading as we  arrived at 7.30 but it seemed to make the sites and sounds even more special.
From the hide we had two fly bys from a Barn Owl, a Spoonbill, 23 Ruff, 1 Hobby, 1 Greenshank, 2 Greensand Pipers, 1 Snipe, 40+ Black-tailed Godwits and 10 roosting Little Egrets.
Snipe

Barn Owl
Wayne

The Yorkshire Dales

I have travelled around the world a fair bit but for me no where equals the outstanding natural beauty of the Yorkshire Dales.  The limestone hills and pastoral valleys are sandwiched between the Lake District to the west and the North York Moors to the east.  We have just spent a couple of days in my favourite of all the dales Swaledale but also ventured in to Wensleydale and the beautiful Mallerstang valley.Wensleydale is probably best known these days for its cheese and in particular for its connection with Wallace and Gromit - it is the largest and most serene of the dales whilst Swaledale to me is more dramatic and more remote with picturesque little villages linked by footpaths all the way down the valley to Reeth.
Mallerstang
Catrake Force
The Butter Tubs - deeply eroded natural wells
Swaledale with its profusion of field barns for which the dale is renowned



Hardraw Force - the highest above ground waterfall in England


Gayle

Gulls - Ancholme Valley

Went to see Graham's gulls today (aka Peewit) - we dipped on the Caspian Gull but had 2 Yellow Legged Gulls and 6 Meditteranean Gulls.  Whilst there we also had 13 Crossbills fly over.

Pectoral Sandpiper at Alkborough

A good birding day today, with 2 Ruddy Shelduck on Read's Island and a nice adult Pectoral Sandpiper down on the flats.  No shots of the Shelducks as they were miles away!

 

Local Round-up

Well, Wimbledon has ended for another year and yet another year without a Brit in sight of a final but at least we can get out again and here's what we saw;

5th July - Sunday

Burton Gravel Pits - at last a singing Turtle Dove, what a disaster this species is having in our area - the only one we know of but at least that's one better than Spotted Flycatcher!

Alkborough Flats - 2 Spoonbill, 2 Little Egret, 7 Greenshank, 3 Ruff, 2 Spotted Redshank, 1 Barn Owl, 219 Black Tailed Godwits

Messingham Sand Quarries - 240 fledged Black Headed Gulls, 2 adult and 2 juvenile Marsh Harrier, Kingfishers taking in fish to nest site, Avocet with juveniles

Laughton Forest - 1 Tree Pipit, 2 Woodcock and up to 6 singing Nightjars on one stretch of track

Normanby Park - 3 male Black Tailed Skimmers and dozens of Common Blue Damselflies