Now Who’d have thought it…

..only 6.8% of the UK’s land space is urban, see this link http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18623096 so why is it that compared to the other 47 countries we have visited, relatively speaking there are no birds here?  This was desperately evident on our recent trip to Estonia where we were tripping over Wood Warblers, Pied Flycatchers, Cuckoos, Wrynecks, Corncrakes etc here you’re lucky now if you hear one cuckoo each spring.  My theory is the over use of pesticides in British farming - everything is sprayed to death with insecticide so no insects no birds - what are your thoughts - please leave a comment.

Olympic Torch comes to Scunthorpe

Now here’s a first, a post that has absolutely nothing to do with Natural History but when the Olympic Torch comes through your home town and passes your parent’s front door then you have to be there!  With no warning given whatsoever that the torch was here I literally had 3 seconds to take this photo so apologies for it being out of focus.

I have never seen so many people on Doncaster Road and I doubt there ever will be again!

Archie Swain (12yrs) was the first torchbearer for the Scunthorpe leg.

My Mother (the silver haired one!)

Radio Humberside!

Normanby’s Spring so far..

So it’s the 20th June so the longest day tomorrow and then back to dark nights!  How has Normanby performed this spring I hear you all ask, well breeding birds in Normanby Park have had a mixed season with Jackdaws and Carrion Crows fairing well along with good broods of Great Tits and Long-Tailed Tits but few Blue and Coal Tits to be seen.  I have only managed to trace one Treecreepers nest and only one brood of Nuthatch which is a disaster as Normanby was a North Lincolnshire stronghold and usually manage at least three pairs.  Also a disaster are the Woodpecker family with no nests from any of the usual three species of Great Spotted, Lesser Spotted and Green but I suspect one Green Woodpecker nest in an area out of bounds to the public.  Thankfully I did find a family of Great Spots up at Little Normanby yesterday.

The biggest disappointment has to be Spotted Flycatchers - last year I suspect Squirrels got the nest and this year although I have seen a pair at the usual nest box it has not been used and I am unable to trace any birds.  However other migrants such as Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs have done well in the Park with at least three pairs of each.  Another surprising success are Goldcrests - at least 4 males are still singing so I assume these have been successful in breeding.

Siskins have been ever present throughout the spring in Normanby so I can also only assume that they have bred and frustratingly 14 Crossbills have been flying over the garden for the past week and despite chasing after them into the Park this morning I could not trace them.

Last night we also had a male March Harrier hunting in the field at the end of our garden and 5 Buzzards circling high over the garden on Sunday - they have surely bred in the area I just haven’t managed to track the nest down however Peregrine and Kestrel have! We also have a pair of Bullfinches visiting the garden from the Park and although again I haven’t found a nest I am fairly certain they bred but as no young seen they may have failed.  In the garden we have had a successful brood of Robins and currently Wrens are sitting on eggs which reminds me why are all the local roadside hedges currently being butchered when it is still the nesting season - countless numbers of nests must surely have been destroyed but as past experience as shown it is futile contacting the Council.

For the most part it has been a cold wet spring which surely has had a detrimental affect on all wildlife - Butterflies especially are near non-existent and we have only seen 1 Hornet this spring - the only real success story seems to be the Newts in our Pond - it is teaming with Newtlets!

To finish Tawny Owls - ever present in Normanby Park however this one was taken at Messingham Sand Quarry - sometimes you just can’t get far enough away when digiscoping - the second shot is just the camera, the first is the camera attached to the telescope and finally last shot is of a Hairy Dragonfly again at Messingham taken in May - the only Dragons seen in profusion this spring.

Double click on the photos to see just how beautiful these creatures are.

Our Garden Pond

Remember this - this picture was taken on the 1st August last year….

this one was taken today just 10 months on….you can see why you should always dig the largest pond you can as it can soon get eaten away by plants.  I am delighted to say that it is teaming with Common Newts which have been egg laying and we hope now to have an invasion of dragonflies!  It hasn’t been a relaxing time watching the pond develop as for the last 3 months we have had to have a large net over the whole area to keep the local Mallard ducks out.  We know from experience that they would eat everything including all plants and newts so it has only been within the last couple of days that we feel safe to remove the net in the hope that the ducks have finished their spring philandering's and have hot footed it back to the Park.

So unfortunately I haven’t been able to take photos through the spring when the Marsh Marigolds, Snake Head Frittilaries, Water Avens and Cuckoo Flower were in full bloom…

We have a bit of a problem with Duck Weed (probably brought in by the Ducks!) and are finding it difficult to control as when we try to net it out it is clinging to pond weed which is full of baby Newts so we are just going to leave it for now until the autumn when all the newts should have left the pond.

Insect life has been busy even with a net on with up to 20 Whirlygig Beetles, Pond Skaters, Great Diving Beetle…
Plants are doing well with most surviving from the old pond and soon we will have Purple Loosestrife, Meadow Sweet, Gypsywort, Flowering Rush, Water Plantain, Water Forget-me-not, Bistort and Water Mint all in flower.

Bistort Superba


The plant we were most happy to see survive was this Royal Fern mixed in with Devils-Bit Scabious.

Pallid Harrier/Montague Harrier id difficulties

At long last we have managed to get reasonable prolonged views of Barton’s Harrier today, infact Wayne has been watching it from 7 until 4 when he had finally had enough of it disappearing over the brow of fields!  We have undertaken extensive research of Pallid/Montague juvenile Harriers and concluded that they must be one of the most difficult birds to separate. The two key features for a juvenile Pallid are the head pattern and the underwing pattern. After spending a great deal of time we eventually obtained reasonable views of the head but could not see a pale collar. With regards to the underwing the bird didn't show a dark trailing edge to the primaries or dark primary tips which is good for Pallid (but this is a variable feature) but the underwing primaries didn't appear to be coarsely barred and no pale (boomerang) patch could be seen at the base of the primaries, so this is more in favour for Monty's. So as much as we wanted it to be a Pallid Harrier it is definitely maybe a Montagu’s!

 

The following web sites also give food for thought

 http://www.dickforsman.com/bird-identification/

 http://www.zestforbirds.co.za/ringtail.html

 http://andalucianguides.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/pallid-harrier-circus-macrourus.html

Pallid Harrier - North Lincolnshire?

Yes at last a juvenile Pallid Harrier has finally arrived in N Lincs(or at least it looks pretty good for one), close to Barton On Humber on the Wolds it's gracefully floating around the undulating fields chasing Pigeons - we saw it a couple of times last night and again this morning with hopefully  closer views to be had this evening and some better chances of photos - this one was digiscoped  last night  - watch this space (hopefully).  Never seen at close range for long enough to see the feather to feather detail and infact the pale collar and boa on the neck do not seem very prominent but could this have been moulted out?  The contrasting underwing(dark secondaries and pale barred hand)  look good for Pallid and photos obtained by Roy Harvey do not seem to show dark primary tips like a Montague Harrier, so another positive feature for Pallid.

Lady’s Slipper Orchid - Cypripedium calceolus, Kilnsey, N Yorks,UK

When I caught wind of the fact that we were going to Estonia my first thoughts were not of birds but of orchids and in particular the Lady’s Slipper but as you know timing is everything in the natural world and we were a week too early and never in the right place!  So couldn’t believe it when returning to the UK and catching up with events  found this http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2012/may/23/plants-gardeningadvice so up to my favourite place on the planet the Yorkshire Dales for the best Orchid in the world.

Estonia re-visited via Neil’s images

A few of Neil’s images from Estonia starting with Slavonian Grebe..

Fieldfare and chick (look at right hand side of nest)

Cuckoo

Female Red-Backed Shrike

Barred Warbler

Male Red-backed Shrike

Common Rosefinch

Hoopoe

Wryneck

Red-breasted Flycatcher

Citrine Wagtail

Female White-backed Woodpecker

River Warbler

Blyth’s Reed Warbler

Great Reed Warbler

Penduline Tit

Map Butterfly

Redstart

Ural Owl

River Warbler in Nigula, Estonia