Out and About

It seems that most people have reduced their twitter activity and fewer people are posting on the blogs. So I've gone for a long post of Photos taken during the last two weeks.

Bee Orchids (EC)

Bird's-foot Trefoil

Biting Stonecrop (W,EC)

Dock (W,D)

Comfrey (W)

Curled Pondweed (D)

Dune Robberfly (EC)

Fragrant Orchid (EC)

Goat's-beard (W)

Hare's-tail Cottongrass (Cr)

Hart's-tongue (W)

Lady's Bedstraw (W,EC)

Lesser Whitethroat (EC)

Marsh Cinquefoil (Cr)

Marsh Helleborine (EC)

Pirri-pirri-bur (Cr)

Selfheal (W,EC)

Semaphore Flies (S)

Spiked Water-milfoil (D)

Wild Parsnip (W)

Wansbeck Estuary, East Chevington, Druridge, Cragside, Stobswood

'Take your Pec'

Return wader movement has just started. Increased numbers of Black-tailed Godwits, Common Sandpipers, Redshank and Curlew. So a regular morning check of Druridge Pools is the norm.

This morning I came across this wader. 1) Rule out Dunlin, 2) Check again make sure it is not a Dunlin, 3) Rule out Sanderling ... OK.

So it is long-winged. Baird's or White-rumped ... legs look a bit long. Bars on back rule out Baird's (but would make it a juv wrs.). I'm struggling at this point so I post pictures on twitter and get some helpful comments. The long dark legs are a problem. Distance and poor light are not helping.

After a long wait it finds some deeper water, preens and in half-decent light reveals yellow legs and bill. The pectoral band is now very clear and ID couldn't be simpler.

Pectoral Sandpiper

Panic Over.

No mad twitch on, because most listers saw the bird on the Druridge Flashes earlier in the year.

Bugs in the Bay

A small selection of the insects I photographed in the bay last month.

As June is relatively quiet on the birding front I decided to focus on bugs and botany. I also thought I would upload records to the iRecord database.

After hours searching the internet I came to the conclusion that this was 'Coastal Silver-Stiletto Fly', (Acrosathe annulata). I duly added it to the database but got a rather sarcastic comment about my identification. So I've decided not to report any more observations to iRecord.

Dark Green Fritillary

Red Admiral

Meadow Brown

(Eristalis intrcarius)

Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet

Four-spotted Chaser

(Great to see but unable to photograph three Emperor Dragonflies at the same spot.)

Small Tortoiseshell

Beautiful China-mark 

(20+ of these at one site.)

Botanising in the Bay

A very small sample of the plants I photographed in June.

Marsh Arrowgrass (Hadston)

(Triglochin palutris)

Agrimony

(Agrimonia eupatoria)

Flax

(Linum usitatissimum)

Oops ... a birdseed alien, just where we feed the Twite in winter, although there is also more in a cow field at Druridge?

Euphrasia sp?

Viper's-bugloss

(Echium vulgare)

Common Restharrow

(Ononis repens)