CallumMac

[CallumMac]

The long silence on my PD is because I've been on holiday! Heading to the north and west of Scotland in the first week of April is not a recipe for a rich butterfly-watching experience, but no doubt I'll drip-feed a few of the amazing birds and mammals seen onto my diary in the coming weeks.

08/04/2019 - Walmgate Stray

Having returned to the office, I have also returned to my lunchtime Walmgate Stray visits. Today there wasn't much about, as the sun was only occasionally popping out from behind the clouds. I did, however, manage to find my first Orange-tip of the year!

Although too cool for the butterflies, there were plenty of bees about. I think this was a Hairy-footed Flower-bee...?

I was also intrigued by this unusual red leaf - presumably an aberration of some kind.

[Wurzel]

Great stuff Callum the first OT of the year is always a welcome sight Looking forward to the drip fed mammals and birds having already had a sneak preview

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

These recent cool conditions have seen many Orange Tips becalmed and thus easier to photograph, Callum. When it's warm they're usually racing around like bullets!

I shall await your Scotland report with anticipation. I'm sure the scenery was spectacular, if lacking in butterflies.

[CallumMac]

Thanks both. Sorry to keep you waiting on tenterhooks for the holiday report... but I'm taking inspiration from the best in allowing my PD to fall behind the calendar... I finished sifting and editing last night, so hoping to start getting photos online this evening.

In the meantime, a visit to North Cave Wetlands on Saturday produced my second Orange-tip and first Speckled Wood of the year, in spite of an absolutely bitter easterly. Both entirely unapproachable!

[CallumMac]

15/04/2019 - Walmgate Stray

Back on Walmgate Stray yesterday lunchtime. A freezing easterly continues to ensure there's nothing to be seen except in the shelter of the eastern boundary hedge!

Nonetheless, there are still lots of very active Small Torts, some of which even look quite fresh still!

A couple of Peacocks zipped past, and I was able to find my third, fourth and fifth Orange-tips of the spring (all males - yet to spot a female). As usual, those that posed did so in awkward positions!

With the butterflies a little sparse in this wind-chilled sunshine, I have been paying more attention to the various solitary bees. This is a group I'd really like to learn more about. I'm sure somebody on this forum can confirm or correct the following tentative IDs:

Red Mason Bee?

Ashy Mining Bee?

Harder - possibly a male Red Mason Bee?

[Wurzel]

Alright there Callum? Cracking Small Torts and OT's Living of the past is the best way Your first bee is a Tawny Mining Bee, you're spot in with the second but now I've got to go and check out the third...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Had another look the final bee - quite tricky indeed - could it be a male Tawny Mining Bee? Best guess...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Lovely Orange Tips Callum , the bee's never seem to stop long enough in my garden for a photo Goldie

[CallumMac]

Thanks Wurzel. For the first one, I went with Red Mason Bee because in a head-on shot (below) I thought I could make out the "horns"... does this angle change your opinion or am I barking up the wrong tree? I think you may be on to something with male Tawny Mining Bee for the third one.

Thanks Goldie! A good patch of bare earth seems to bring a few down to bask - much like the butterflies in that regard. I also find it hard to get nice pictures of them on flowers.

[CallumMac]

Scottish sojourn part 1 - the long journey up

Warning - this post is a butterfly-free zone, so feel free to skip it!

Naturally, the obvious route from East Yorkshire to the west coast of Scotland is via Bristol and Oxford... The life-lesson here is "don't say yes to something without checking your calendar first"! So, on the evening of Friday 29th, between an afternoon's meetings in Briz and a weekend entomology conference in Oxford, I managed to squeeze in a brief visit to some chalk downland at West Yatton Down. Too late in the day for butterflies, but lovely to see some of the early flowers in bloom.

Common Dog-violet, West Yatton Down

First thing on Sunday morning, it was finally time to hit the road north. Rather than tackle the full distance in one go, I stopped overnight at my parents' place in the north Lakes, arriving early enough for an afternoon stroll up Binsey (one of the smallest Wainwright fells, but worth the effort for its views over Skiddaw and down Bassenthwaite), following by tea in the garden. Whilst drinking the latter, I discovered that my ever-rusty bird-song knowledge was not failing me - what sounded like a small group of Goldcrests in the hawthorn behind the garden shed (something I'd discarded as being far too unlikely!) was in fact... three Goldcrests!

Robin, Binsey

Skylark, Binsey

Goldcrest, Lake District

Goldcrest, Lake District

So to Monday, and across the border. A brief and unwelcome detour into the centre of Glasgow was necessary, and just as I returned to my car, the rains arrived. I decided to add a further detour to my journey in order to stop at the Forest Lodge visitor centre, just outside the village of Aberfoyle. I'd been before with my partner (who used to work there) and knew there was a little-frequented wildlife hide with well-stocked feeders within easy walking distance of the carpark. With the rain growing in intensity, this seemed like an ideal place for my packed lunch!

Great close up views of a range of woodland species, including some that I rarely see at home (Nuthatch, Coal Tit, Siskin). The only shame was that the Red Squirrel sightings were curtailed by the arrival of a large family group, who screamed and shouted their way all the way up the path before enthusiastically 'shushing' each other on the very threshold of the hide. They didn't see any squirrels, and I resisted the temptation to show them my photos from 10 seconds before their arrival.

Nuthatch, Aberfoyle

Great Tit, Aberfoyle

Chaffinch, Aberfoyle

Great Spotted Woodpecker, Aberfoyle

Coal Tit, Aberfoyle

Red Squirrel, Aberfoyle

The final leg of my long journey passed smoothly enough; rain in Glencoe discouraged me from stopping for photographs and it was late afternoon by the time I pulled into the small carpark of the Glenloy Lodge B&B. To be continued...

[Allan.W.]

Interesting Bee pics "Callumac " ,I find myself taking pictures of more or less anything that flies ,hops or crawls
these days ,and by coincidence ,I photographed a bee very similar to your first picture ,and tentatively I'D'd it as Common Carder Bee (see last item
in April sightings ) but must say, looking at your pics I,m now not so sure !!
Regards Allan.W.

[Wurzel]

Great set of bird shots Callum and great to see a proper Squirrel I'm fearful of getting to the age when Goldcrest song will be beyond my hearing range
I had another look at the Bees and then went and checked against some of my shots.
Here's a Red Mason Bee

As you can see it's much short in the body and the abdomen is much more rounded which is the Osmia shape. It's hair is a bit sparse. The first one of yours has a longer, more tapered abdomen (classic Andrena shape) and is much hairier so I would still go for Tawny

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[CallumMac]

Thanks Allan. Looking at your photo on the April sightings thread, I can see why you plumped for Common Carder initially but I think I agree that it's the same species as mine (and hence Tawny Mining). I must try in future to put something into these photos that gives some scale - I think in terms of size, we are talking about something equivalent to confusing Purple Emperor with Purple Hairstreak!

Thanks for the extra info, Wurzel. That Red Mason Bee does look totally different. I'm sure when I see one I'll be able to recognise it now! If it makes you feel any better, my physics teacher at school (slightly over a decade ago) once demonstrated rather neatly that I had exceptionally poor hearing at the high-pitched end of the scale - but I can still pick out the Goldcrests!

[Wurzel]

Cheers for the reassurance Callum I wasn't looking forward to missing out on such delights as Goldcrest, lesser Whitethroat and Grasshopper Warblers

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

..Warning - this post is a butterfly-free zone, so feel free to skip it...

Not at all, Callum. We get precious few images from this glorious corner of the UK and what it lacks in butterflies is more than compensated for in other ways...such as those birds.

[CallumMac]

17/04/2019 - Walmgate Stray

Full-on sunshine at lunchtime today, and the butterflies were out in force!

Small Tortoiseshell, Orange-tip and Peacock were all well into double figures, and extremely active, as were several Brimstones.

A couple of nice Speckled Woods were hanging round in the more sheltered corners (that easterly is still cooling parts of the Stray down considerably!).

And along the heat-island of the cemetery wall, I spotted my first Large White of the year.

It had been weeks since I'd seen a Comma on the Stray, despite the almost continuous presence of Small Torts and occasional Peacocks. But today they showed they had just been hiding. This one even perched on the exact same bramble twig that I photographed a Comma on last month - perhaps the same individual, or perhaps just a very favourable territory!

Finally, continuing the solitary bee theme, I came across this scene which I think must be a pair of Ashy Mining Bees 'in cop'.

[CallumMac]

Not at all, Callum. We get precious few images from this glorious corner of the UK and what it lacks in butterflies is more than compensated for in other ways...such as those birds.

Well in that case...

Scottish sojourn part 2 - Wild Lochaber

So, I had arrived at Glenloy Lodge. I had chosen my destination extremely carefully; some of you who have seen the Scottish population of Chequered Skippers might even have stayed in the same place! Run as a wildlife tourism enterprise by the lovely Jon and Angela Mercer, the particular draw of Glenloy was its Pine Martens. And so, only a couple of hours after checking in, I took up position in the sun-lounge to await the arrival of these very special guests.

Female Pine Marten, Glenloy Lodge

Female Pine Marten, Glenloy Lodge

Female Pine Marten, Glenloy Lodge

Truly charming animals, and the first time I had ever seen one! Something of a brief appearance, but with two more nights booked in at Glenloy I was not too concerned. It was likely that the males (sons of this female from consecutive litters) would also appear at some point, but I didn't want to stay up late...

...because I was up again at 5am the next morning. Jon drove myself and another guest through Fort William and up onto the moorland edge. Pulling up in a passing place, we wound down the windows to the incredible bubbling and squawking noises of a Black Grouse lek!

Black Grouse, Fort William

Black Grouse, Fort William

We watched for about half an hour, before an early-morning jogger appeared over the crest of the road and that was the end of the day's lekking! Apparently this lek has been continuously active for 15 years or more, despite being disturbed almost daily by joggers and dog-walkers.

No matter, Jon had other plans to absorb some time before breakfast! Heading down to the head of Loch Linnhe (and taking up a rather unpromising vantage point at the back of an empty industrial estate!) we started scanning the estuary, coming up trumps almost immediately.

Otter, Loch Linnhe

Distant and fleeting, but recognisably an Otter! A brief flutter of excitement passed quickly as another V in the water turned into, not another Otter, but a Common Seal.

Common Seal, Loch Linnhe

There were plenty of coastal birds to be seen, including this nice pair of Goosander.

Goosanders, Loch Linnhe

With all three of us starting to feel the cold, we retreated to Glenloy for a marvellous cooked breakfast. Once I'd warmed up, I struck out on my own to explore the amazing sea lochs of the Lochaber area.

Loch Eil

Loch Linnhe

Loch Sunart

I managed to spot quite a good selection of coastal birds...

Red-breasted Mergansers, Loch Linnhe

Oystercatchers, Loch Sunart

...but undoubtedly the highlight of the day was this - very distant, but recognisably a Golden Eagle!

Golden Eagle, Loch Sunart

I headed back to Glenloy for another evening with the Pine Martens. The female put in her usual appearance at dusk, and an hour or so later one of her sons dropped by to hoover up the leftovers. It's so magical to be able to get this close to a beautiful wild mammal - but of course, we all get to do this every summer with butterflies!

Female Pine Marten, Glenloy Lodge

Female Pine Marten, Glenloy Lodge

Male Pine Marten, Glenloy Lodge

Male Pine Marten, Glenloy Lodge

I'll leave it there for tonight. To be continued...

[David M]

Absolutely fabulous, Callum. It's quite difficult to believe that it's actually the UK. One of the great truly wild areas of the country.

[Wurzel]

Absolutely cracking stuff Callum Especially those shots of the Black Grouse - My bird list has a gaping hole where the Grouse should be

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[CallumMac]

19/04/2019 - Millington Wood & Allerthorpe Common

It's a beautiful sunny Easter weekend in East Yorks. On Friday morning we headed up to Millington Wood in the hope of finding an Early Purple Orchid amongst the woodland flowers. No joy (possibly a week or two early) but there were a good number of Brimstones nectaring on the bluebells, and lots of 7-spot ladybirds.

After lunch we decided to try Allerthorpe Common. I've never seen a Green Hairstreak here, but they're present on lots of local sites with superficially very similar habitat. Again no joy, but more Brimstones. Sadly a large swathe of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserve had been recently scorched (it has been such a dry winter), but at least a Peacock was able to extract some benefit.

20/04/2019 - Walmgate Stray

A day doing touristy things in York with friends, but I took my camera as we walked into and out of town across the Stray and was able to find a few Speckled Woods, Orange-tips and Peacocks.