CallumMac

[CallumMac]

Thanks both. I was also very pleased with the Beardies, a bird I'd started to believe might be mythical! And that particular Kestrel was very engaging, I had a hard choice between several photos of it.

[David M]

This is a butterfly forum, but the majority of us are interested in birds too, and that last sequence is right up there, Callum, particularly the bearded tits, which look absolutely divine.

[CallumMac]

This is a butterfly forum, but the majority of us are interested in birds too

I wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment - I always enjoy seeing what other posters have been up to when the butterflies aren't playing ball, though I do try to keep the bulk of my PD about butterflies.

[CallumMac]

Hope everybody's keeping well, or as well as could be expected. It's been slow going up here in Yorkshire, as the weather hasn't been playing ball, so until yesterday I've been limited to a couple of garden fly-throughs by Peacocks and Small Tortoiseshells. But with sunshine forecast, cabin fever threatening to set in, and waistlines starting to creak, L and I decided to take an extended "exercise walk" and took aim for Allerthorpe Common, some three miles away.

The way there and back - along usually busy roads and then along a bridle path through freshly-ploughed fields - was surprisingly quiet, with just a couple of Small Tortoiseshells to see. But the Common itself was abuzz with insect life, including (as I'd hoped) a large number of Brimstones. Singles of Comma and Small White took my year's total up to five species.

The only butterfly photo worth sharing:

On the walk back we found an interesting colony of these tiny wasps - does anybody know what they are? They were going in and out of holes in bare dirt, but I couldn't decide whether these were their own holes or whether they were parasitizing Tawny Mining Bees (which were also present).

A real tonic for the soul - let's hope the next step isn't to ban all outdoor exercise!

[millerd]

Good to hear how things are at Allerthorpe, Callum! I would normally be visiting my sister in nearby Wilberfoss for Easter, but obviously not this year, so thank you for providing the news from this spot. Hopefully further sunshine later in the week will bring out even more - maybe even some basking adders too!

Cheers,

Dave

[Goldie M]

Everybody is wary of the rules at present Callum, but hope fully come Summer we'll be able to get out more, five species is great my count is just three Goldie

[David M]

Glad you managed to get out, Callum, and even better that you got a few butterflies.

I don't think it'll be long before you've caught up - looks like we're in for a few days of mild, pleasant conditions.

[Wurzel]

Good to see you're getting your exercise Callum and a lovely looking Brimstone Your wasp is actually a Cuckoo Bee from the Nomada genus and you're right about it parasitizing the Tawny Mining Bees, there is one species which is quite rare called N.signata which parasitizes the Tawny Mining Bee though this looks more like N.leucophthalma? Here's a link to BWARS which might be worth a look

https://www.bwars.com/category/taxonomi ... apidae-bee

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[CallumMac]

Thank you all! It was good to be out and about, although I don't suspect I'll find many species this year.

Wurzel - that's truly remarkable. Not only have you nailed the cuckoo but you've also helped me correct the ID of the host... looking back at my photos of it, I had Clark's Mining Bee (Andrea clarkella) not Tawny!

[Wurzel]

No worries Callum (blush not opps ) it was all down to the excellent website that is BWARS

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[CallumMac]

7th April - Pocklington Canal

Sometimes, on a day like yesterday, having the freedom to work flexibly is a real blessing! So L and I headed out for a longish walk soon after lunch, resolving to make up the hours in the evening.

Pocklington Canal seems to be one of the best options for our "exercise walk", being nearby, fairly rich in wildlife, and relatively easy to maintain social distancing so long as you avoid peak dog-walking hours. Yesterday it served up a feast of spring butterflies, including our first GVW of the season (not photographed, as it took shelter within 2m of another household of walkers!) and likewise our first Orange-tips. One of the OTs virtually crawled inside a flower of (Lesser?) Periwinkle in search of nectar.

Also of note - possibly the world's chubbiest bird?

[Goldie M]

Love that bird Callum, Goldie

[Neil Freeman]

Love that fluffed up Goldcrest Callum It almost looks like a shot taken in winter.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Great stuff Callum - it looks like that OT is trying to pass itself as just another petal and failing miserably I know what you mean about the dog walkers but my main bugbear at the moment is the cyclists that seem to think that they're travelling too quickly to have to worry about staying at least 2m away - they just carry on regardless

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

Love the 'chubby bird', Callum, a goldcrest if I'm not mistaken?

Good to see Orange Tips out round your way too. Hope you can eke out sufficient trips to do justice to them!

[CallumMac]

a goldcrest if I'm not mistaken?

Thanks everyone, yes a Goldcrest. Unusually this one sat still for more than a millisecond!

my main bugbear at the moment is the cyclists that seem to think that they're travelling too quickly to have to worry about staying at least 2m away - they just carry on regardless

Interesting point Wurzel. I noticed this when I was one of the cyclists yesterday! I'm so unused to having to watch the pavement when riding along the road that it took a special mental effort to get into the habit of swinging out into the middle of the road to keep clear of pedestrians. Being able to do that also relies on cars keeping clear and overtaking sensibly, but luckily there weren't many of them around...

[Wurzel]

From your description Callum you sound like the total opposite of the cyclists I'm having a problem with at the moment , when I'm on the footpath and they're on the road I can get over to one side and its not a problem its when they cycle on the footpath and don't even get to one side that I'm finding frustrating at the moment

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[CallumMac]

Of our three regular exercise walk spots, Pocklington Canal is certainly performing best for butterflies. Yesterday (16th April 2020) it brought our first Speckled Wood and Large White of the season - neither one stopping to model! The numbers of male Orange-tips have built up over the past week, and yesterday were joined by the first females. Given the unbalanced sex ratio, they were inevitably spending a lot of time fending off unwanted advances!

The canal can get a little busy, especially at dog-walking time, though - so our favoured spot for walking at the moment is Millington Dale. A classic steep-sided chalk-stream valley which empties out of the edge of the Wolds just north of town. I'm holding out a faint hope that it may yield Dingy Skipper when the time comes - otherwise I probably won't see this species in 2020. For now, though, it is rich in Red: with both Kites and -legged Partridges offering good views over the last week, and -starts expected back in the wood imminently!

[Goldie M]

Love the Bird shots Callum and the the Orange tip shots, there seems to be quite a lot of Female Orange Tips this year looking at people's post. Goldie

[Wurzel]

That is a beautifully marked female OT Callum lovely and dusky

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel