Suspicious Characters

Keep an eye for these two , often seen loitering around Lower Gorple at dusk..the tall one especially...he said they had seen , 2 Hen HArrier , 1 Marsh Harrier , 6 Kestrels , 1 Sparrowhawk , 3 Bueto Bueto ,1Barn Owl and a Juv Peregrine Falcon chasing Woodpigeons , Snipe , Oystercatches and a few Tufted Duck ...a likley story..

Wood Sandpiper

Well way back in September 1996 I found 2 Wood Sands at Ringstone Edge reservoir , and today JJL found one at Blackstone Edge 26 years without one locally .......Well done John

Pic jen Coats

Greenshank

Not been to Withens Clough for a while so it was nice to find a Greenshank feeding along the shoreline , 45 LApwing and 3 Wheatear.

Willow Tit (Marsh Tit....)

Great to catch up with the Cromwell Bottom Marsh Tit at the feeding station , well worth a look if your passing.This bird has been reidetified as a young Willow Tit

More Owls

A really exceptional weekend watching Owls , Little Owl and Barn Owls were seen hunting , but the star of the show was an Adult male Short eared Owl feeding 5 young , again and again the adult was off catching voles , the first night it caught 6 voles in an hour and 10 minutes. Second night 4 in an hour and on the third night 5 in an hour...

A n adult Long eared Owl was feeding 2 young very close by..Teal , Hen HArrier , Adult Cuckoo , Spotted Flycatcher , Grey Wagtail , Dipper and good numbers of Golden Plover......

Calderdale Butterflies 2022

 A stunning adult male Brimstone today at Hollas Bridge  was my 24th local species this year.

Small and Large Skipper , Small , Large and Green veined Whites , Orange Tip , Holly Blue , Common Blue , Holly Blue , Green , Purple and White letter Hairstreak. Small Copper , Red Admiral , Painted Lady , Small Tortoiseshell ,Peacock , Comma , Speckled Wood , Wall Brown , Gatekeeper , Meadow Brown , Ringlet and Small Heath. Which is by far my best year locally.....

Crib Goch and the Snowdon Horseshoe.....

  A quite superb walk , but not for the faint hearted or unfit.......

Walshaw Dean

 An excellent trip up to the tops this evening, started with a juv Merlin chasing Meadow Pipits , 1 Red Kite , 2 Buzzard , 4 Raven , 5 Kestrel , male Siskin and a stonking Stoat seen briefly, 

 30 Golden Plover , 1 Little Owl , 2 Short eared Owl , 2 Hen Harrier and a few Lapwing , Common Sand and Oycks....

                        LEO , Lapwing , Curlew , Barn Owl and Hen Harrier

                                                         Gannet Flambrough

                                                   Redshanks Blake Dean

                                                    Skylark Queensbury
 

Northern Marble....Phiaris palustrana

 A first for VC 63 confirmed today by Charlie F , photos were very suggestive of this species so great to get confirmation from CF and HB ,  found high up on the moor above Walshaw Dean...on the 14th July 2022..

Breeding Season Update....

                                                  Merlin

                                         Tree Sparrow

                                               Common Sandpiper

 An excellent breeding season for many species this year ,mainly Short eared Owl and Little ringed Plover seem to have been main species doing very well , At least 8 pairs of SEO and 6 + pairs of LRP . 1 pair of Teal was a surprise and its always a treat to find breeding Merlin. Barn Owls seem to spreading year on year might even get them in Northowram yet..!!! Red Kites are seen almost daily in one area and is only a matter of time before we prove them breeding. Redshanks , Common Sands and Oystercatcher also increase each year.  Stonechats and Wheatear also have had a good season.  Siskin and Tree Sparrow juvs also seen this year. Northowram had Green Woodpecker , Great   Spotted Woodpecker , Nuthatch , Dunnock ( 2 broods in back garden) , Sparrowhawk , Buzzard , 3 pairs of WHitethroat , 2 Blackcap , 1 each of Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler....

Local Barn Owl...

 

Local Common LiZard

 

Red Kite feathers

 

Red tailed Shrike

                                               At 1min 10sec it coughs up a pellet
 

                                                          

Red Tailed Shrike.....and Shrikes

  Nice to catch up with this beauty at Bempton today , the rich vein of rare birds continues at this brilliant RSPB reserve.......I do love Shrikes , now seeing in Europe , Great Grey Shrike , Southern Grey Shrike , Lesser Grey Shrike , Red Backed Shrike , Woodchat Shrike , Iberian Shrike , Isabelline Shrike , Red tailed Shrike , Brown Shrike and Masked Shrike.....

Moths and Lizard ..Walshaw Dean

                                                            Emperor Moth

                                                        Gravid female Common Liard

                                                               Grey Scalloped Bar

                                                      Northern OAk Eggar

                                                 Vapourer Moth cats taken back to Walshaw and released

Red Necked Footman

 So pleased to finally catch up with Red Necked Footman...........

Latvia May 2022

  Highlights included , Black Woodpecker at nest , Ural Owl , Grey Headed Woodpecker , Thrush Nightingale , Scarlet Rosefinch , Citrine Wagtail , breeding Montagu's Harrier , displaying Lesser Spotted Eagle , Bluethroat , Barred Warbler singing , Common Cranes , Hawfinch (26 in one flock) , Red breasted Fly , White tailed Eagle (9 together + one carrying dead Crane , Golden Oriole , Red necked Grebes , Wryneck , Middle spotted Woddpecker , Caspian Tern , White winged Black tern , Whiskered tern  , Map butterfly , Northern Chequred Skipper..Common Clubtail , Moose , Beaver and Wild Boar...and many more

Garden Birds at Kolka included ,Black Woodpecker , Hawfinch , Red Backed Shrike ,Hobby ,Grey Headed Wagtail , Common Rosefinch , Woodlark , Black throated Diver (2 fly overs) , Golden Oriole , Icterine Warbler and Common Crane (flyover)

List of Birds

Greylag Goose pretty common on lakes at Eugures Ezera

White -fronted Goose only one seen near Kolka

Barnacle Goose  ..4 seen on the sea at kolka 

Dark bellied Brent Goose 4 + 2 at Kolka

Mute Swan ..Common throughout

Whooper Swan.....birds seen heading north at Kolka and at least 4 breeding pairs at Fishponds and at Eugures Ezera

Shelduck , Garganey , Shoveler

Gadwall an impressive flock of 130 + at Fishponds and small numbers  at 

Widgeon at Eugures Ezera and Eugures Ezera

Mallard common throughout

Pintail  at Eugures Ezera and Fishponds

Teal 4 at Eugures Ezera and a few at Fishponds

Pochard at Eugures Ezera

Tufted Duck at  Eugures Ezera

Greater Scaup a few males on the sea at Kolka

Eider small numbers on the coast around Kolka..

Velvet Scoter  good numbers at Kolka most days with 70 + 

Common Scoter large numbers at Kolka

Long -tailed Duck 

Goldeneye small flocks on the sea at Kolka (aprox 35 +)

Red -breasted Merganser Common around Kolka point with birds seen displaying

Goosander , A common resident

Mandarin Duck ** 

Quail ...1/2 call in fields at the southern end of fishponds

Little Grebe ...1 at fishponds was the only sighting

Great Crested Grebe...common throughout

Red -necked Grebe ..a good breeding population at Fishponds and at Eugures Ezera. Seen fighting with Great Crested Grebes over nest location..

Slavonian Grebe...one seen at Fishponds in summer plumage.

Feral Pigeon ,Stock Dove ,Woodpigeon , Collared Dove

Turtle Dove 5 seen at Kolka

Common Cuckoo very common one hepatic bird was seen at the Fishponds.

Eurasian Nightjar watched displaying and catching insects in woodland near Lake Lubans .

Common Swift ..common

Eurasian Coot ,common

Common Crane  , common throughout with a large group of 55 + on woodland drive just outside Kolka , and birds with young at Kemeru raised bog , can be seen and herd just about anywhere.

Eurasian Oystercatcher  seen at Kolka

European Golden-Plover  , 2 only 

Northern Lapwing ..Common in suitable habitat , seen when driving between sites and good numbers at Fishponds

Common Ringed Plover ...Kolka point held a few birds daily

Little Ringed Plover ....small numbers seen at various sites.

Bar-tailed Godwit ..1 at Kolka point

Black-tailed Godwit ..2 + 4 at Fishponds 

Sanderling ..2 at Kolka point

Eurasian Woodcock , seen most evenings with birds very close and roding..

Common Snipe ....

Common Sandpiper 

Green Sandpiper 

Spotted Redshank ..I in near full summer plumage at Fishponds

Marsh Sandpiper ..1 seen in flight at fishponds 

Wood Sandpiper ..2 birds displaying on the ground and in flight  and showing well at Kemeri Raised Bog .

Common Redshank 

Black-headed Gull...Common 

Little Gull...large  numbers at Eugures Ezera with 1000+ birds 

Common Gull ..Common

Herring Gull ..Common 

Lesser Black-backed Gull ..Common 

Great Black-backed Gull ...A few individuals near Kolka 

Caspian Tern .....Eugures Ezera

Picture above Caspian Tern , Little Gull , BH Gull and Common Tern

Black Tern ...A small breeding colony at Fishponds and small numbers at Eugures Ezera

White-winged Tern 

Whiskered Tern 

Common Tern 

Arctic Tern ..Small numbers on passage

Sandwich Tern ..Common at Kolka

Red-throated Diver ..small numbers at Kolka

Black -throated Diver ...excellent passage at Kolka point with 12 the first afternoon the next few days saw 300 + , 70 , 80 and 1 ..flying right overhead ...

Great Northern Diver 

White Stork 

Black Stork ..One seen very well 

Great Cormorant...Common to abundant at Cape Kolka ...

Bittern....Seen very well at Eugures Ezera with 2 birds together  and could be herd calling from the garden at Fishponds..Great to see and hear...

Grey Heron...Regular

Great White Egret...Common the first 3 at Kolka were heading North out to sea.

Osprey..Common with upto 3 seen together at Fishponds and a regular sight .

Lesser (never)Spotted Eagle.....After renaming this species the Never Spotted Eagle we finally saw 2 on the last day just south of the fishponds.It was worth the wait as they put on a display , with stooping twisting and prolonged scope views.................

Marsh Harrier..Common 

Montagues Harrier......A 2cy male was seen at Kolka and a pair the fishponds gave stunning views.The male and female food pass was one of the highlights of the trip for me.

Northern Goshawk..One seen distantly on an evening drive whilst watching a Black Woodpecker at the nest.

Eurasian Sparrowhawk...

White -tailed Eagle..Seen most days in good numbers but  9 together at the fishponds was memorable to say the least..

Common Buzzard...common 

Honey Buzzard..Small numbers seen on passage at Kolka and a bird displaying at Eugures Ezera...

Tawny Owl..herd calling from the garden at Kolka

Ural Owl ...Wow a stunner.....

Short - eared Owl..One at Kolka on the first day was our only sighting coming in off the sea.

Hoopoe.. A few sightings from the car and a nest site on the coast.

Common Kingfisher ..2 sightings at 

Eurasian Wryneck ..not as common as expected but seen well on a couple of occasions.

Middle Spotted Woodpecker ..Nest site found and male and female both watched feeding young..brilliant...

Great Spotted Woodpecker ...Common

Grey-headed Woodpecker ..Seen very well on a couple of occasions at  , excellent attractive species.

Black Woodpecker  joint bird of the trip for me with the first one in the back garden at Kolka. We eventually found a nest site where close views were obtained and many more sightings around Latvia.

Eurasian Kestrel ..Common 

Eurasian Hobby ...Very Common the commonest raptor of the trip

Peregrine Falcon ,,,Seen at Kolka ...

Eurasian Golden Oriole ,, again a common garden bird with birds singing from first light at Kolka and at the fishponds , not so often seen but occasionally a stunning male would show itself.. 

Red-backed Shrike ..one of the first birds seen at Kolka from the front room . One morning there were 4 on next doors fence ..seen most days in good number..

Eurasian Jay ...Common

Eurasian Magpie...Common

Eurasian Jackdaw ...Common some 'Nordic Types ' were seen if looked for

Rook ..Common

Hooded Crow ..Common

Common Raven ..Common

Coal Tit .. 2 seen at Kolka point

Crested Tit ..4 birds seen very well , 

Willow Tit only 2 seen near Cape Kolka

Eurasian Blue Tit ...Common

Great Tit..Common

Eurasian Penduline-Tit ...My favourite find of the trip ,on the first day one was found in the last fallen down tree on Kolka point....herd at the fishponds and Lake Lubans

Wood Lark ...Common

Eurasian Skylark ...Common

Latvia May 2022.......Butterflies and Critters..

 Butterflies...

Continental Swallowtail

Brimstone...

Small White 

Green Veined White

Large White

Orange Tip

Wood White

Peacock

Red Admiral

Painted Lady

Green Hairstreak ..abundant

Small Copper

Sooty Copper 

Grizzled Skipper

Chequered Skipper

Northern Chequered Skipper

Map Butterfly

Small Heath

Small Blue 

Holly Blue

Common Blue

Heath  Fritillary

Bog Fritillary..

Camberwell Beauty (not seen by me)

Moths..

Speckled Yellow , Common Heath , Beautiful Hook Tip , Brown Silver Lines , Bloodvein ,White Ermine , Burnet Campion , Small Yellow Underwing , Common Carpet , White Pinion Spotted ,  Northern Eggar (cat) , Lackey (cat) , Drinker (cat) Scarlet Tiger (cat) , 

Dragonflies

Four Spotted Chaser

Banded Demoseille 

Common Yellow Club tail

Brilliant Emerald  

White Faced Darter sp 

Shieldbugs

Striped , + 2

Mammals

Moose

Wild Boar

Fox 

Badger

Brown Hare 

Beaver 

Red Deer

Roe Deer

Red Squirrel

Racoon Dog 

Pine Martin large male road victim...and Grass Snake video below...