It’s been a bit wet and cold today so I haven’t been out with my camera which has given me chance to catch up with the photos I already have. Yesterday I took my camera into the garden wondering if I would see anything interesting – butterflies, Blackcap, interesting insects, or perhaps a Siskin again so I could get a photo not taken through double glazing. Nope. Nothing like that but I still somehow managed to take 606 photos which is why there have to be cold wet days.
Please tap on an image to see it better in its gallery carousel. And if I have got any ID wrong please let me know.
Saturday at DMNR
This set of images is from Saturday at Denso Marston Nature Reserve. One reason for going down there again was to see if the Alder Leaf Beetles were still on the same tree. There were a few on an adjacent tree but the main clusters of beetles were still on the Field Maple. A few were on the ground around the tree and I only spotted one in another part of the reserve, on a Silver Birch.
The Poplar Catkins have come on a bit since I took a photo on my previous visit.
The big mass of bracket fungus on the Crack Willow near the gate is looking quite impressive at the moment. I’m going to make a guess at it being Trametes versicolor but of course there are several others that are similar. The other two fungi should really be left as “fungi” but I have stuck my nose in a book – is that Wood Ear Fungus (Auricularia auricula-judae) on the cut tree stump? And could that be an artist bracket fungus?
Several Mandarin Ducks seem to be taking up residence on the reserve and as expected there were noises from drumming Great Spotted Woodpeckers. Wrens and Dunnocks were making the most noise though – no photos of Dunnock. I spotted several Treecreepers and one of them stayed still long enough for me to get a decent photo.
At one of the guided walks round the reserve we were told that the plum tree was planted in memory of a dog called Stanley that was a frequent visitor to the reserve. The tree variety is Prunus domestica ‘Stanley’.
The Beech bud has a couple of tiny insects on it that look like Aphids if you don’t zoom in too close.
Towards the end of my visit I spent some time following a Roe Deer walking up river eating fresh leaves as it went. It didn’t seem a very efficient way of getting the leaves off the plant.
Sunday at Ben Rhydding
Sunday was a trip to Ben Rhydding Gravel Pits where one of the first things I saw was a Little Egret but it soon took off. Just a few yards down the river was another, and even though I was hidden behind the bushes and hedges along the river it soon took off.
I only spotted the one but it looks as though there are Alder Leaf Beetles at the gravel pits too. One of the noticeable noises of the visit though were the Chiffchaffs. There are several there patrolling their territory. At one point it looked like there were three Treecreepers going up and down a small section of trees on the river bank. Over the other side of the river were flocks of around a dozen Sand Martins making a noise over sections of the bank before flying off for a few minutes. One of the Sand Martins was scraping and pecking at a section of the bank looking as though it was going to make a fresh nest hole.
The dark edged Bee-fly (Bombylius major) I spotted on the Ground Ivy also landed on a dried leaf from where it was easy to see its long tongue and the dark front edge to its wings.
I have had a look through the plant list created by Bradford Botany Group for Ben Rhydding Gravel Pits and could see no mention of Daffodils (possibly planted by visitors), Marsh Marigold, Lords & Ladies, Celandine or Primrose. This could be because they are new to the reserve since the list was created in 2015, or I have the ID wrong, or I am looking for the wrong words in the list.
I heard Oystercatcher on several occasions and kept looking to the sky. On one such occasion a Kestrel was flying by and on another a Buzzard. I spotted several little groups of Oystercatcher flying by – in 2s, 3s and 4s and managed to track 2 in the viewfinder only for a Wizz Air Airbus A321 to fly along with them.
Towards the end of my visit I saw a couple of rabbit’s tails bobbing away from me so I kept still for a few minutes until they started to show themselves again. They were quick to disappear but I managed to get a photo of them through all the Teasle stalks.
During the last few minutes of my visit three quick response ambulances, 2 police cars and the air ambulance headed towards Ilkley. I have seen nothing in the news so hopefully it was not a major event. The curve in the rotors of the helicopter are due to time it takes for my camera to read the sensor when using what is called electronic shutter, about 1/50s I believe.
Monday & Tuesday in Our Garden
On Monday and Tuesday the furthest I took my camera was into the garden. This Siskin was taken through the kitchen window but the preening Dunnuck was taken while I was in the garden. The sky was clear and on several occasions had 4 planes flying across it making vapour trails. When looking up I spotted a Buzzard so started trying to get it in the viewfinder and in focus. All the time it was floating higher and higher and was joined by another – a male and female flying around each other with the occasional little bit of acrobatics. Great to see.
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