Two days at North Cave Wetlands

13/5 Went to North Cave Wetlands on Tuesday afternoon. Started in East Hide from where a pair of nesting Mediterranean Gulls could be seen.

Pair of Mediterranean Gulls-Village Lake

Then set off to do Main Lake for the first summer Little Gull and Dryham Ings for wader but was told about a Little Stint on Reedbed. Informed SG who had just left and headed for the Reedbed.

Two Pink-footed Geese were still with the Greylags in the fields north of the reserve.

Pink-footed Geese

The Little Stint wasn’t visible initially but not long after SG arrived he picked it up a small wader close in in the north-east corner. Not familiar with Little Stint in that plumage and with no other waders nearby to get an idea of size we weren’t sure if this was the bird.

Little Stint-Reedbed

Another shot of the Little Stint. The hind claw confirming it wasn’t a Sanderling.

The only other small waders we could find were a few Little Ringed Plovers but they never came close. With the heavy rain and having got a few good photos we left the site passing GED on the way. It was only later went GED had the wader with a Dunlin for comparison was it confirmed as a Little Stint, although of an unfamiliar plumage.

18/5 Got a call from SG mid morning Sunday morning that a Red-necked Phalarope was on Reedbed. There with in an hour with JH. On the way to Reedbed had a Stoat briefly on the path near East Hide. The Phalarope was showing fairly close although mobile.

Female Red-necked Phalarope-Reedbed

Family of Black-headed Gulls-Reedbed

A moth caterpillar was crawling across the path as we were leaving Reedbed.

Probable Garden Tiger

On the way out had another look at the nesting Mediterranean Gulls.

Adult Mediterranean Gull-Village Lake

Second summer Mediterranean Gull-Village Lake

Broomfleet Washlands

May Day Bank Holiday afternoon went to Broomfleet Washlands with ML and RL. As ML needed Variable Damselfly and Hairy Dragonfly they were our prime target.

Broomfleet Washlands

Although warmer then last week it still was overcast and no too hot. Started at the southern edge were I’d seen Variable in the past. Struggled to begin with but disturbed the occasional teneral damselfly. The first few were Azure but eventually located a few Variables and eventually got good enough views to satisfy all three of us.

 Variable Damselfly Coenagrion pulchellum

 Nettle Weevil Phyllobius pomaceus

Moved onto the drain along the northern edge where I’d seen Hairy Dragonfly before but weren’t able to locate any hawking over the water or flushed one from the grass. However wasn’t a total disappointment as there were 3+ Marsh Harriers over the Washlands and 5+ Common Buzzards over adjacent farmland and we sat on the flood-bank to enjoy the spectacle.

female Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus

Common Buzzard Buteo buteo

Broomfleet Washlands looking towards railway bridge

Walking off we disturbed a recently emerged Four-spotted Chaser Libellula quadrimaculata.

Four-spotted Chaser-Libellula quadrimaculata