7/7/22 Kiplingcotes Chalk Pit and Snuff Mill Lane, Cottingham-updated version

Finally after several days of cool, cloudy and often windy weather Thursday was warm so Ricky and I decided to go Kiplingcotes to get pictures of Marbled White.

Plenty on the wing as well as several other butterfly species.

Marbled White

Meadow Brown

Ringlet

Common Blue

Small Heath

Also plenty of skippers including at least one Essex, my first in many years. Unfortunately couldn’t get a sharp picture. Six-spot Burnet were also abundant, my first this year.

Six-spot Burnet moth

We had been too early on our last visit but there were now a large number of Pyramidal Orchid and a past its best Common Spotted Orchid.

Pyramidal Orchid

Common Spotted Orchid

Carline Thistle

Moved on to Rifle Butts to check the nearby stream for dragonflies. None seen so decided to return to Cottingham and have a look at the private pond on Snuff Mill Lane. A Emperor Dragonfly was patrolling the pond but never settled in sight but a Black-tailed Skimmer was more obliging.

Black-tailed Skimmer

Also plenty of damselflies.

Azure Damselflies

Common Blue Damselflies

Blue-tailed Damselfly

Also several “red-eyed” damselflies on the lilly-pads. Later at home found the majority were Small Red-eye Damselflies, my first [and maybe the first] record in the village.

Small Red-eye Damselfly

Red-eye Damselfly

Also had a few butterflies.

Small Skipper

Gatekeeper

We then went across the tracks to check the Wych Elm for the recent White-letter Hairstreaks.

White-letter Hairstreak

11/7/22 After a message from Mac on Twitter, too late for me to respond, on Sunday I cycled up Snuff Mill Lane late afternoon Monday and almost immediately got a Purple Hairstreak in the large oak just south of the crossing. Came low a few times but only ever settled high up but slightly easier to photograph than the other hairstreak.

Purple Hairstreak-Snuff Mill Lane, Cottingham

Went back across the tracks but couldn’t locate any White-letter Hairstreak but the even light make the area I’ve previously seen them difficult to view.

Red Admiral-Snuff Mill Lane, Cottingham

Speckled Wood -Snuff Mill Lane, Cottingham

8/6/22 An afternoon looking for butterflies and moths in East Yorkshire

Wednesday 8th June 2022 started wet but became dry later morning. At a loose end and the dog hadn’t asked for a walk yet so when Ricky rang suggesting a drive up to Kiplingcotes Chalk Pit YWT I jumped at it, although with some worry that the weather might still spoil things. Getting there although the ground was wet it was warming up with breaking cloud and soon had several moths.

Common Carpet

Straw Dot

Silver Y

Also a good numbers of Common Blue butterflies.

Male Common Blue

Male Common Blue

Female Common Blue

As well as my first Small Heath of the year.

Small Heath butterfly

Nearby along the old railway track {Hudson Way] we had a few more moths.

Snout

Nettle-tap

Pammene aurana 

Next we moved a short distance to Rifle Butts Quarry YWT. Although I’ve spent a lot of time in the area over the decades I’ve never visited this reserve before but it is more of geological interest than wildlife. I’ll let the sign explain.

The geological succession at Rifle Butts Quarry YWT

We did add Large Skipper to the year list though.

Large Skipper

Our final destination was Northcliffe Wood YWT where we added two moths as well as finally getting a Speckled Wood to settle.

Clouded Silver

Speckled Wood

Cream Wave

At one time Kiplingcotes area was my go to area for Turtle Dove but like most other areas where I once expected to see them and inline with the national trend they can be seen no more. However as Turtle Dove declined Red Kite has become expected over the Yorkshire Wolds and we saw one on the way in over Etton then later over Goodmanham.

Our next trip out, weather permitting, is North Yorkshire on Friday for butterflies and orchids.

2016 in 12 picture

Intro

Most of this year, due to having more free time, I’ve managed to blog when I’ve had the inspiration and a few photographs. I’ve rarely left Yorkshire though so most of the highlights will inevitably be local. I’ve kept going with Cottingham Moths but still wonder whether it’s worth the effort. However viewing figures have doubled since last year. See how I feel when I start trapping again in 2017.

January

My first picture for 2016 is the returning Barmston Kumlien’s Gull, seen on the 31st. It proved tricky this year [more here].

Kumlien’s Gull on Barmston Beach

February

An Early Moth found in Cottingham on Travis Road on the 6th was a new one for me [see here].

Early Moth

March

March was poor for photographs so I’ll settle for my first picture of a Small Tortoiseshell of the year taken at Far Grange.

Small Tortoiseshell at Far Grange, Skipsea

April

My best photograph of the month was a very showy Cetti’s Warbler at Tophill Low NR that performed close to North Marsh Hide for several days.

Cetti’s Warbler at North Marsh-Tophill Low NR

May

This month’s photograph is the two Glossy Ibises at North Cave Wetlands NR, taken on the 29th. A site tick for most regulars.

Glossy Ibises on Dryham Ings-North Cave Wetlands NR

June

This month it’s a Dingy Skipper taken at Kiplingcotes Chalk Pit near Market Weighton on the 5th. A difficult species to see locally and even more to photograph [Full account here].

Dingy Skipper at Kiplingcotes Chalk Pit

July

Perversely my picture for July is an escaped/released Corn Snake found at High Eske NR on the 25th but it survived to provide material for a light hearted posting in August [see here].

Corn Snake-High Eske NR

August

August was a good month for waders at Tophill Low NR, had a site tick in the form of Spotted Crake at North Cave Wetlands and some good insects. All these are covered in the blog but the choice goes to the Western Swamp-hen at Minsmere RSPB on the 1st [see here].

Western Swamp-hen-Minsmere RSPB

September

This month I go for a moth. My first Brick on the 17th.

Brick-Cottingham

October

October was a mad month, said to be the best rarity wise ever. Oddly I never left Yorkshire but the best bird, for me at least, was the Siberian Accentor at Easington seen the same afternoon as my first Yorkshire Paddyfield Warbler [full account here].

Siberian Accentor-Vicar’s Lane, Easington

November

November was a waterbird month and represented by this Black-necked Grebe I found at Tophill Low NR on the 22nd [See here].

Black-necked Grebe on D res at Tophill Low NR

December

The last photograph should have been Dusky Thrush at Beeley but didn’t see it long enough to get a picture on my 1st attempt and not at all on the 2nd [see here]. Therefore the space is filled by Eastern Black Redstart at Skinningrove, with in the historic borders of Yorkshire [see here].

Eastern Black Redstart-Skinningrove

Top 10 posts of 2016 [viewing figures]

1 The Flamborough/Easington twitch-Paddyfield Warbler and Siberian Accentor

2 Migrants-Kilnsea/Easington including Olive-backed Pipit

3 Putative Stejneger’s Stonechat at Spurn Point–Since confirmed

4 31/1/16 Kumlien’s Gull at Barmston [for the 4th year?]

5 Waxwings at last-Hessle Sainsbury’s

6 Alkborough Flats–pre-Western Swamp-hen

7 The Grey Phalarope at Tophill Low NR

8 Spotted Crake at North Cave Wetlands

9 North Cave Wetlands YWT–Birds and insects

10 2015 in 12 pictures

Insects at Kiplingcotes Chalk Pit

Spend the morning at Tophill Low NR with RL and ML. With spring wader passage over and everything down to breeding there wasn’t much bird wise of interest to see. A Common Sandpiper on South Marsh East was the only ‘vagrant’.Expected to see a few insects but even they were disappointing with the only Painted Lady refusing to settle and even the recent mass invasion of Diamond-back Moths failing to show. However had a few teneral damselflies with one proving to be our first Red-eyed of the year from a photo ny RL.

Teneral Red-eyed Damselfly-Tophill Low NR-RL

Dingy Skipper had been recently seen at Kiplingcotes so with good temperatures finally after recent dull days thought it worth a punt. Parked at the official reserve car park to save the long walk I usually take from Kiplingcotes Station. A bit windy in the quarry itself but quickly picked up a small brown butterfly which a settling was confirmed as Small Heath.

Small Heath-Kiplingcotes Chalk Pit YWT

Next, although not rare, was a nice Peacock which kept up with us the length of the quarry.

Peacock Butterfly-Kiplingcotes Chalk Pit YWT

Heard the familiar mewing of Common Buzzard and look up see not one but five drifting over.

Next had a male Common Blue but this just wouldn’t stop and eventually pushed it into the north-east corner where it finally gave itself up.

Common Blue Butterfly-Kiplingcotes Chalk Pit YWT

Walking back we were joined by MJ just in time to see our first Cinnabar Moth of the year.

Cinnabar Moth-Kiplingcotes Chalk Pit YWT

Reached the west end and were beginning to give up on Dingy Skipper but we saw a stout dragonfly. Initial thoughts were Four-spotted Chaser but had some suspicion it might be a Broad-bodied Chaser. Fortunately it ‘hung up’ allowing us to confirm it as the latter and all to get good pictures.

Female Broad-bodied Chaser-Kiplingcotes Chalk Pit YWT

Had an interesting butterfly which fly out of the reserve to the footpath but couldn’t be relocated and we were near to leaving when it or another landed on the bank below me. Ran back down to get a closer view and although initially unable to see it RL relocated it and I managed to get one clear shot to confirm it as Dingy Skipper before it flew towards ML and MJ then disappeared again.

Dingy Skipper-Kiplingcotes Chalk Pit YWT

Like Tophill Low NR Diamond-back Moths were scarce but had my first Straw Dot of the year.

Just after parting company with MJ she called and looking up had two low flying Red Kites.

Red Kite over Kiplingcotes Chalk Pit YWT