13th: Had a visit to Filey Dams today .. what a great little Reserve .. always a great place to visit ; today being no exception. On arrival at the Dams it was good to see some Common Sandpiper and lots of immature Lapwings were close to the to the middle hide . On hearing reports that there some Green Sandpiper I then visited the hide immediately behind the main car park … and to my relief there were two birds feeding on the far side. Suddenly both birds were spooked, and they flew round then straight towards the hide where I was sitting ..I had to act quite quickly …I managed to ‘shoot’ one bird as it came into land .. here’s hoping the shots are ok ….suddenly both birds were on the move again giving their diagnostic ringing flight/alarm calls. What a great hour or so watching these typical early autumnal migrants.
On the 19th I had a visit to Castle Howard … always a pleasure to visit the grounds and take the woodland walk…whilst at the Southern Lake the swallows became very agitated and sure enough …. within 20 seconds or so a Hobby flashed over … obviously the Swallows did not want to be part of the menu and took objection to the raptor crashing their party. It was great watching the Swallows later on in the afternoon feeding over the lawns in front of the Great Hall … however time was a bit tight, so I’ll come back tomorrow. 20th: Return visit to Castle Howard … had a great afternoon photographing the Swallows.. really difficult trying to get them in fame … but eventually got a few shots.
24th: Some great weather today so a visit to Ellerburn Valley …Ellerburn is always a great place to find Common Buzzard, as one of the valley sides has lots of rabbits and the Buzzards use it as a regular hunting site. Eventually there were about 5 Buzzards up and I was fortunate when one bird drifted over and gave some nice poses against a blue sky. Suddenly an unmistakable silhouette flashed across the sky … leaving the buzzards in its wake…. a beautiful adult Hobby … my third local bird of the Summer season …always a privilege to watch these elegant raptors… even though their visits don’t last long!!!
28th: Had an afternoon trip above Stape this afternoon after a conversation with a fellow naturalist about a good site for Common Lizard and Adders!! Always keen to photograph something different the twitch was on!! After arriving on site it was extremely quiet .. even the birds were quiet too!! After an initial look for Adders drew a blank… Common Lizards were the next target … BOOM.. the first log I looked at … a beautiful adult lizard … soaking up the rays !! However I couldn’t to get a clear shot due to the amount of grass !! Eventually I changed the angle of the shot and got some frames … what a gorgeous little reptile!!! And to complete the afternoon later on I found a juvenile lizard complete with its green tail !!! Is my luck changing??
31st What a way to finish the month… with stunning views of a Red Kite just north of Helmsley. These magnificent birds of prey have got a small foothold in the local Ryedale area with several sightings being reported. I have suspected Red Kites have bred at various locations with increased numbers seen … lets hope that their breed success continues into the future.
