From Ibis to Orchid

On a picnic with the Mrs on Sunday the 29th to Bolton Abbey where a short walk in the woods got me a fair few Spotted and Pied Flycatchers and two possibly three Wood Warblers, a better year for them this year, then on Monday the 30th it was off to North Cave with Mark where a couple of Glossy Ibis’s that had turned up on the Sunday were still present with one showing really well, we enjoyed them until mid morning when they both suddenly flew up, gained height and drifted off south, we spent the rest of the morning looking round the reserve with a Med Gull on the Main Lake and a few Damsel and Dragonflys the only things of note. Having heard a snippet of news on some Burnt-tip Orchids near Pickering we did a bit investigating and after lunch having worked out where we thought they were we thought we’d have a bash, it’s an amazing thing fate, after ending up in the wrong place after following the wrong grid reference we got back on track but still couldn’t work out where we needed to be, we ended up dropping back to the Quarry near the NYMR crossing where we knew there was a public footpath that looked like it might take us to the right area, we weren’t sure though but after having been distracted by a Spotted Flycatcher we spotted a couple of naturalists making their way back and after quizzing them they revealed they had just been to the Orchid site and gave us good directions and a rough estimate of distance which was just as well because we’d have never found them otherwise, but find them we did (three in all) and were surprised at just how small they were, also a few Early Purple with them and an imm Broad Bodied Chaser on the way back.

this one was very obliging

spooked by Gulls

it flew off

but soon returned

its mate though kept a discreet distance

other general stuff around the reserve included Grebes

LRPs and Avocets

Common Blue Damselfly

Spotted Flycatcher at the Quarry

Orange Tip

Early Purple Orchid

and the dainty Burnt-tip Orchid