An afternoon on the Moors

I spent Sunday afternoon up on the Moors starting at Tranmire Bogs in Wheeldale, a pair of Whinchat were showing well but it never got bright enough to entice the hoped for Dragonflies out, I was initially going to drop out of the top end of the dale then head back down to Fen Bog but after the heavy overnight rain the streams were very swollen and the tarmac surface of one of the fords I needed to cross was being washed away so I decided not to risk it and turned back and headed over to Bransdale instead, I just went to the Redstart site hoping to get some photos but they must have fledged and moved on already, a juv and adult Grey Wagtail showed well by the little stream though and a Golden Ringed Dragonfly entertained for a while in the now nice late afternoon sun, even resting on my trouser leg at one point.

swollen streams

Bog Asphodel

Water Cress

Bell Heather

lots of these little Moths with only a latin name
Catoptria margaritella

came across this roosting Small Heath

juv Grey Wagtail

being fed

lots of Ringlets when the sun came out but looking rather tatty now

Golden Ringed Dragonfly, I'd been hoping for one at Tranmire Bogs
so it was a nice bonus to get one in Bransdale

devouring a Bee

the essence of summer, sun shining through the trees

A bit of a Prat but came good in the end

I made a dash up to Hurworth Burn Reservoir in county Durham this afternoon although its just beyond Teesside really, a Black Winged Pratincole had been found there this morning and was still around, it was in fields North-west of the Reservoir with Lapwings when I got there and was difficult to say the least, it was easy enough to pick out from the Lapwings when flying around but quite often landed out of sight or hunkered itself down and hid amongst the vegetation however after a couple of hours chasing it about here and there to try and obtain better views it was eventually seen to fly to the pool at the North-eastern side of the Reservoir so everyone hurried back there and with the shorter grass and the light behind us it ended up giving quite good views.

part of the Lapwing flock

even in the shorter grass it hunkered itself down

until the flock got disturbed

the diagnostic black underwing

some low flying Swifts too

Glossy Fairburn

Out after work this afternoon and nipped across to Fairburn Ings mainly in pursuit of a couple of Spoonbills seen this morning, unfortunately they had done a disappearing act this afternoon although the Glossy Ibis was still showing well on a little pool just past the viewing screen at Lin Dyke along with an impressive ten Little Egrets, there was also a showy female Mandarin on the Main Lake.

showy Mandarin

Glossy Ibis arriving

a good number of Little Egrets

LRP's look to have bred successfully, a couple of juvs present as well

Reynard surveying