Spurned

Today I visited Spurn Point for the first time in two and a half decades. The first time, I remember biting cold and bleak desolation but today was warm and sunny.


Along with enjoying the scenery some birdwatching took place with great views of waders and departing summer migrants. I was also very happy to get a handful of "lifers".

Curlew Sandpiper
Little Gull
Marsh Harrier
and
Spotted Flycatcher (a red list species).

While walking around the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserve (also a National Nature Reserve) we saw this Sand Lizard basking on a fence.

The area is also notable for its archaeology; much of it associated with coastal defence during world war two. The picture below shows a "sound mirror" used to detect the approach of enemy bombers.

National Woodlouse Night

Saturday night was National MOTH Night but you wouldn't know it. Only woodlice and millipedes were attracted to my wine ropes and the sugaring I applied to various posts and tree trunks. Rather a waste of dad's rum if you ask me.

I had a bit more luck with a flourescent tube and a white sheet and, in a couple of hours, conjured these two specimens out of the darkness.

The first one looks like an Orange Upperwing but, I'm told, it's very rare. I'm stumped, so answers on a postcard please. The second one, I think, is a Large Yellow Underwing.


Highlight of the day though was a Hummingbird Hawk-moth which visited my folks' garden while I was helping to dig their pond.

Small Tortoiseshell

Not much photography today. I was helping my parents create a pond in their garden. But I got this shot of a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly this afternoon.

New 'scope

Having sold a digital camera that was surplus to requirements I've treated myself to a new telescope.

It's an Opticron ES 80 GA ED/45. That's quite a mouthful, and indeed it's quite a hefty beast in comparison with the old 'scope. It looks like this.

Image from the Opticron website

Hopefully the bigger objective lens and fancy, "low dispersion" glass will mean brighter, crisper digiscoped bird photos.

No promises mind!

Saltaire Festival

The highlight of Saltaire's cultural calendar climaxes this weekend, and last night I met friends at the Saltaire Beer Festival (just one part of a huge programme of events) to sample some unusual brews and talk nonsense into the night!

Beers and ciders imbibed:

Fernandes' Malt Shovel Mild, 3.8%
Kelburn's Pivo Estivo, 3.9%
Maypole's Maybee, 4.3%
Spire's Land of Hop and Glory, 4.5%
Biddenden's Cider, 8%
Thatcher's Cheddar Valley Cider, ABV unknown.

That'd explain the thick head this morning then. Looking forward to next year when I'll have forgotten all about it!

Check out the Saltaire Festival online here.

Common Ground

I came across Common Ground while training as a planning officer in the early nineties and I'm delighted to see that they're still about. Their message is one of "local distinctiveness" and they've recently published a book called "England in Particular" which celebrates it and promotes its recovery.

Image from the Common Ground website.

The book works on one level as a quirky and instructive compendium of English particularity; even eccentricity. But on another level, it illustrates that English patriotism it not the exclusive, wrong-headed preserve of the British National Party but something the mainstream can (and should) celebrate if we are to retain the distinctiveness that everyone can enjoy, participate in and develop. Whether born here or not.

Fruits

Although today was distinctly Indian summer weather, autumn is clearly on its way with all manner of plants coming into fruit.

These, along with Rowan and Hawthorn seem to be especially plentiful this year. Good news for the winter migrants now arriving. Two Redwing in the BOG area this weekend.

Fun Guy

My friend Robbie is always convivial and was especially so as it was his 40th birthday weekend at Brathay Hall near Ambleside.

I was quite taken by the "thorny" texture on the surface of this fungus,

and by the light dappling through the beech leaves.

The place has great views toward the Langdale Pikes.

There followed a riotous party where, I'm afraid, drink was taken. So, today we blew away the cobwebs by visiting Leighton Moss RSPB reserve. A highlight was the presence of an Osprey, of which we got distant but very clear views.

The warm weather also brought lots of dragonflies out.

I think this mating pair are Common Darters (Sympetrum striolatum).

Greenshank were among the waders present.

Towards evening, as visitors began to leave the reserve, deer emerged from the reeds to eat and drink at the waterside.

Caching in

Something that gives me a modest amount of innocent amusement is geocaching.

This involves searching for hidden "treasure" using a Global Positioning System receiver (I use one of these) and the wonders of the interweb.

Find out all about it here:

www.geocaching.com

The chief interest for me is not so much the treasure (typically a plastic box full of plastic toys; you're supposed to leave something if you take something) but visiting local places I wouldn't normally go to. Maintaining a cache is also a bit of fun. You can find mine in the wooded valley known locally as Northcliffe, south west of Shipley in West Yorkshire. It's in the centre of the map below...

...and also here on the geocaching website, "Same to you wi' knobs on". Northcliffe and the nearby Heaton Woods is worth a visit in any case if you're in the area.

24 people have found my cache to date and some of them have signed the logbook below.

Thanks for stopping by!

Off the rails

Visited BOG's Stockbridge reserve this evening and bumped in to Andy and Sean who were attempting to trap Water rail as part of a ringing study.


Water rail shown here on the cover of BOG's latest annual report. A rattling good read!

The traps were baited with Stilton and catfood (a Water rail favourite apparently) before our duo began their patient vigil. It was quiet on the reserve with only a handful of species in view; one of which (a hapless gull) expired as we waited. With only mobile phone videos of questionable taste to amuse themselves, time passed slowly. However, the rails, while making occasional fleeting appearances, were showing little interest in the bait until, at dusk, Andy played a recording of rail calls. Almost immediately two rails headed resolutely out of the vegetation, toward the trap and fought agonizingly on the threshold before one went in. The trappers hardly dared breathe but the trap failed to close and the rails escaped. Colourful language ensued!

Wish Andy and Sean luck in their varied ringing activities by posting on Sean's blog and see more of Sean's great pictures on his website, Gray Images.

Hagg Gill Pics

The river Wharfe could be crossed dryshod here when we entered the cave. It usually flows largely underground at this point.

Within 3 hours standing waves and rapids had formed on the river and conditions underground had become "sporting".

Even the ducks had become apprehensive.

Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue were called out as a precaution against the water continuing to rise and our friends being trapped for too long. Please support them if you can. Image from their website.

Hagg Gill Pot

Yesterday, myself and friends descended Hagg Gill a pothole in Langstrothdale in the Yorkshire Dales. We had abandoned our original plans to descend another pot on the grounds of the current wet weather and further forecast of rain.

The pot is on the fellside called Hagg on the south side of the valley west of Hubberholme and contains some beautiful straw stalactites as well as flowstone and helictite formations and interesting stream passage and rifts. An entrance pitch needs to be descended and ascended by single rope technique. We had all entered the pot by midday and split into two groups to explore the system.

Straw stalactites in Hagg Gill by Julia Bradshaw

After visiting the straws, we returned to the chamber below the entrance pitch and made our way into the main stream passage, first by scrambling down a 15 metre cascade. We then made our way upstream in search of further formations. This way took us climbing up some small waterfalls and ducking under some short, low and narrow sections where it was necessary to lie in the water.

After some time, we met the other part of our group who were making their way out of the cave. I joined this group while another group of four continued upstream. On our way to the entrance, we remarked at how the water had risen and its strength was pushing us downstream. Back at the cascade, the climb back to the entrance pitch chamber was "sporting", requiring a little determination to make progress. We remarked that there appeared to be a risk of the group of four becoming trapped if the water continued to rise and unless they made their way out soon. Ultimately all but four of us had exited the cave by 3.30pm.

Back at the cars, the river Wharfe had risen higher than any of us had seen before and it was raining heavily.

See more images here.

In the event, however, the rain abated and the group managed to exit the cave at about 7.30pm, having "sat it out" for two hours.

My thanks however go to Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association for turning out ready to assist if needed on a damp night when surely the pub must've been a more attractive option. Please support them next time you come to the Dales. There are collecting tins in many local shops and pubs.

Plug one

Eighties "D.A.I.S.Y. Age" hip-hop aficionados will recognise the title of this post as a small piece of lyric from Plug Tunin' on De La Soul's seminal Three Feet High and Rising long player.

More specifically this is a naked advert for the blog (and varied works) of Jude Calvert-Toulmin one of the most imaginative people I know and together with her partner Brian, a great friend to have in a tight spot.

JCT with her mosaic piece "Cellestine Explosion". Image from her blog.

For something very different visit Jude's blog at www.judecalverttoulmin.blogspot.com.

Thanks Jude and Brian, it's da inner sound y'all!