Garden Insects And Birds.....28.04.20.

With us all spending much longer in our gardens due to the lockdown restrictions,Tracey and myself have been doing some work and spending lots of time watching the birds and insects coming and going.Of particular interest has been a small colony of Chocolate-mining Bees which has in turn attracted some interesting parasitic species which prey on these solitary Bees.
 The first two species are from the family of Nomada Or Nomad Bees,which the females of each species enter into the nest chamber of the host and lay a single egg in an unsealed egg chamber,the larvae in turn hatches and eats the egg or larvae of the host species.The two species we have recorded so far are Marsham's Nomad Bee and Flavous Nomad Bee,both new species for the garden list.
 Another totally un-related species to the Nomad Bees,but again a parasitic species and endoparasite we have seen,is a species of Conopid Fly Myopa testacea.These flies are suspected to lay eggs on their hosts in flight,but also spend much time nectaring on wild flowers.This species is also another addition to the garden list.
 Other species of insects observed recently have included Orange Tip,Green-veined White,Peacock,Small Tortoiseshell and Holly Blue Butterflies.
 Bird wise we had a real surprise on the evening of the 25th,while looking for the Starlink Satellites we heard both a Moorhen and a Little Grebe calling as they flew over in the dark,the latter a really good record.
 Next day,an immature Peregrine drifted over towards Melton Ross,giving some nice views.

Flavous Nomad Bee.

Marsham's Nomad Bee.

Male Chocolate-mining Bee.

Myopa testacea.

Myopa testacea.

The Viking Way,Barnetby To Owmby,23.04.20.

Another superb forecast today,saw us walking from home again along the Viking Way up to Owmby and back.We really are blessed with a lovely section of this long distance path relatively close to home,the hamlets and villages really are special with some lovely scenery.
 No unusual sightings bird wise were recorded on todays walk,apart from a flock of Fieldfare hanging on,on the hillside paddocks above Kettleby with 10 birds being seen today.The commoner species and summer migrants are now getting down to the business of raising families and protecting their territories,with plenty of song.
 A superb non bird sighting today,went to two buck Muntjac watched chasing each other along the hillside near Bigby and are the first Trace has seen.
 A profusion of Butterflies were recorded today also and included some good numbers of Orange Tip and Speckled Wood.

What a superb walk today and thankfully we are still both healthy,long may it continue.

Somerby.

St.Margerets Church,Somerby.

Somerby.

Searby.

St.Nicholas Church,Searby.

Green Alkanet,Searby.

Owmby.

Mating Orange Tips,Owmby.

Owmby.

Speckled Wood,Owmby.

Mrs R,Somerby.

Bigby.

Holly Blue,Barnetby.

Barnetby - Bigby - Somerby - New Barnetby,18th April 2020.

An early morning walk with Mrs R today,from home,up to Bigby then onto Somerby,up to Somerby Top,then to New Barnetby and back home past Melton Ross was certainly a lovely few hours out and about,with some nice weather,wildflowers,birds and insects seen.
 Here are a few photos to illustrate what we saw while being out.

Bigby.

Greater Stichwort,Somerby Top.

Apple Blossum,New Barnetby.

Speckled Wood,Melton Ross.

Hoverfly Sp. Eristalis pertinax,Barnetby-Le-Wold.

The Village Patch....17th,18th & 22nd April 2020.

More great visits to the village patch and surrounding area provided more superb sightings,the following is what i recorded.

17th April

Plenty of migrant birds are now arriving in the area and 1 new species was recorded today which was new for the year,a Greenshank.The bird overflew the site not landing unfortunately,but was a decent spring record all the same.
 Plenty of displaying and courtship is still on going with the Waders on site and hopefully they will soon settle and begin to nest.

18th April

An evening visit today in some lovely sunshine was rewarded with the first decent gathering of Hirundines so far this spring at Kettleby,with my first House Martins of the year(10),20 Swallow and at least 37 Sand Martin making for some lovely viewing and a real joy to watch.
 On a recently ploughed field adjacent to the quarries,the sight of 12 Pied,9 Yellow and a single White Wagtail was really great to see.The Yellow Wags were great to see in the evening sun,looking like little glowing beacons,just stunning.The White Wagtail is the first I have seen this spring and was a welcome sighting of this north bound relation to our resident Pied Wagtail.

22nd April

Another cracking visit this morning,with another 'New' species added to the village patch list,a Grey Plover.The bird was seen flying over the quarry calling,but i could not relocate it on the ground unfortunately,but what a superb record for here.
 Other new species recorded for the year,where 2 Lesser Whitethroat,a very active Common Sandpiper and 2 lovely female Wheatear.
 Four Fieldfare were still feeding on the horse paddocks on the hillside above Kettleby,but all the Ring Ouzels have moved on now.

More excellent visits to my little local area and i look forward to getting out and visiting again soon.

The Crossroads Heading Into Barnetby At Church Hill.

Hoverfly sp. Epistrophe elegans.

Barnetby - Caistor,The Viking Way Part 2,15th April 2020.

It was a lovely forecast today,so Tracey and myself decided to walk the Viking Way to Caistor and back home again,the following is what we saw.
 Bird wise it was pretty productive,with 2 Ring Ouzel being seen,the 2nd calendar year female from the day previous,still on the horse paddocks on the hillside above the village and a new bird,a male,seen on some cattle pastures at Somerby.
 The remainder of bird sightings consisted of the locals and summer migrants,with lots of song and displaying from Common Buzzards,Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs.
 Plenty of butterflies were recorded on today's walk with one new species for the year,Large White being seen at both Grasby and Searby.Other species recorded included Green-veined White,Orange Tip,Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell.
 It is a real privilege to have some lovely scenery and areas rich in history relatively close to home and it was a really enjoyable walk today in some beautiful weather,just what you need to divert thoughts away from this horrible virus that is killing so many people in our country.

Wood Forget Me Not,Somerby.

Searby.

Searby.

Clixby.

Clixby.

Caistor.

Lunar-yellow Underwing Moth Caterpillar.

Red Arrow Over Searby.

Mrs R,My Partner In Crime.

St.Nicholas Church,Searby.

Typhoon FGR-4,high Over Somerby.

Bigby Hill.

Barnetby - Bigby - New Barnetby - Melton Ross,12th & 13th April 2020.

Another local walk around the northern part of the Lincolnshire Wolds today near home covering the villages of Bigby,New Barnetby and Metlon Ross and back home saw some nice sightings being seen,particularly birds.Highlights went to 12 singing male Corn Bunting,a very welcome sight for sure of this declining,chunky Bunting.We still seem to have a few sites were these lovely birds can still be found thankfully,it would be a real shame to lose them.
 Also seen were a pair of Little Owl in Bigby Quarry and a large flock of 130 Lesser black backs on a newly ploughed field at Bigby Top.
 Butterflies were very much in evidence today,with our first records of both Holly Blue and Speckled Wood at Melton Ross and other species observed included Orange Tip,Green-veined White,Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock.
 A lovely 4 hours out locally again.

Corn Bunting,Bigby Top,12th.

Gorse,Bigby Top,12th.

Gorse,Bigby Top,12th.

Jack-by-the hedge,New Barnetby,12th.

Speckled Wood,Melton Ross,12th.

Cowslips,New Barnetby,13th April.

Record Shot Of The Pair Of Little Owls,Bigby Quarry,13th.

The Village Patch.....What A Great Visit!.......Saturday 11th April

Another wander around the village patch today,saw some fantastic birds being recorded,the following is what i saw.
 The first notable,was a single Fieldfare watched flying over the edge of the playing field as i walked towards the quarries,a feature of recent visits of this north bound winter visitor.A further 5 birds were observed later on in the visit,a sure sign spring is here properly.
 As i neared the sewage works,that scratchy,familiar song of a male Whitethroat was heard and after a bit of searching i managed to see him.This little area of scrub,has a pair every year and it was great to see one back here after their long journey from Africa.
 More of the usual fare was seen as i walked down the edge of the plantation and included several Chiffies,Blackcap,a couple of Willow Warblers,Green Woodpecker and a Jay scolding me as i passed by.
 As i reached the far side of the quarry,i was sure i could here the distinctive call of Avocets and sure enough there were 4 birds.This is the first time i have seen this species here and i'm not sure whether i welcome them or not,as they may drive the Little-ringed Plovers away if they settle down to breed.
 On the theme of LRP's,i could only see three birds today,which may have something to do with Avocets being present,or it may be that the dominant pair are settling down and have driven the others off their patch.
 A prolonged scan from the top of one of the mounds to try and see any passage of birds overhead,had the desired effect,as a female Ring Ouzel dropped in on the edge of the quarry,sat there,called a bit and then she was off and flew off high to the west.This is the first bird i have had down here since 3 on the 19th April 2015,so was a welcome sighting indeed.
 More scanning added another great sighting for here and another first for the site,a Little Egret and overhead a lovely male Yellow Wagtail passed by with his lovely flutey call,my first of the year.
 I decided to walk up the hillside past the little pond and then carry on up to St.Mary's Churchyard and on to Melton Ross.
 More of the same usual migrants from the last few previous visits were seen and included several Chiffchaff,Blackcaps,4 Swallow and a lovely singing male Corn Bunting still singing away near the tip,all nice sightings to keep the interest going.
 As i eventually made it to Melton Ross and Knabbs Bridge i began the final stretch of the walk back towards Barnetby,when all of a sudden a flash of a red tail flew infront of me and i thought to myself 'That was a Redstart!',as i walked and tried to relocate the bird,a Ring Ouzel 'tacked' and shot off from near my feet into the adjacent bushes alongside the railway and quickly disappeared and then i was back onto the red tailed bird and it WAS a cracking Redstart and a male.Bloody hell,talk about a hectic few minutes,the Redstart and Ring Ouzel must have been within about 30 feet of each other,what a fantastic pair of sightings for my little local area.
 For the rest of the walk home i was on a high and i enjoyed seeing several butterflies along the railwayside which included male Brimstone,Peacock,Green-veined White and Small Tortoiseshell.
 What a fantastic visit today and just goes to show what can be found on your doorstep.

Blackthorn Hedge Near Church Hill,Barnetby.

Hoverfly sp. Eristalis pertinax.

The Viking Way.....Thursday 9th April

Tracey and myself had been talking about doing a section of the Viking Way long distance footpath that passes through Barnetby from its starting point at Barton all the way along the wolds,through Lincolnshire to Rutland and today was the day.
 We decided to do a decent sized section,taking in the villages of Bigby,Somerby,Searby,Owmby,Grasby,Clixby and the town of Caistor.In all it was a 16.5 mile round trip,which travels through some lovely countryside,town & villages rich in history.
 Bird wise on our walk the best sighting went to a male Ring Ouzel seen distantly,sat on a bush near some sheep pastures just outside of Caistor and a huge flock of 61 Corn Buntings near to Searby.
 A good selection of summer migrants were also observed and included Blackcap,Chiffchaff and Swallows,with a good sized flock of 81 departing Fieldfare near Clixby.
 Wildflowers were also a notable feature of the walk,with Yellow Archangel,Lungwort,Green Alkanet,Wood Spurge,Greater Celandine,Primrose,Cowslips and Dog's Mercury being seen.
 For anyone wanting to enjoy a nice leasurely walk in the Lincolnshire Wolds,this is for you,i could have sat at in the sun at Somerby listening to Nuthatches all day.

Bigby.

Bigby.

Bigby.

The Monument Dedicated To Edward & Anne Weston Between Bigby & Somerby

St.Margarets Church,Somerby.

Lincoln Cathedral,Taken From The Viking Way At Somerby.

Searby.

Searby.

Searby.

Dark-edged Bee-Fly,Searby.

Green Alkanet,Searby.