Local Patching Round-up - June 2026

A short month and only two visits due to the extreme heat, saw another month pass by with some nice sightings from my 2 visits. New for the year species came in the form of a singing male Quail and a Common Tern putting the local patch year list on 142 species. Not too bad a total, with the whole of the autumn to go.

Sunday 7th

Today i covered both Goxhill and East Halton, as has become the norm these days, with 68 species being recorded. The obvious highlight was finding a singing male Quail along the western edge of East Halton Marshes, with a bit of effort, i also managed to see this diminutive species in flight, not an easy species to see in the open.

Other niceties recorded included a cracking Hobby, as it nearly took my head off as i left the car at Goxhill Haven and was watched bombing along at a rapid rate after some unsuspecting prey no doubt. The Falcon theme continued at East Halton with a pair of immature Peregrines playing havoc with the local Corvids, chasing them and dive bombing them, great entertainment to watch, but not so much for the Rooks and Jackdaws which were the targets.

A couple of Waders were hanging on in the form of a single Little-ringed Plover at East Halton Skitter and later a Whimbrel was seen at Goxhill Haven, with the Curlew flock now reduced to 26 birds along Goxhill Marsh.

A nice insect find today on East Halton Marshes, saw me finding a Slender-striped Robberfly, a new species for the local patch.

Saturday 13th

The only real bird highlight on today's visit was a single Common Tern at Goxhill Tilery Ponds. This species is only a passage migrant here, so it was nice to catch up with one for the year list.

Waders have continued to be present in small numbers along the marshes, with 14 Curlew and 18 Lapwing present today, roll on autumn passage when things will certainly change.

Insect wise, i managed to find 2 Wasp Beetles on my travels, with singles found near Goxhill Tilery Ponds and Chapel Field Farm, a scarce species here. Other nice finds, included several species of Hoverfly, with Eristalis arbustorum, Meredon equestris and Dasysyrphus albostriatus being seen, the latter new for my local patch.

Not too bad a month, apart from the heat, next month will be better, as autumn wader migration begins.

Slender-striped Robberfly, East Halton Marshes, 7th.

Biting Stonecrop, Goxhill Haven, 7th.

Male Common-blue Butterfly, Goxhill, 7th.

Wasp Beetle, Goxhill, 13th.

Soldier Fly Species - Black-horned Gem, Goxhill, 13th.

Forest Bug, Goxhill, 13th.

Wasp Beetle, Goxhill, 13th.

Passing Storm, Goxhill Haven, 13th.

Stunning Light Over The Humber, 13th.

Goxhill Tilery Ponds, 13th

Rainbow Looking Towards Barrow, 13th.

Hoverfly Species - Eristalis arbustorum, Goxhill, 13th.

Hoverfly Species - Syrphus ribesii, Goxhill, 13th.

Hoverfly Species - Dasysyrphus albostriatus, Goxhill, 13th.

Hoverfly Species - Meredon equestris, East Halton Skitter, 13th.