Between Summer and Autumn

I did a couple of trips this week as meteorological summer came to an end.

On Bank Holiday Monday I revisited Wallington Hall Walled Garden and made an early common sighting - a common darter.  More interesting however was one of those bumblebees that just doesn't look right and was eventually confirmed as a field cuckoo bee.  It was also nice to catch up with a red-tailed bumblebee worker as one hasn't appeared for a while when I've been out.

Field Cuckoo Bee

Common Darter

Red-tailed Bumblebee

There wasn't quite as much around as last year, when the weather was noticeably better.

However, I did take the opportunity to check for ivy bees at Wylam Bridge on the way home.  At first sight it seemed quiet but on checking it became clear that they were there in force, probably over 100.

Ivy Bees

They were all males apparently so probably hadn't been out long.

On Friday, I was on a bee walk at Allenheads where heavy winds emphasised the change in the seasons though it at least remained reasonably warm. Here we saw over ten broken-belted bumblebees but my understanding of the species was rather shattered by the information that they don't always have an interruption to the upper yellow band on the abdomen.  Otherwise bee sightings were restricted to white-tailed bumblebees plus one buff-tailed bumblebee and several common carder bees (rather than the moss carder bee we'd hoped for).

There were also a coupe of sightings of the fox moth caterpillar and isolated butterflies including a single, very small common blue.

Broken-belted Bumblebee

Fox Moth caterpillar

Perhaps more exciting was that we (rather than I) discovered a couple of flowers that are known to be rare.  These were the autumn gentian and the grass of parnassus.

Autumn Gentian

Grass of Parnassus

It seems the latter is a Cumbrian emblem.

Meanwhile it has been business as usual in the garden but still with one or two surprises.

I found an interesting fly I am provisionally guessing to be tetanocera ferruginae (common buff snailkiller) and the hornet mimic hoverfly has turned up again on two successive days.

Tetanocera Ferruginae

Hornet Mimic Hoverfly

Then frustratingly yesterday I encountered a large, dark bumblebee but just could not get a decent shot of it.  From observation I think it might be a tree bumblebee queen.

Tree Bumblebee Queen?

Maybe another day...

Up in The Highlands 3

Day four of our stay was spent at Marr Lodge after a lovely, scenic drive through the moors of Aberdeenshire.

We did a longish walk up the valley from there and back and at an early stage encountered some birds at the top of some young conifers.  Some were pipits and I thought I saw a couple of linnets but the one decent photo we got might be of a young stonechat.  It's a bit hard to be sure from the front on view:

Linnet or stonechat?

On the basis of the above I'd say stonechat but another poorer photo I got of a bird in the same flock looks more like a linnet.  After that there was a stretch of path where we had to avoid treading on small millipedes on the path, at least fifteen that I came across and a large moth caterpillar on a rock. Again I'm not sure which kind as fox moth and drinker moth caterpillars look quite similar.

Drinker or Fox Moth Caterpillar?

Millipede

Continuing the insect theme, we came across this moth more than once.  After consulting with an expert, I can establish that it was a common heath.

Common Heath

The colouring of this species can vary a bit, it seems.

Further up the path we were noticing more and more pipits.  I assumed they were all meadow pipits but was pleased to note that one was clearly a tree pipit as I hadn't seen the one the day before.

Tree Pipit

Meadow Pipit

On the way back we followed the river through the woods where there are some striking rocky waterfalls.  As well as more tree pipits, we were saying how surprising it was that we hadn't seen a dipper when suddenly one flew past us upriver.

The journey back the day after was a touch disappointing.  We visited a supposed red squirrel feeder station near Boat of Garten but saw no squirrels and one site that was more a tourist walk.  It was also advising the presence of red squirrels as did most other places visited but we saw none at all during the whole stay.  We drove on to the Lough of The Lowes site only to arrive 15 minutes before it closed, thus unfortunately depriving us of apparently the best view of an osprey nest in the UK.

The was a slight consolation at The Hermitage nearby where we saw the tallest pine trees in the country, numerous wagtails and more impressive waterfalls.  And on the way up we did catch up with a dipper, sitting completely still on a stone.  It was still there in exactly the same position when we passed by again an hour later.

Dipper

Wednesday 16th October

I went to Holy Island last Friday in the hope of seeing some of the passage birds that had been turning up over the previous few days. In fact there wasn't much about.  The first and the commonest bird I saw on the island was the starling.

Turnstone

In pleasantly bright weather but a strong wind, I did manage to identify a couple of rock pipits on the stoney beach as well as some oystercatchers and turnstone.  On the pond near the wildlife centre, all the birds were sheltering under their wings but one may have been a whooper swan.

Two whites sighted during the day remain my latest butterfly sightings to date.

I spent quite a lot of time foraging in the dunes at the North of the island, which proved completely unproductive though I did see this rather large caterpillar.  Referring to a suggested expert indicates it will one day become a fox moth.

Fox Moth Caterpillar

On the way back to the castle, there were some teal visible, sheltering against the weeds on the far side of the other pond.

Wheatear

It's strange how the most interesting sighting often occurs when you have given up looking. I had decided to visit the priory when I spotted an interesting little bird feeding by the wall on the main road.  At first I thought it was a water pipit in summer plumage but the general consensus is that it is a wheatear.  All I can say is that the wheatears I have seen were much more strongly marked but there are photographs of them online that look similar.  It certainly wasn't shy as a water pipit is supposed to be.

Yesterday the Naturewatch Group visited Belsay Gardens, where again the birdlife was a little furtive. Over time I did manage to identify three nuthatch, several coal tits and blue tits and a song thrush. The best sighting was a couple of goldcrests working their way through a hazel bush that so fascinated me that I left my waterproof trousers behind. I also got a glimpse of a disappearing red squirrel.

Obviously it was a cultivated rather than wild environment but I was rather impressed with this particular variety of rhodedendron barbarus, which apparently comes from Northern Asia.

Rhodedendron Barbarus