The Magpie's Hoard

Cressbrook Dale

Early Purples in Cressbrook Dale, originally uploaded by Roger B.

Earlier this week I paid another visit to Cressbrook Dale in Derbyshire. In the upper part of the dale there was a fine display of early purple orchids - their numbers seem to increase every year. It was too windy for macro photography, but I managed to get a few group shots with Peter's Stone in the background.

Lower down the dale, sheltering from the wind, I spotted two green hairstreaks basking on the freshly emerged leaves of a sycamore tree. Thanks to its small size and camouflage colouration, this tiny springtime butterfly is often overlooked. I've only ever noticed them on moorland sites before, so I was curious to know what larval foodplants they might be using in a limestone dale. According to members of the Derbyshire Natural History discussion group, it could be either rock-rose or bilberry.

Green Hairstreak, originally uploaded by Roger B.

In the woods near the bottom of the dale, I had a great view of a pair of spotted flycatchers prospecting a potential nest site in a dead tree. As I watched, one bird repeatedly popped in and out of a crack in the trunk, then did a brief wing-fluttering display to the other. After a few minutes they were joined by a third flycatcher, presumably a rival male, and a frantic chase through the tree-tops ensued!

Bigby update

Thanks to the influx of summer migrants, my Bigby list has grown by leaps and bounds over the past ten days: it now stands at 107 species.

My list was also boosted by recent visits to two cracking nature reserves: Leighton Moss and Potteric Carr.

Leighton Moss must be the easiest RSPB reserve to reach by public transport. The entrance is just a short walk from Silverdale railway station and there's now a bus (dubbed the Bittern Bus, no less) which links the reserve with nearby villages.

Although it's closer to home and in an urban setting, Potteric Carr is a little trickier to access by public transport. The no. 72 bus from Doncaster Interchange stops nearby (outside B&Q on Woodfield Way) but you have to negotiate your way across a couple of busy roads to reach the reserve. The no. 75 bus to the Lakeside Shopping Centre is more frequent than the no. 72. From Lakeside, it's a less than pleasant walk of about 500m along White Rose Way to Potteric Carr - it's shame the council didn't include pedestrian access when they built this road!

Wild Weekend

Yesterday afternoon Liz and I returned home from a long weekend spent exploring the diverse range of landscapes and habitats around Morecambe Bay.

 

We paid a couple of visits to the RSPB reserve at Leighton Moss, where we had great views of marsh harrier, Mediterranean gull and black tern (a new species for me), plus a host of other birds.



Other highlights of the weekend included finding two slow-worms on the path through Eaves Wood and a large patch of herb paris on the edge of Eggerslack Wood.