It was a very warm , sunny day in Yorkshire so we headed over to YWT Potteric Carr for a mixture of bird watching and bug hunting.
First Bug of the day, a Green Shieldbug
Around the ponds there were lots of Dragonflies, all Four-spotted Chasers.Majella took this photo of me taking the photos below.
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Lots of birds were heard but not seen including Blackcaps and a Cuckoo.Viewing was easier at the Willow Pool Feeding station.
A couple of young Coots.
A Magpie that had decided the original holes in the feeder were not to his liking lol
The water in the Mother Drain was beautifully clear as usual , no Grass Snakes there this time but nice to have good views of the Roach and Perch.
Butterflies on the wing included Brimstones, Large Whites, Orange Tips and Speckled Woods.This Speckled Wood looking a bit worse for wear.
Walking down a trail I noticed a lot of movement in the nearby vegetation and was excited to see newly fledged Willow Warblers, 4 of them with an Adult.
Plenty of other birds around such s Grey Herons, Tufted Ducks, Moorhen, Black-headed Gulls, Greylag & Canada Geese.
Female Mallard, you can see the meaning "water off a Duck's back" ;) (photo by Majella Fox)
Mute Swan
We were hoping to see a Bittern fly by but no luck so had to be happy just watching this Marsh Harrier hunting over the reed beds.
A few photos of different parts of the reserve.
So overall a fantastic 3 hour walk around part of YWT Potteric Carr and worth all the (now itchy) Midge bites lol Something that really ended the walk on a high was a Mammal encounter on the access road back to the centre.Unfortunately I didn't get a photo but it was a Common Shrew rummaging in the grass at the edge of the road, amazing to see :)
Thanks again for taking the time to check out my blog, lots more to come over the next 3+ weeks.
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