Thursday, 29 July 2021

Visit to St. Nicholas Church and surrounding areas – 29th July 2021

Date: 29th July 2021

Time: from 8:30 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny, moderate wind, 14°C to 17°C

I had a very short visit to the site this morning since I wanted to be back home in time for an RSPB webinar for legacy donors …. "Inspired by Nature: From your back garden to Bempton Cliffs".

I don’t have a back garden living in a block of flats so my local patch sites are effectively my “garden”, especially the area around St. Nicholas Church which is immediately accessible as I step outside from my home. However, I am very familiar with the awe-inspiring seabird colonies at RSPB Bempton Cliffs, having last visited on 4th July 2021 …. see here.

My visit this morning was probably the most disappointing ever for birds. Whilst it is high summer, a period when bird activity and bird song is significantly reduced or non-existent, I did expect to record more than 5 species! …. Blue Tit (1), Robin (2 heard briefly singing), Great Spotted Woodpecker (1 heard very distantly calling), Magpie (1) and Woodpigeon (5).

It is just as well that I had other sightings of interest!

I have not seen Red Foxes at the site for a few months now although this is largely due to not visiting for various reasons. This morning, I saw 4 Red Foxes.

As I walked out of the wooded area into the eastern section of the cemetery, I immediately saw 2 Red Foxes standing together at the edge. They were quite obviously fairly well-grown cubs from this year although one was clearly larger than the other. As soon as I had spotted them, they spotted me and bolted for cover in the hedge. This location is well away from where I had seen a Red Fox vixen carrying food in the south west corner of the site in the spring. However, I am unsure if these cubs are those of another vixen or cubs now venturing away from a natal den in the south west corner.

After walking up to and past the church, I started to walk down the area in the south west corner of the site and I saw another Red Fox standing in the long grass at the edge of the hedge line. This, too, appeared to be a fairly well-grown cub and, again, it bolted for cover when it saw me. Just slightly further along, I spotted yet another Red Fox sitting down in the sun, almost entirely obscured by long grass. I was able to watch this animal for a few minutes before it seemed to sense my presence, stood up and ran off in to the hedge. Judging by its size and appearance, I think this was a vixen.

Where I saw this last Red Fox, there is a clear trail through the long grass to a smeuse in the hedge. I think I may trying baiting this location with a “Fox buffet” and seeing if I can get any photos.

This also proved to be a very good visit for dragonflies since I recorded my first 2 species of the year for the site: a female Migrant Hawker around the hedges and bushes at the edge of the church car park and a female Common Darter around the bushes in the south west corner of the site. 

This visit was far less successful for butterflies than my last visit on 17th July 2021 both in terms of numbers and diversity of species.

Meadow Brown (c.10) and Gatekeeper (c.20) were relatively abundant but the only other species that I recorded were Small White (3) and Comma (1). I saw no Marbled White or Large and/or Small Skippers which were both abundant on my last visit. I am wondering what impact the storm on 20th July 2021 (see here) has had on these grassland species.

As on my previous visit, the area of Bramble in the south west corner of the site was proving to be very attractive for large numbers of bees, hoverflies and other insects. However, additionally, this morning I also saw 2 Hornets at this location, a species that I have not recorded before at the site.

It is not even the end of July yet but the signs of autumn are already here with small numbers of blackberries starting to appear.

My only other "sighting" was this in the church car park ….

Yet another one! …. SS15 wildlife watching: Is anyone else getting increasingly annoyed about e-scooters?

Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):

Blue Tit
Robin
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Magpie
Woodpigeon

Comma
Gatekeeper
Meadow Brown
Small White 

Migrant Hawker
Common Darter

I did not take my camera with me on this visit as it was clearly obvious that the moderate wind would prove to be extremely problematic for macro photography of butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies. Fortunately, the Red Fox sightings were not of animals posing for lengthy periods of time, otherwise I would have been extremely annoyed!

Site totals to date (2021 totals in brackets):

Birds = 53  (42)
Mammals = 6  (5)
Butterflies = 21  (13)
Dragonflies and damselflies = 7  (2)
Reptiles = 1  (0)
Amphibians = 0  (0)

💚🦆 🦉🦋🐝🦊🦡🌼 🌳💚
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature



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