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Wildlife Sightings - July 2015
Tue 18th Aug, 2015
The summer continued with below average temperatures. A peak of 30° on the 1st July was not sustained as temperatures fell again to the mid-teens in the middle of the month.
Waders were on the move at coastal watch points early in the month with Wood Sandpiper at Flamborough, Avocet, Black-tailed Godwit, Purple Sandpiper and Greenshank at Filey and best of all, a soon to be long-staying White-rumped Sandpiper at Beacon Ponds near Spurn on the 4th. Dunlin numbers gradually increased at Spurn with 3900 being counted by the 12th. Two Cranes arrived in the Vale of Pickering on the 3rd.
Purple Sandpiper © Mark Pearson
Thousands of Swifts are counted each July flying through Spurn and this year was no different with a peak of 3088 on the 4th. The biggest count in the north of the county involved 2872 at Long Nab, Scarborough on the 18th. This big passage may well be feeding movements or migrating birds leaving their breeding grounds early. Spurn had two good days on the 17th and 18th with Bee-eater, Temminck's Stint and a Honey Buzzard!
Common Swift © Mark Pearson
Minke Whales arrived on the North Yorkshire coast, with up to three seen regularly between Whitby and Staithes. By the month-end a regular pod of up to 30 White-beaked Dolphins were being seen regularly, including a group bow-riding behind a local jet ski!
Filey Bird Observatory continued to be the best place on the east coast for Red-veined Darters with up to seven on the 11th. The Filey wetlands provided 12 other species throughout this month. Harwood Dale ponds were also noted for having good numbers of odonata with 14 species recorded there during the month. An Adonis Ladybird was recorded on the 12th in the forests - a new species for our YCN tour list!
Adonis Ladybird © Dan Lombard
Small numbers of vagrant moths were found at coastal observatories including two Small Marbled at Spurn and a Varied Coronet at Flamborough. A good arrival of Hummingbird Hawkmoths included up to five at Thornwick Country Park in Flamborough. A Gatekeeper was also found at Flamborough on the 19th. This butterfly is common south and west of the Yorkshire coast but surprisingly still scarce here. Dark Green Fritillaries appeared to have a particularly good month with large counts of these stunning insects at several of our sites. Large Heath also had a better 2015 in comparison to previous years up on the moorland sites which they inhabit, with seven on the 6th at Fen Bog.
Large Heath © Dan Lombard
By mid-month the first songbird migrants arrived in the form of a Wood Warbler and a Serin at Spurn on the 16th.
After small numbers of Pomarine Skuas mid-month at Filey and Flamborough, the end of the month usually heralds an increase in migrating seabirds. Storm Petrels usually feed too far out for us to see them from the shore. Despite this one was seen at Filey and at Long Nab on the 27th with an adult Long-tailed Skua also at Long Nab the same day and one at Filey and Flamborough on the 30th. With only small numbers of shearwaters observed this month, a three-shearwater day at Flamborough on the 25th was most welcome with a Manx, a Sooty and a Balearic. Storm Petrel ringing produced small numbers at Spurn and in the Scarborough area.
Pomarine Skua © Steve Race
Waders were still building up on the Humber and by the month end there were 5,500 Dunlin and 3,600 Knot!