The Yorkshire Coast & Moors

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Quentin Cannon
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1 Naturetrek 7 10 July 2015 Northern Gannet Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Keeled Skimmer Wavy Hair-grass Report & images compiled by Peter Dunn Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0) F: +44 (0) E: info@naturetrek.co.uk W:

2 Tour Participants: Peter Dunn Naturetrek leader Dan Lombard Local Naturalist Five Naturetrek clients Introduction After a heat wave the previous week, we were hoping for good weather to view some of the specialities of the Yorkshire coast and the nearby moors. After a shaky start on the first day during the visit to the coast, we were bathed in sunshine for the moors journey. However the weather did not spoil the spectacle of the seabird cliffs at Bempton, in as much that the group voted to revisit them on the last day to enjoy it all over again. All of the regular seabirds were present and the first Great Skua of the season was seen on the last day. A surprise find at Filey was a Little Egret, still uncommon but increasing on the coast, and the moors produced the locally scarce Red-necked Footman moth, and boggy specialities Common Goldenring dragonfly and Small Pearl-boarded Fritillary along with regular Red Grouse, Whinchat and Dipper. Day 1 Tuesday 7th July All the group met up at the Downe Arms Hotel in Wykeham Village by 4.30pm and after some refreshments we headed out into Wykeham Forest, to a site called the Raptor Viewpoint. There was a fresh wind blowing but the threatening clouds had dispersed to warm sunshine. Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff competed in song near us and both Goldcrest and Wren were singing in the sun. The verges were awash in Common Spotted Orchids. It was quite late for raptors and the skies held gulls returning to roost so we headed back for dinner in the hotel. After dinner, Peter gave an illustrated talk on the areas to be visited in the next few days. Day 2 Wednesday 8th July One brave client joined Peter at 7am to visit the forest. A small party of Crossbill and groups of Siskin flew over and we found a colony of Tree Bumblebees in a nest box made for Marsh Tits. In a clear felled area a Tree Pipit sang and the verges were thick with Common Spotted Orchids. After breakfast we headed out to Bempton, one of the RSPB s flagship reserves in Yorkshire. The wind was blowing shower clouds across the sky but we managed a walk and visited all the viewpoints as far as jubilee corner without getting too wet. Most of the Razorbill and Guillemot young had left the cliffs, and only single parents (females) were left on the cliffs as the chicks are tended by their fathers once on the sea. We also saw a number of Puffins at their nest holes and even a brief view of a puffling taking food. Kittiwakes had almost fully fledged young still on the nest and their calls echoed around the cliffs. The most obvious and exciting bird was the Gannet, with many birds hanging in the wind just next to the cliff top giving excellent views. Many were also sat close to the top of the cliff pulling up grass for their nest, with others stood guide with large downcovered young. We walked back and took refreshment in the newly refurbished visitor centre and then headed to Flamborough. Naturetrek July 15 1

3 The wind had increased so we took a short walk past the lighthouse and saw a nice stand of Northern Marsh Orchids on the cliffs before heading to the café for lunch. After lunch we headed northwards in a rain shower and took refuge in the hides at Filey Dams Nature Reserve, nicely hidden at the end of a housing estate. Here we watched plenty of birds with their young, Little Grebes, Moorhens, Coots and Mallards. A Sparrowhawk flew past causing some alarm amongst the resident birds. Visiting the second hide we found a Tufted Duck with young and an early returning wader in the form of a Common Sandpiper. As the weather improved we headed to the Country Park on the north side of the town to view the sea and also the extent of Filey Bay and the Flamborough headland we had previously visited. A surprise sighting was a Little Egret flushed from a small pond on the cliff top, which also held large numbers of Sand Martins. The cliffs held Kittiwake and auks, and we found another species of orchid Pyramidal. We ended the day with threatening skies and took a ride along the coast road through Scarborough, looking at some of the landmarks such as the harbour and castle. We arrived back at the hotel before 6pm in time to freshen up before dinner and completing the checklist. Day 3 Thursday 9th July The day dawned bright and clear with light cloud and this was the form for the rest of the day. We were joined today by Dan Lombard a young ecologist with a deep knowledge of the flora and fauna of the North Yorkshire Moors. Before we got into the minibus, Dan pointed out three species of bumblebee and butterflies feeding on the bramble flowers in the car park. We headed west to Pickering and then north past the North York Moors railway towards the moors. Our first stop was on the edge of Wheeldale Moor next to a peat-coloured stream full of Common Toad tadpoles. Grey and Pied Wagtails fed along the stream while a Stonechat chased moths. Checking the heather and boggy areas we found a Red-necked Footman, a scarce moth for the area, and a newly hatched Keeled Skimmer. Dan pointed out Bog Asphodel and the carnivores Round-leaved Sundew. We continued over the moor, stopping at Wheeldale Beck where a few had a fleeting glimpse of a Dipper flying up-stream, and good numbers of young Whinchats were in the bracken. Up on the heather moors we eventually came across small parties of Red Grouse and heard but could not find a Golden Plover. We had spent most of the morning on the moors so we headed into Goathland village (used to film the TV series Heartbeat ) where we ate our lunch and used the facilities. After lunch we headed south over Fylingdales Moor, passing Goathland station used in the Harry Potter films. Our aim was to visit Fen Bog Nature Reserve where Dan showed us Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Common Goldenring dragonflies and a pregnant Viviparous (Common) Lizard. The ground swayed in Wavy Hair-grass and Yorkshire Fog and we even saw a steam train pass on the moors railway. We continued south passing through Dalby Forest and tried some raptor watching at Troutsdale. With only a Common Buzzard showing and with the temperature rising we opted for refreshments at Everley Country 2 Naturetrek

4 House Café where, scanning the forest, we added Kestrel, Common Buzzard and Peregrine to our raptor list while enjoying tea! We made a brief visit to the birdwatchers car park in Forge Valley where a few birds were feeding on the tables including Marsh Tit, and we arrived back at the hotel before 6pm, ready for another hearty dinner and checklist. All the group had enjoyed the day and opted not to visit the Nightjar forest this evening. Day 4 Friday10th July On our last morning we returned to Bempton in warm clear skies to enjoy the seabird spectacular again. Puffins and pufflings entertained us; Gannets, Razorbill and Bridled Guillemots loafed about on the cliffs; and the never-ending calls of Kittiwakes filled the air. All too soon it was approaching midday. We said our goodbyes in the car park after sharing the stunning scenery and a wildlife filled few days on the Yorkshire Coast and Moors. Receive our e-newsletter Join the Naturetrek ing list and be the first to hear about new tours, additional departures and new dates, tour reports and special offers. Visit to sign up. Naturetrek Facebook We are delighted to launch the Naturetrek Facebook page so that participants of Naturetrek tours can remain in touch after the holiday and share photos, comments and future travel plans. Setting up a personal profile at is quick, free and easy. The Naturetrek Facebook page is now live; do please pay us a visit! Gannets on Bempton Cliffs Naturetrek July 15 3

5 Species Lists Birds ( = recorded but not counted; H = heard only) July Common name Scientific name Greylag Goose Anser anser 2 2 Canada Goose Branta canadensis 7 3 Mallard Anas platyrhynchos 4 Eurasian Teal Anas crecca 2 5 Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula 7 6 Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus scotica 7 Red-legged Partridge Alectoris rufa Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus 9 Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis 10 Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis 3 11 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea 1 12 Little Egret Egretta garzetta 1 13 Northern Gannet Morus bassanus 14 European Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis 15 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus Common Buzzard Buteo buteo 4 18 Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus 19 Eurasian Coot Fulica atra 20 European Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria H 21 Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago 1 22 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos 1 23 Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla 24 Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus 25 Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus 1 26 European Herring Gull Larus argentatus 27 Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus Great Skua Stercorarius skua 1 29 Common Guillemot Uria aalge 30 Razorbill Alca torda 31 Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica 32 Rock Dove (Feral) Columba livia 'feral' 33 Stock Dove Columba oenas 1 H 34 Common Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus 35 Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto 36 Common Swift Apus apus 37 Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus 3 38 Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus 1 39 Eurasian Magpie Pica pica 40 Western Jackdaw Coloeus monedula 41 Rook Corvus frugilegus 42 Carrion Crow Corvus corone 1 43 Marsh Tit Poecile palustris 1 44 Eurasian Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus H 45 Great Tit Parus major 1 46 Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis Sand Martin Riparia riparia 4 Naturetrek

6 July Common name Scientific name Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica 49 Common House Martin Delichon urbicum 50 Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus H 51 Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita H H H H 52 Eurasian Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla H H H 53 Common Whitethroat Sylvia communis 1 H 54 Goldcrest Regulus regulus H H 55 Eurasian Wren Troglodytes troglodytes H H 56 Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris 57 Common Blackbird Turdus merula 58 Song Thrush Turdus philomelos 1 59 European Robin Erithacus rubecula H H 2 60 Whinchat Saxicola rubetra 6 61 European Stonechat Saxicola rubicola 1 62 White-throated Dipper Cinclus cinclus 1 63 House Sparrow Passer domesticus 64 Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus 65 Dunnock Prunella modularis 1 66 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea 1 67 Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba yarrellii Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis 69 Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis 1 70 Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs 1 71 Eurasian Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula 2 72 European Greenfinch Chloris chloris 1 73 Common Linnet Linaria cannabina 2 74 Lesser Redpoll Acanthis flammea cabaret H H 75 Red Crossbill Loxia curvirostra European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis 1 H 2 77 Eurasian Siskin Spinus spinus H H 78 Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella H 79 Common Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus 1 1 Reptiles & Amphibians Common Frog, Rana temporaria Viviparous Lizard, Zootoca vivipara Mammals Eastern Grey Squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis Signs of European Mole, Talpa europaea Butterflies & Moths Common Blue, Polyommatus icarus Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Clossiana selene Small Heath, Coenonympha pamphilus Six-spot Burnet, Zygaena filipendulae Brown Silver-Line, Petrophora chlorosata Common Toad, Bufo bufo European Hare, Lepus europaeus Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta Meadow Brown, Maniola jurtina Large Skipper, Ochlodes venatus Northern Eggar, Lasiocampa quercus callunae Red-necked Footman, Atolmis rubricollis Naturetrek July 15 5

Other Taxa Tree Bumblebee, Bombus hypnorum Bilberry Bumblebee, Bombus monticola Common Goldenring, Cordulegaster boltonii A fly, Tachina grossa Some notable Plants Red Campion, Silene dioica Heather,

7 Other Taxa Tree Bumblebee, Bombus hypnorum Bilberry Bumblebee, Bombus monticola Common Goldenring, Cordulegaster boltonii A fly, Tachina grossa Some notable Plants Red Campion, Silene dioica Heather, Calluna vulgaris Bell Heather, Erica cinerea Tormentil, Potentilla erecta Self-heal, Prunella vulgaris Soft Rush, Juncus effusus Red Fescue, Festuca rubra Yorkshire Fog, Holcus lanatus Common Spotted Orchid, Dactylorhiza fuchsii Pyramidal Orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis White-tailed Bumblebee, Bombus lucorum Early Bumblebee, Bombus pratorum Keeled Skimmer, Orthetrum coerulescens Round-leaved Sundew, Drosera rotundifolia Cross-leaved Heath, Erica tetralix Bilberry, Vaccinium myrtillus Meadow Cranesbill, Geranium pratense Heath Bedstraw, Galium saxatile Common Cotton-grass, Eriophorum angustifolium Wavy Hair-grass, Deschampsia flexuosa Bog Asphodel, Narthecium ossifragum Northern Marsh Orchid, Dactylorhiza purpurella Chickweed Wintergreen Trientalis europaea Group at Fen Bog Nature Reserve 6 Naturetrek

Meenbog Windfarm EIAR Co. Donegal. Birds Technical Appendix 7.1

Meenbog Windfarm EIAR Co. Donegal Birds Technical Appendix 7.1 Appendix 7.1 Contents Table 1: Target Species... 3 Table 2: All Species Recorded... 4 2 Table 1: Target Species Species Latin Name Rationale