High Summer

Catching up on over a month's worth of observations , and a lot to cover.
Sorry this first bit is a little old hat .


One rarely gets a really memorable day in wildlife terms, but the last Friday in May was one such.

Starting with a nice view of a Buzzard being harassed by four Crows over Ramsey Avenue ;
Buzzards are unusual here, and I thought for a moment it was a Kite from Harewood, where they are now flourishing, but definitely a Buzzard.

Then a trip down the cycletrack to see how things are coming along further out in the countryside.

Skylarks ; Yellowhammers ; the first , distant Cuckoo near Escrick. I hung around for half an hour hoping it might come closer and appear , but no.
Strange that we call it the Cuckoo : " wop-poo " seems nearer the mark.

Then over the fields of green corn, two hares.
They then proceeded to stand up and box , as if on cue.
This went on for not more than a minute until one conceded and ran off , pursued a little way
by the victor.

In the hot sunshine , the scent of blossom was pretty overwhelming.

The Hawthorn was just out , the Dogroses, the Broom, the Crabapples.
Glorious.

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Nothing much remarkable to report since then, though I have discovered another hedgerow tree or shrub which I had not noted before .

The Guelder Rose : quite a few in the hedgerow along the footpath to Copmanthorpe
(down Cop Lane, over the little footbridge and then across the fields ), and some ,
presumably planted , in the boatyard .

They say that the more species in a hedgerow, the older it is. So the Copmanthorpe hedgerowmight well qualify as one of our oldest , which makes sense given its position .
It has Hawthorn ,Blackthorn , Field maple , Elder and Guelder Rose , and probably more.




Otherwise , just to cheer things along, here are some excellent pics from Jane Thomas.
The Banded Demoiselle :~



Scorpion Fly female :~




And our own little rarity , the Tansy Beetle :~




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Since these came in , a few extra things.
I've been looking at Trees, prompted by buying the excellent Collins Guide.

I was surprised to find that we have two Elms : a Wych Elm growing out from
the Bishop's garden over the Old Churchyard track, and a Japanese Elm
to the north of the track to the moorings. Since Dutch Elm disease took hold in the
Sixties, these are now a rare sight , but both these species are resistant.

We also have a Hornbeam in the Old Churchyard , planted of course, but unusual round here.

I have found more smaller plants in my continuing exploration of our Flora ;
the Black Bindweed :




And in the Old Churchyard , which is looking very well at present ,
Musk Mallow , growing alongside the ordinary Mallow.


And the Cut-Leaved Cranesbill, in the same place.



Parts of our wildflower areas have burgeoned wonderfully after the very late start ,
and I don't recall quite as much sheer abundance before.
And there are three ( just three ) Ragged Robins , a plant we ought to have in some abundance:~





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INSECTS :~
Two new to me here .
The Ringlet Butterfly :


And the Dark Dagger Moth :



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For the first time in some years , this week some of the Ings meadows have been mown
by local farmers in search of forage.
They have only been able to do this because of the unusually dry conditions:
I suspect in previous years their tractors would have got bogged if they had tried.

Hoping that the Reed Buntings and other ground-nesting birds have already flown , I don't regard this as
any kind of disaster , though it does look a bit startling after the very tall vegetation.

Interesting to contrast our meadows with Fulford Ings , which I visited the other day.
This area is lightly managed as a Nature Reserve , and has a richer , more mature flora, with many more
Sallows and Birches , and one or two plants like the Stitchwort we don't appear to have ,
though it is in every other way similar.
An interesting contrast.

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And finally , on Sunday my path was crossed opposite Naburn by three Weasels, an adult and two youngsters.
Resembled nothing so much as a string of furry sausages being whipped across the path.


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