It’s been a while since I last posted which has reflected a post-holiday
feeling of things being a bit tame in comparison and little to report and but I
managed a walk along the river
There were really good numbers of Banded Demoiselles with at
least 50 individuals, the majority seen were males…
They were aggressively interacting with each other but more
surprisingly with an Emperor Dragonfly which was holding territory along the
river. A number of demoiselles were ‘mobbing’ it as it patrolled. I don’t know
whether this is just a mating/territorial instinct or whether they saw the
emperor as some sort of threat.
Birds seen along here included Kingfisher, a single Yellow
Wagtail, two corn Buntings, three Reed buntings, six Herons, a pair of
Oystercatchers and a single Lapwing…
A small group of Sand Martin had set up a colony of around a
dozen nests in a newly exposed face but were absent from one of last year’s
main sites and generally seem to be around in smaller numbers. It’s the same
with House Martins with no nesting pairs recorded in Ainderby Steeple so far
this year although Morton numbers seem broadly similar including this group
gathering mud in one of the last damp field ditches in the parish…
