August 2025

August produced the first indications of Autumn with a Green Sandpiper on the river on the 10th. Other waders on the move included Lapwings, with up to 30 birds seen flying over Morton, and small groups of Curlew with a maximum count of 32 birds by Morton Bridge. Seven Snipe along the river, including one group of five, was a good count by recent standards.

The other bird records of note were my first confirmed breeding of Grey Wagtail in the village, a total of 21 Grey Partridge along the Swale on the 23^rd and a very unseasonal Meadow Pipit by the river on the same day. Peter and Andy both saw Hobbies late in the month.

Despite the warm weather it’s not been a good year for dragonflies in the village but this Ruddy Darter was only my second record in the village…

And this beast of a Brown Hawker was in the Bottom Fields, I watched it hawking for midges and at one point it took one a couple of inches from my face…

Butterfly numbers continue to be good and this extended to the Wall Brown’s with more records this year than any I can ever remember before, and including at sites I have never recorded them before…

No Clouded Yellows yet but surely only a matter of time…

I'll finish with this lovely Poplar Hawkmoth photographed on our neighbour's fig tree..

July 2025

July proved to be a singularly uninspiring month for birds with the ‘highlight’ being at least two apparently territorial Yellow Wagtails in an area of the village I have never had them before. This continues a good year for the species.

Lepidoptera though continued to impress. Still excellent numbers of butterflies around. One large area of thistles in the bottom fields was absolutely rammed with insects. These were mainly whites, Meadow Browns and Peacocks but with good numbers of skippers and the first sightings this year of Small Copper…

And Brown Argus…

The argus is only the third village record of this species which is rapidly moving north.

The avenue of oaks along Greenhills Lane turned up Purple Hairstreak as usual…

Peter also added a new site for the hairstreak, in a large roadside oak at Warlaby.

I have also finally taken the plunge and bought a moth trap. I thought I would ease my way in at the start so set the trap in John & Sue’s little walled garden on a rather cool night. I ended up with 336 moths of 54 species, not quite the gentle introduction I was envisaging!

Highlight was probably Small Blood-vein...

This is a rather scarce insect in this part of Yorkshire and my friend John, who has been a fanatically active moth-er in one of the nearby villages for more than 20 years, has never seen the species

Other first records for Ainderby included Knot-grass, Golden-rod Pug, Brassy Y, Honeysuckle moth, Campion…

Bulrush Wainscot...

Perhaps surprisingly Dusky Sallow was also a first...

I didn’t even have to rely on the trap for some sightings with this lovely Ruby Tiger in our back lobby, just catching the late evening sun…

Despite the fine weather dragonflies haven’t been particularly in evidence so far but I did photograph this Broad-bodied Chaser at the top of Greenhills Lane…

Our first village record was only three years ago but it’s now the most regularly seen chaser species.

I should finish with a couple of other interesting flying objects over the village...