A visit to an area in the Yorkshire Wolds near Bishop Wilton this lovely morning, warm, sunny and quite still. We walked up a steep well wooded hill, with ash and beech, where Green Woodpeckers called and a passing mixed tit group included a Marsh Tit. Then we walked down into a wonderful, dry chalky meadow with plenty of flowering knapweed and wild carrot, which was buzzing with insects. Common Green Grasshoppers sung their rattlesnake-like song and there were plenty of hoverflies and butterflies, nine of these on the wing: Holly Blue, Large White, Marbled White, Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, and Red Admiral, but topping the numbers were Small Skippers, of which we must have seen more than 50. A highlight of the trip was to see four species of raptor from the same spot. Two Red Kites flew and dived after each other whistling for pretty much all the time. At one point or another, Buzzards, a Kestrel and a Sparrowhawk joined them flying over the hills.
A few Marbled White on the wing.
Meadow Brown
Ringlet
Musk Thistle
Meadow Brown
Common Green Grasshopper
Silver Y and grasshopper
Wild Carrot and Eristalis sp.
Marbled White on knapweed
A view of the meadow
Red Kite
Tumbling Red Kites
Antler moth and Small Skippers on Devil's bit Scabious.