South Landing to Danes Dyke circular walk

 The morning promised a northerly wind and little risk of showers. With the hope of finding some migrant birds, I headed for Flamborough, where I was also last week. The tide was high on arrival, but it wasn't a particularly high tide. I spent the first hour slowly walking around the woods of South Landing, enjoying a long sunny spell that was also being enjoyed by a myriad of insects. Four ladybird species were sunbathing, including many Harlequin, several 7 spots, a 10 spot ladybird and some Pine Ladybirds. At least 3 Common Darters were on the wing on sheltered spots and a noon fly (Mesembrina meridiana) sat on a fence.

Pine Ladybird. This is a tiny ladybird.

Harlequins.

Noon fly.

10 spot ladybird.

Melanic Harlequin ladybird.

I descended the steep steps to the beach. There was enough space between the cliff and the beach on the ebbing tide to walk to Danes Dyke by the cliff, which allows for seawatching. Although not a particularly difficult walk, walking on boulders and shingle requires some concentration, so I took plenty of stops for sea watching. Curlews flew north in ones or twos. Cormorants dried their wings on the rocks and in the distance, scoters and divers could be seen.

Three Common Scoters fly north.

Red-throated Diver.

This pipit called my attention. It had the look of a Rock Pipit, but cleaner streaks than the locals, Harry Witts on twitter identified it as a Scandinavian Rock Pipit (Anthus petrosus littoralis), which often winters in the area.

Cormorant on the rocks.

A Rock pipit surrounded by swarms of seaweed flies on the strandline.

Caught one!

One of two Pied Wagtails on the rocks.

On turning a corner on the cliff, Danes Dyke became visible (top shot). I filmed a flock of Turnstones feeding on the strandline

I got to Danes Dyke in time for a picnic. I sat on the rocks at the base of the dyke, only to be interrupted by a sharp shower! Never mind. Having finished my lunch, I took the parth on the left of the stream to walk around the dyke. It is such a wonderful place, the contrast between the bright chalk cliffs and the sea on one hand, and the creek in woodland on the other is amazing to see. I flushed a Woodcock at the top of the woodland, on the edge of fields, my first this year. 

After walking around the dyke, it was time for the return walk, which I took on the coastal path at the top of the cliff. After a steep ascent, I took a few minutes to look back onto the coast towards Bridlington.

On the path I noticed a large squished insect. It was still alive, its antenae and jaws still moving. I photographed it at home and identified it as a Violet Ground Beetle, Carabus violaceous, which I've never seen in an intact state. It appeared to have been pecked, its elytra indented. I wonder if a bird had attacked it and then let it go?

I went to South Landing beach again. A Wigeon looked a bit lost, surrounded by Oystercatchers. 

Record shot of three drake Eiders went north...

And a seal balanced itself precariously on the rocks. Here stretching and yawning.

It looked like a Common Seal.

Hull Dragonfly best spots: Foredyke Green pond

An early morning trip to this relatively small pond. It is warm and sunny and as I cross the Foredyke stream a Southern Hawker is quartering the path and comes to check me out. it doesn't take long to notice the hawkers riding an long area of shallow water between the shore and the emergent vegetation. There are at least two male Migrant Hawkers chasing every now and then, and at some point a male Southern Hawker and a female that disappears into the vegetation. Common darters are also about and two mating pairs and 3 ovipositing pairs are also seen.
As for damselflies, a couple of Blue-tailed Damselflies and a single female Emerald. Then a male Emperor appears and starts patrolling the more open area of the pond. Just briefly, a brown Hawker patrols the long shallow area.
 This is a relatively new pond that I have visited five times this year. The pond is located in a wildlife area, Foredyke Green with grassland and trees that offer foraging habitat for insects, and it is close to Noddle Hill Nature Reserve, a great site for dragonflies. I'm not aware of previous records for this site. It has shallow and exposed areas, areas with emergent vegetation and marginal vegetation and a deeper area that ensures it doesn't dry in the summer. A small island is connected to the shore in the summer. It is near a footpath and it gets a fair amount of litter, so we've had a couple of litter picking sessions this year to clean it up. There are three metal pond-dipping platforms, all now quite far from the shore as the pond level is low.

This shallow area between the shore and the vegetation was much favoured by hawkers and darters

An emerald was found amongst the emergent vegetation near the shore.

Hull Dragons
This year we have recorded 11 species in the pond, so far the pond with the highest number of species in the Hull dragons survey. Seven of these were seen today. I will update the post with further records for this year.
All the photos taken today.

Male Common darter

Blue-tailed damselfly.

Ovipositing common darters.

A male Migrant Hawker rests for a few seconds on some leaves.

The male Emperor in residence favoured a spot to bask in the sun or eat prey.

Female Emerald.

Male Southern Hawker

Species list and breeding evidence

1. Emperor. Male holding territory
2. Broad-bodied Chaser. Ovipositing.
3. Four-spotted Chaser. Male holding territory.
4. Common Blue Damselfly.
5. Blue-tailed Damselfly. Ovipositing.
6. Azure Damselfly. Ovipositing. 
7. Common Darter. Ovipositing.
8. Southern Hawker. Territorial male and female present.
9. Brown Hawker.
10. Migrant Hawker. Male holding territory
11. Emerald.

Hull Dragonfly best spots: Noddle Hill LNR

A trip to Noddle Hill on a morning with at least an hour of sun forecast. The sun is shining and the temperature steadily rises, with barely any wind. Sightings start early as I flush a male Black-tailed Skimmer in one of the first fishing platform. It flies about but doesn't settle back, but it makes the first record for the site this year. Then, a Southern Hawker was hunting by the lake perimeter path. It checks me out - in good southern hawker fashion - only to go and rest on a poplar nearby. I manage to spot it settled, catching the sun. It is an immature male, its colour is not yet fully developed, olive eyes and lacking the beautiful apple-green of the mature adult.

 A little further ahead, a pale damselfly catches my attention. It is a teneral Red-eyed Damselfly female. A sign of successful breeding in the lake.

 A Common Blue Damselfly male basks on the path.

 I check the water surface in search of Red-eyed damselflies. The anglers have removed a lot of floating vegetation, which is piling by the shore. I return some swan mussels back to the water. On a floating leaf I find the first male Red-eyed. There are 5 in total about.

 I walk around the reserve towards a long pond which is overgrown with vegetation. On the same spot where I found a male last year there is a female Emerald Damselfly (top shot). She is very approachable and lets me take several photos. On the same area a hawker flies over my head, but I can't refind it. This happens a couple of times today.

I am more lucky with this Black-tailed skimmer, who basks on the mowed path.

A Ruddy darter sits on a leaf. While I take this photo a deer fly bites my arm!

I do another circuit of the lake, this time spotting a mating pair of Azure Damselflies, who fly high onto a willow to escape another male.

I watch a Southern Hawker hunting on a clearing by the lake, clashing wings with another individual. 

The sunny spells become shorter and shorter. It has been a good session, with 8 species recorded for the site this morning: Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Red-eyed Damselfly, Azure Damselfly, Southern Hawker, Emerald Damselfly, Black-tailed Skimmer and Ruddy Darter. 

Noddle Hill is a great site for dragonflies as it combines a diversity of wetland habitats: ditches and drains (which surround the site), wet meadows, permanent ponds and a large lake. There is a woodland surrounding the lake, which offers shelter during windy conditions and rides with plenty of insects. Some of the aquatic sites are well vegetated too, a few of them becoming overgrown.

A total of 16 species have been recorded in the site overall. In addition to those seen today these are:

Common Darter. Record from 2002. UPDATE, 2nd September 2019

Migrant Hawker. Since 2002. Present, 2nd September 2019

Emperor Dragonfly. Since 2002, where larvae and adults where present. Territorial male (2018)

Four spotted Chaser. Since 2002. Territorial males (2018)

Banded Demoiselle. Single record (2015).
Small Red-eyed Damselfly (2006)
Large Red Damselfly. Unclear when record/s were obtained.

Brown Hawker. Recorded in 2002 by Andrew Ashworth.

More information

For previous Wild at Hull posts on Noddle Hill click here.

Noddle Hill at the Yorkshire branch of the British Dragonfly Society website.

Noddle Hill management plan.
Skimmer. 2004. Article by Andrew Ashworth detailing the presence of 9 sp in the lake and pond, with 3 of them with evidence of breeding in the form of larvae.

A walk by the river

I walked from Oak Road to the Ennerdale new ponds by the river this morning. It was sunny, warm and breezy. A walk around Oak Road Lake gave me my first Small Skipper of the year.

Small Skipper.

Large Skipper.

The river was reaching its highest level with the tide and starting to ebb. The banks had just been cut so I walked at the bottom of the bank, by the edge of the riverside vegetation.

The River at high tide. Looking downstream towards the Croda turbine.

Sutton Bridge.

The marginal vegetation by the River Hull.

Mowed down.

Tractors mowing the bank opposite.

I flush a Brown Hawker from the bank, my first this year, who quickly disappears amongst the trees. After crossing Sutton Brdge, and very close where I found the female Banded Demoiselle a couple of weeks ago I found another one (or the same?!) This time I could get closer and take a clearer shot.

Female Banded demoiselle.

 I went straight to the Ennerdale new ponds. The north pond had lost a lot of water and I couldn't see much on it, but the south one looked promising.

The South Pond. 

Teneral common darter (above and below).

Several teneral Common Darters flew away from me, first for the year too. 

A couple of Emperor dragonflies were patrolling the pond, clashing occasionally and chasing, sometimes almost brushing my hear. A third one joined them at some point.

Male Emperor.

A female Emperor oviposited on the emergent vegetation, rejecting a suitor by curving her abdomen underneath her.

Suddenly, I spotted Black-tailed Skimmers: a female ovipositing and a male behind or over her, guarding and fighting off the male Emperor away from her. 

Female and Male Black-tailed Skimmers.

After the bout of egg laying, the male went to bask at the edge of the water, on a bare patch of shore...

Male Black-tailed skimmer.

While the female preferred to bask amongst vegetation, away from the water.

There were also ovipositing Blue-tailed and Common Blue damselflies. I spent a good hour leaning on the perimeter fence of the pond, watching the action, and there was lots of it!