Train trip: King's Mill, Driffield

I have wanted to survey the Driffield area for bush-crickets for a while, given the lack of records there. Even though October is the end of the season, it looked a day as good as any: sunny spells, mild and little wind, so I got the 9:00 train from Hull to Driffield and made my way via King's Mill Road to the Driffield's Millennium Green area, where I had been tipped there was areas of rough grassland to search. The area lies on the spring line of the Wolds, and includes the lake known as The Keld (from the Old Scandinavian kelda, spring) and a chalk stream, Driffield Beck, ultimately feeding the river Hull, and some newly dug ponds.

A was a bit surprised to see this male Pheasant just chilling in a garden.

This building was Mortimer's Museum or Archaeology and Geology.

Rook cawing and screaming.

Comma.

Red Admiral.

The sunny spells were few and far between, but in each one, insects became quite apparent. An ivy near the entrance was buzzing with insects. The Comma and Red Admiral were highlights.

A wading Carrion Crow by a pond.

From the bridge, a pair of Mute Swans, one with an angel wing, coots, moorhens and mallards

A Grey Heron and a Little Egret (below) on the dead branches of a tree by the Keld.

View of the stream.

Two bridges cross the feeder for the mill, and the stream. After crossing the stream, with the clear water typical of chalk streams, a boardwalk allows to navigate a wet area. A sunny spell makes me switch the bat detector on and Long-winged Coneheads are calling, success! I manage to find a male and a female nymph, success! Another field holds both Roesel's and Long-winged coneheads, including a late instar female nymph.

Male Long-winged Conehead.

A dry pond.

I cross a gate connecting two fields, and a patch of overgrown grass quickly yields my first seen Roesel's, a female basking, while males sing around. I follow the south side of the hedge by a grassy field. At the end, unexpectedly, I find another gate, leading to an informal path following the bank of the meandering stream, with some spots that allow access to the water. The water crowfoot beds are apparent on the top shot.

Two views of the chalk stream.

I remembered that there are River Limpets in the chalk streams of Kirkburn, so I picked a random rock from the shore and there were plenty!

It is the most picturesque place.

I have my packed lunch on a grassy slope near one of the ponds. As I settle, I flush a Common Field Grasshopper, the third orthopteran of the day!

One of the ponds. It might have filled a bit after the rains last week, as there are many dead great pond snails near the shore. Two pairs of Common Darters were ovipositing.

I walk around the damp edge and find a few Slender Groundhoppers.

After lunch, I explore the north of the site, alongside the Keld. In addition to the plentiful willows, there are some large Alders, with the area looking like carr woodland.

Altogether, I'm very pleased to have visited this site, regardless of the bush-crickets, it's well worth a visit.