Holderness: Out Newton and Burton Constable

It is overcast thanks to the northeasterly wind that has dominated the last few days. The wind has cooled the east side of the UK and spared us the heatwave that is afflicting the rest of the country. It hasn't rained in weeks, and the wheat is either already harvested or ready for it, all golden and proud on the fields. As I walk from Skirlaugh (8:10, East Yorks, 24 bus) and take Ellerby Road a Skylark rises and starts singing and a second and a third join it from other parts of the field. I decide to take a detour and walk on the Hornsea Railway trail to New Ellerby instead of the main road. It pays off, Yellowhammer, young Linnets, Blue Tits and Whitethroats along the track. Swifts and Swallows fly over New Ellerby. Today's main aim is West Newton, which involves walking around the perimeter of the Burton Constable estate, along Marton.

Linnet.

Blue Tit juvenile.

Young Whitethroat, its parent alarm-calling nearby.

Yellowhammer.

A Swift with a bulging throat full of insects.

Swallows.

Letterbox cottage.

This sign makes me realise I might have missed High Fosham for my village list. I check when I get home and I realise is just a couple of farms, but I'm giving it a miss today as the walk is long enough.

As I get to the corner of West Newton road I stop for a break. West Newton is a very elongated hamlet and I don't plan to walk to the end of it. As I walk along I hear the unmistakable call of a Quail. Again! I get my phone ready to record the call and eventually I manage. It is a field either fallow or with a mixed crop.  A Roe Deer watches me as I record, the call coming from its direction, but impossible to see the bird with the tall cover. This is my first Quail and it appears they are having a great year in the UK, with a much higher reporting rate than usual in Birdtrack. After the exciting Quail encounter I explore the hamlet a bit longer. There is a colony of House Martins and plentiful sparrows. A Starling alarm calls at the sight of a Buzzard. The Burton Constable estate is very wooded and was one of the first areas where Buzzards settled when they recolonised East Yorkshire. Great to know they are still doing well. 

Roe Deer.

Starling.

A cottage in West Newton.

I carry on to Burton Constable cafe, where I have my lunch. After making an enquiry to check that I can leav the grounds via the holiday park, I get my grounds ticket and head for the lake. The north section of the lake is blanketed by yellow lilies, a sight to behold. The sun makes brief appearances and butterflies and dragonflies follow suit.

Burton Constable Hall.

The Sperm Whale skeleton.

There is a cordon and new plaque by the ancient Sweet Chestnut that states that this is the oldest Sweet Chestnut in East Yorkshire with a girth of 7.8 m. It dates back to the late 16th or early 17th century. I remember making a rough measurement of the tree with the help of my kids years ago and reporting the tree to the Ancient Tree Hunt website so I feel I've somehow contributed to the recognition and protection of the magnificent tree.

Jackdaw.

A Mute Swan navigating the lilies.

Yellow Lily fruits and Great Pond Snails. 

A view of the North Lake

Small Red-eyed Damselfly.

Black-tailed Skimmer.

I leave the holiday park and make my way to Sproatley, where I'm keen not to miss my 277 bus to Hull at 13:48. I have some time and I explore the Arboretum, where I find my first adult Long-winged conehead of the year. As I walk on the village, I find a couple of Holly Blues feeding on snowberry flowers and near them, a Purple Hairstreak! I'm just underneath an oak. I take some photos and as I carry on and in the canopy of a different oak, a flurry of Purple Hairstreaks! I manage to photograph three at once. What a way to finish the day!

Long-winged Conehead.

A view of the grand holiday park entrance.

Some decorative vases in the arboretum.

Holly Blue.

Purple Hairstreak.

Find the three Purple Hairstreaks.