Twayblade, beautiful scenery and Fairy Inkcaps

 

Some stunning scenery over the tops on our way home from the Lesser Grey Shrike.  Added Red Grouse to the year list, apart from that there was a distinct lack of birds.

Some stunning woodlands. Here we are looking for Birds Nest Orchids yet again. A lovely forest floor with some cracking fungus.......but afraid no birds nest orchids. Will give it another look next week, haven't given up yet !

Twayblade

Fairy Inkcaps, but no orchids !   

Southern Marsh Orchids on our evening walk last night

Ragged Robin

A very distant cuckoo, cuckooing away !

Kestrel

This was on this mornings walk, we saw a couple of female roe deer, very close but not for long. 

Just beautiful.

Reed Bunting

Banded Demoiselle

 

A mile away from home and we see these......lots of them and they are beautiful xx

Lady's Slipper Orchids

 

Simply beautiful xx

A day out for us to see these stunning orchids that are flowering at the moment. Infact, a few had gone over so we only just made it for this year. We have wanted to see these for years but the weather over the last few years hasn't been favourable, glad we waited as the wet spring and recent sun has worked miracles. One of the rarest plants in the UK. 

They are without doubt, simply beautiful. 

Early Purple Orchids

 

The side of the hill was awash with early purple orchids, absolutely beautiful

Early Marsh Orchids

 

A new UK orchid for us. Looking stunning in the summer sunshine.

Lesser Grey Shrike, Whitby

 

The hedge that it favoured, uncut pic

Coughing up a pellet

Up at the crack of dawn and off to Whitby for the lesser grey shrike. Not a new bird for us but a stonking bird all the same. Soon parked and off up the path to look for the bird which we had been told had just flown along a distant hedge.  Simon soon picked the bird up on the wires which it seemed to favour, occasionally dropping down into the field. We had the shrike to ourselves and it did start to work its way closer along the wires. But the crowd soon arrived and the shrike got further away. 

In hindsight, we wished we had gone later in the day as the bee-eaters that came into roost near the Abbey the previous day, returned again in the evening. Oh well, happy with our day and drove back home over the moors adding red grouse to our year list.