Lindisfarne Quest

Elvis Costello sang of it being a good year for the roses, well in my opinion 2020 with all its problems so far has if nothing else, been a good year for the orchids.  Sam and I had decided that today was right to involve ourselves in a quest on the holy island of Lindisfarne.  It was to be a quest in search of Epipactis sancta, more commonly known as Lindisfarne Helleborine.  We hoped also to find along the way other wildflowers, including another of the genus Epipactis, the attractive Marsh Helleborine.

The tower and house on the Snook

We knew we could not take a sighting of the Lindisfarne Helleborine for granted even though we had timed our journey to hit its peak flowering time.  After all, there are very few specimens of this plant on the island, its flowering time is short and weather can affect the timing of this.  On the plus side we had time, enthusiasm and dedication.

We joined the string of vehicles crossing the causeway before 1:00pm, and judging by this traffic it seemed that the centre of the island was going to be heaving with visitors, modern day pilgrims I suppose.  Thankfully, we weren’t going to the centre, but rather our quest was to the western end of the Snook.  Often, we drive past this area in winter and head for our usual birdwatching haunts, when usually the island is less frequented by people. Although in any event, we find that most folk venture little further than the village and the castle.  I would say at this point, it is only by exploring the more remote areas of the island that you can claim to really know it.

With car parked on the Snook we ate some lunch whilst I thought of holy men illuminating books, Viking marauders, lime burners, farmers and fishermen.  It was dry and mild, but overcast with cloud which was to occasionally break during our time here and give wonderful lighting conditions and at times keeping us very warm.

Sometime after leaving the car we looked up to find that we had been so engrossed in identifying plants such as Sea Arrowgrass, Sea Plantain and Seaside Centaury that we had barely left the carpark.  We continued our walk westwards.

Sea Arrow Grass

Sea Plantain

Seaside Centaury.

Various Orchid species were soon showing well, Common Spotted, Northern Marsh, Pyramidal and then Marsh Helleborines in numbers and then we found the elusive Lindisfarne Helleborine.  Our quest had been successful and we could now relax and just enjoy all before us.

Pyramidal Orchid.  The best of many seen, growing in shelter of what appeared to be old World War Two defence structure.  Wonderfully lit, but I have not quite captured the beauty that I saw on the day.

One of many Northern Marsh Orchids, and many were in much better condition but by now my mind was on Helleborines.

Common Spotted Orchid

The Lindisfarne Helleborine was first recorded on the island in 1958 and at that time believed to be Epipactis dunensis, the Dune Helleborine.  It wasn’t until the turn of the current century that it was recognised as a species in its own right, and by some that it had even evolved separately from Dune Helleborine and its variety Tyne Helleborine.  Lindisfarne Helleborine is therefore endemic to the island.  In beauty it is not up to the standards of the Marsh Helleborine of which we found many, but it is always nice to see a rarity.  Nice also, was the chance to point out the plant to a friendly couple who we had got speaking to about other orchids.  Having left the carpark, all the other folk seen in the distance could be counted on one hand, so we had no problem with social distancing.

Marsh Helleborine

Marsh Helleborine

Marsh Helleborine

We didn’t ignore the butterflies and by now we had seen Small White, Common Blue, Small Heath, Meadow Brown and Dark Green Fritillary.  Bird watching today had no priority, but we did hear Sandwich Tern and see the likes of Kestrel and Meadow Pipit.  As I was sitting in the Dunes and picking off numerous heads of that damn invasive Pirri-pirri Bur we heard fly overhead what sounded very like a Bee-eater!  We didn’t see the bird so it will be one of those ‘’we’ll never know moments’’ but we have seen and heard many Bee-eaters on our travels in Europe and I trust Sam’s hearing skills,  if not my own at times.

Lindisfarne Helleborine

Lindisfarne Helleborine.  Not the most beautiful of orchids, but rare and interesting.

Walking further into the dunes we were well rewarded with plant species including the small Fairy Flax and the much large Vipers Bugloss.   We listened to the distant haunting calls of Grey Seals, and on our return saw many hundred laid out on the sands to the south of the island.

Fairy Flax

Viper's Bugloss

Looking out onto the long stretch of isolated sand it was obvious none of the crowds visiting the centre of the island were venturing far.  We saw only two people walking like matchstick men and women close to the sea in the far distance, otherwise it was completely deserted of humankind.

Deserted Sands

Purple-Milk Vetch

Thinking that there may be plants on the edge of the dune area where it meets the sand, on our return  we walked along this edge but found only grasses  and the stump of a tree, showing a face, partially carved we thought by human hand.

Self Heal

Silverweed

Eventually back at the car I struggled with the Pirri-pirri again, eventually finished off the remains of my lunch and we left the island to the masses and travelled south.

We made a stop at Bamburgh where we visited the grave of the Northumbrian naturalist and artist Prideaux John Selby.  Its rather lost and weathered next to the grand, rather over ornate Victorian memorial to Grace Darling.  I wonder how many tourists think she is buried here rather than some yards away.  The Victorians didn’t get everything correct, having built the original memorial in Portland stone it soon weathered and had to be replaced by a new one built with Northumbrian Stone.

Eyebright

Meadowsweet

A second stop was made at Monk House pool where we recorded Common Sandpiper and saw Sea Campion, Harebelll and Meadow Cranesbill.  After a quick third stop at Sea Houses where the smell of fish and chips were enticing, but the queues were not, we set off for home having enjoyed a great day botanising.  Whilst talking of war poets we passed a nice grouping of Red Poppies which seemed appropriate.  Our quest was complete.

(All images taken on the Snook, Lindisfarne.  Remember to click on them to up-size)

Wingate Quarry and Thrislington. Butterflies and Botany.

The pull of another trip south of the Tyne was too much to resist, and our efforts today were well rewarded.

Giant Bellflower at Wingate

Wingate Quarry was our first stop on what was a breezy morning with a chill in the air, grey cloud at times threatening rain which never arrived in any noticeable amount.   The first highlight of the day was finding a rather noisy begging family of unfledged Kestrels being fed by a parent bird high and safe on the quarry face.  The young Kestrels looked almost ready for flight and they were making moves outside of the nesting area.  After this encounter our minds were firmly on butterflies and botany for the rest of the day.  At this point we had no idea just how well the day was to turn out.

Like the old quarry at Bishop Middleham, this area had been worked for magnesian limestone until the 1930s.  We were here primarily to try and find Marbled White Butterflies, rarely seen in the area outside of the reserve, they were introduced here in 2000.  Initially we struggled to find any butterflies of any description in the overcast conditions, then one or two species began to make an appearance, all of them flighty.  Then we found one Marbled White Butterfly, and moving on to an area rich in knapweed and thistles more were seen, but again all where flighty and viewing chances where brief, with no chance of a photograph.  They would quickly disappear as soon as the sun was covered by cloud, seemingly disappearing deep into the grasses.  There were other butterflies too including Small Tortoiseshell, Common Blue, Meadow Brown, Ringlet and Small Skipper.

Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly.  The under-wings are often as interesting as the upper-wing.

Common Blue Butterfly (male)

A single Fragrant Orchid, a single Common Twayblade and many Common Spotted Orchids stood out from among some interesting flora.  Having looked again at my image of the Common Twayblade I see in the flowers, celebrating spacemen/women in green spacesuits, and honestly I have not touched a drop of red wine today.   This had been our first ever visit to Wingate Quarry, I’m sure it won’t be our last.  Our next stop was to be a first visit too, the reserve at Thrislington, a National Nature Reserve.

Common Twayblade

Small Skipper

Small Skipper

During our hours walking at Thrislington we learned a good deal about this calcareous grassland area, not least being its sheer beauty at this time of year.  There are hectares of land painted in patchwork fashion by the vivid colours of a myriad of wildflowers.  The scene could have come straight from an artist’s brush and palette and offered ample opportunity for the poetic mind.

purple Betony

Betony

With so many flowers came numerous bees, grasshoppers, butterflies and other insects.  The star butterflies were the Northern Brown Argus, which we had expected, and the Dark Green Fritillary which we hadn’t really thought about.  Both species probably reaching double figures.  Again, the Dark Green Fritillaries were especially flighty, but one, sadly a little worse for wear, gave the chance of a photograph.

Northern Brown Argus

Northern Brown Argus

Dark Green Fritillary

By now the sun was out and warming the air.  The day list of butterfly species seen came to 12 and some others added included a lone Small White as we stepped from the car, Small Heath, Red Admiral and Speckled Wood.

As we walked through the grassland we found the air strongly scented by the many plants that bloomed and encircled us.  Perhaps the most noticeable scent came from the many beautiful Fragrant Orchids now reaching their peak of perfection.  There were thousands of orchids of many hues and sizes, but orchid species which stood out for me was the Dark Red Helleborine which we eventually came across.  This must rank highly on my list of favourite flowers and they had reached their peak, one of them holding 36, wine red flowers on its spike.    This made up for our disappointment on visiting Bishop Middleham Old Quarry a couple of weeks ago and finding only one of these plants beginning to flower.

Fragrant Orchid

Fragrant Orchid

It was with interest that I noted from Anne and Simon Harrap’s Orchids of Britain and Ireland that the first British record of Dark Red Helleborine was made in a work by John Ray in 1677.  The site Ray mentions is Malham, 4 miles from Settle.  Also noted in Harrap’s book is that the maximum number of flowers known on a Dark Red Helleborine plant is 45, so our plant wasn’t far short of that.  My own experience of seeing these orchids is that spikes usually have fewer flowers.

Dark Red Helleborine

Dark Red Helleborine

I have never seen such a display of Orchids, nor can I recall seeing such an area of general botanical interest in Britain.  It had us discussing just how wonderful it must have been to wander around the open country of John Clare’s England and enjoy not only the sight, but also the aroma of wildflowers.  Oh, how he would have enjoyed today's walk.

We recalled the flower meadows of Eastern Europe and the area where open grassland met the tree line even invoked memories of the African Savannah, although on a minor scale of course.  Yellowhammers sang as we admired the scene.

Savannah type scene

Sam ready for action

There were simply too many species of plant to list, but some come instantly to my memory.  Carpets of golden Rock Rose, large areas of purple Betony, layers of Agrimony, bee laden Greater Knapweed, pale blue Field and Small Scabious side by side, masses of Birds foot Trefoil, clovers and vetchlings, blue Perennial Flax, Common Centaury, delicate Common Milkwort and an abundance of Lady’s Bedstraw and many  more.  It may sound imaginary and overstated, but it is not.

Perrenial Flax

Common Milkwort

We chatted to the chap from natural England who was going about his business and tetrads and was one of the very few people we saw in the area, and he give us a condensed history of the reserve.   Exmoor or similar Ponies are used here in winter for conservation reasons and whist some of the area is perfectly natural, a large proportion was re-laid some years ago.  To my untrained eye I would not have known.  As with any conservation area it is not without its problems and conflicting views as to how best to manage it, but whatever is being done certainly seems to be working.

Rest Harrow

Kidney Vetch

It’s quite a walk to do this area justice, but there was so much interest, we quite forgot how far we had gone, although the whole day here would not have been wasted.  Our day had been wonderfully complete and it had been a good lesson in botany.  We’d quite forgotten about birds and decided that tiredness meant we ought to put off a visit to Castle Lake until another day.  Our find of Dark Red Helleborine also meant that a visit to Bishop Middleham Old Quarry wasn’t essential either.

Scabious

Agrimony

Well there is always another time.

busy Bumblebee

Plantain sp

Quite incidentally I’ have begun in the past few days to read a book by Steve Nicholls entitled Flowers of the Field, A Secret History of Meadow Moor and Wood.  A wonderful follow up to the trip described and full of excellent photographs.  I believe Steve is a Middlesbrough guy so I’ll be checking to see if Thrislington gets a mention in his book.  By the look of the index it doesn’t.

Addendum.

Please remember when visiting reserves or other areas of this nature, to keep to the pathways.

Little Terns to Nightjars, Coast to Forest.

Despite an unusually windy June evening we took the decision to travel north to Long Nanny to watch Little Terns.  The walk along to the bay was indeed windy, but I was surprised to see so few folk out on what was otherwise a fine evening.  The dunes were colourfully carpeted in the purple and white hues of Bloody Cranesbill and Campion.  Skylarks appeared all along our route and Meadow Pipits dropped as if by parachute.

Bloody Cranesbill

We were soon at the bridge, and found the boxes holding the Little Tern nesting area somewhat distant.  We headed for the warden’s hut, but that was blocked off because of covid, so we found a comfortable spot on the edge of the dunes which gave shelter from the gusting wind.  The long stretch of sandy coastline was deserted and we felt we had the whole area to ourselves.  The sand formed a myriad of patterns on the beach as the light conditions constantly changed, and the wind blew the small dry grains of sand in varying directions, resembling twisting dust clouds on the move.   We had some good sightings of Little Terns over the sea and flying along the tidal edge, whilst one of them landed on the sea-soaked sand and stayed there some minutes.  Perhaps the best sighting was of the Little Tern flying erratically along the tide line and appearing to fly through the brightly lit surf, with a turquoise sea as a backdrop.

Along with the Little Terns were both Sandwich and Arctic Terns, and perhaps best of all two sunlit Gannets continually diving like pointed missiles close to shore, in an area obviously providing good feeding.  Sam got his eye on a Manx Shearwater flying north in the distance and waders seen included Oystercatcher, a small flock of Dunlin, Curlew and Bar tailed Godwits.  The white broken cloud to the south contrasted to the rain filled darkness of the cloud to the north, which thankfully kept its distance.

As we walked back via the dunes a small Pyramidal Orchid was found, but the best and least expected sighting was a family of Stoats crossing the path ahead of us.   All three quickly aware of our approach, they disappeared stealthily into the dunes.  Not good news for the Little Tern colony, but an excellent sighting for us, but just not quite enough time for photographs.  Around the same area Stonechats and Linnets were seen.  The male Stonechat looking at its best perched with the blue sky as background.  Kestrels were added to our list.

Stonechat

Once back at the car we decided to visit the scrape at Low Newton.  I remember that a lot of work was put into this scrape and those responsible must be incredibly pleased to see it bearing results especially having attracted breeding Avocet, and we saw the young birds this evening.  Ringed Plover was among other birds seen here.  Two Brown Hares were seen in the fields, looking as they often do when still, like mounds of earth, and a male Sparrrowhawk gave a good sighting as it glided along the hedge-

line.

Pyramidal Orchid

We travelled back by the scenic route and called at Cresswell and listed four Spoonbills and more Avocet.  A nice evening at the coast despite the wind.  The roads were ghostly quiet on our journey back home.

We had plans for a trip to Slaley Forest for Nightjar the following evening, but the forecast ranged from showers all evening, to heavy rain all evening.  We ignored the forecast and set off anyway aiming to make the most of it.  It would not be the first time I’ve been soaked to the skin in Slaley Forest.  Our first stop was at Whittle Dene Reservoir where the highlights were Yellow Wagtail, two pairs of Great Crested Grebe, a family of Kestrels, Common Buzzard and Swifts,  Swallows and Sand Martins swooping low over the water.   A Red Fox showed in the distance and then slowly trotted down by the side of the reservoir before disappearing behind the hedge-line.  Brown Hare was seen again too.  There were some interesting plants to examine including Common Spotted Orchid. 

Having walked back across the Military Road, a great stretch of road for driving and viewing, but not so good for crossing if a pedestrian, we made off towards Corbridge where a break was taken for tea.  The waters of the River Tyne seemed higher than on previous visits and the stony ground under the bridge was under water.  We walked a good way along the riverbank, being on our guard not to fall into the river where the sandy pathway has in places collapsed.  The call of Common Sandpiper was heard before the bird was seen, but it was the plant life including the invasive Himalayan Balsam that took the interest.  Our return walk took us past the stones from the old bridge with its information board which has seen better days.  Long tail Tit was among birds seen.

As I stepped out of the car at Slaley Forest, having spotted several Brown Hares as we approached, I knew right away that it was going to be a battle between us and the midges, so out came the Avon skin so soft, not for the last time this evening.  Calling Crossbills flew overhead, as did soon afterwards, Siskin.  It was to be an evening where the sense of hearing would bring such good rewards.  Seldom in this cacophonous world do you find complete peace and quiet, but as we walked onto the moor the silence and stillness were intense.  That state was we believed so noticeable, as it so seldom occurs and it didn’t last long, soon broken by squawking Jays, the hum of bees and eventually an off-road four-wheel drive coming in our direction.  However there was little sound from birds, as very few were about, but we did hear the occasional Meadow Pipit, a lifting Common Snipe, the Black Headed Gull colony in the distance and the chat of Stonechats, a youngster being fed by the parent bird at one point.  We also had a good sighting of a Cuckoo being mobbed by a Meadow Pipit on the edge of the forest, before each bird disappeared into the trees.

As we walked along the forest road the smell of pine was intense the thump of Woodcock wings was heard as it took off and flew across the road ahead of us.  It was now time for a five-minute break, more skin so soft and then a walk deeper into the forest where we passed a mass of Northern Marsh Orchids, and the occasional Common and Heath Spotted Orchid.  We’ve been along this path numerous times, but have never seen a display of orchids so fine and densely placed.  By now the air was in places a fog of midges and they got everywhere, including up the nose.  We eventually found an excellent viewing spot where there was a small passage of cool air which seemed to lessen the onslaught by these devils in the air.

The weather forecast had been completely wrong and it was a perfect night for our vigil.  The cloud had broken up somewhat by now, so we had to be patient in our wait for darkness.  The sky to the north and west was a mix of blue streaks, flaming orange areas and purple cloud.  The orange areas slowly decreased as darkness neared.  The cloud far off in the west appeared as if an ocean.  A few Woodcock flew over the area in that unmistakable manner of flight that they have, and one landed close by us as I poured on more insect deterrent.  A Tawny Owl hooted from far in the distance and then as darkness fell the churring of Nightjars began.   Initially it seemed a distant quiet churring, but the sound gradually increased in volume.  This must be one of nature’s greatest sound effects.  We then heard wing clapping so knew the Nightjars were now in flight over the open area before us.

We walked further along the narrow path and soon we were almost standing under the trees where the churring was coming from.  Bat species were flying to and fro, and then Sam got his eye on a Nightjar flying out of the trees into the darkness.  I then picked up a Nightjar out in the open area and we watched a fine display of fight before it dropped to the ground.  I would have been happy with the sounds of churring, but as always the sighting was the icing on the cake.  We eventually returned to the car and escaped the attacking insect hoards.  I felt and smelt wonderful!

As we set off homeward bound a Roe Deer walked nonchalantly across the road in front of the car as if it hadn’t become aware of our approach, its eyes shining brightly in the darkness.  Further on a flock of gulls where lit by the car headlights as they lifted in a field, giving the effect of a ghostly apparition.   Sam then entertained with ghost stories as we proceeded towards home.

As I crossed the threshold of home at two minutes past twelve I realised I had become a year older.  Yes, it was my birthday and a better gift I could not have had than the evening’s experience just undertaken.  I walked in the kitchen and found the bin lid in the centre of the floor.  I’m convinced it wasn’t there before I left.  I had a coffee and made off to bed, but not before checking all rooms!  Nightjarring is always a highlight of the birding year, tonight was exceptionally good!   I reckoned up and found we had been on the go for seven and a half hours and that we must have walked several miles.  I slept well, but had a very odd dream!