Erophila verna. Hodbarrow Nature Reserve

Not been seeing much in flower again this week, but was pleased to find some more Common Whitlowgrass, Erophila verna, at RSPB #Hodbarrow
#wildflowerhour
@rspbengland.bsky.social

Silver Hairgrass, Rough Hawkbit, Smooth Hawk's-beard, Hawkweed sp, Cock's-foot, Dandelion, Annual Meadow-grass, Cock's-foot, Wavy Bittercress, Gorse, Daisy & Scarlet Pimpernel.

The #Winter 10 (12) from @rspbengland.bsky.social #Hodbarrow
#NewYearPlantHunt for #wildflowerhour
Silver Hair-grass was the least expected species. Rough Hawkbit and Smooth Hawk's-beard were nice to get. & Tim Rich has kindly confirmed that we can count the Scarlet Pimpernel as flowering 😁

One of my favourite non-Carex #sedges found at @rspbengland.bsky.social #Hodbarrow this week.
Floating Club-rush, Eleogiton fluitans (lovely botanical name too). Growing on the margins of a new pond - periodic disturbance is so important for pioneer #wetland plants.
#wildflowerhour

Hurrah for #Hogweed
Hoverflies love it. 100's if not 1,000's of Syrphus & many other #invertebrates using it at @rspbengland.bsky.social #Hodbarrow this afternoon, when the rain finally stopped.
#wildflowers not #weeds
@bsbibotany.bsky.social
#Cumbria

#DarkRedHelleborine and #MarshHelleborine @rspb.bsky.social #Hodbarrow #Cumbria last week. A wonderful nature reserve probably best known for its tern colony, but it is also a much underrated botanical gem. #HelleborineChallenge #wildflowerhour

#SandwichTerns having an excellent year at @rspb.bsky.social #Hodbarrow. c.950 pairs and a bare minimum of 400 chicks with many pairs still on eggs. Great to see after #AvianInfluenza #HPAI greatly impacted the species in 2022 and 2023. #terns #seabirds #RSPBEcology

Spent much of 2024 fruitlessly thrashing the local patches of #AlstonReservoirs and #Seaforth but neither produced a rarity reward. So it was down to #Hodbarrow to scratch the BBRC rarity itch instead. This magnificent #CaspianTern was a brief but thrilling highlight of the year. #birds #ukbirding

#CommonTern 2.26 ringed as a chick @RSPBSaltholme in 2021 now breeding #Seaforth. Others from Anglesey Skerries & Dublin plus multiple juveniles from @RSPBEngland #Hodbarrow. Nomads. Love them & proud to be playing a part in helping them thrive 💚 #RSPBEcology @urbanwildthing

A few photos of yesterday's superb #CaspianTern at @RSPBEngland #Hodbarrow. Large dark primary wedge, dark grey in primary coverts, secondaries and tail so presumably a third calendar year bird? @urbanwildthing

The #Hodbarrow #Spoonbills put on a brilliant show yesterday. Four adults & four juveniles present. Here's a head banger begging for food from its constantly harassed parent! Great to see a successful nest again after a blank year in 2023. #RSPBEcology @urbanwildthing @NHarnser

What a buzz to have this magnificent beast sail past the hide at @RSPBEngland #Hodbarrow yesterday and start fishing over the lagoon. Hung around for less than ten minutes before heading off NE along the Duddon Estuary. #CaspianTern @urbanwildthing @CumbriaBirdClub

2 adult Roseate Terns east end of the main island from the hide at @RSPBEngland #Hodbarrow 19:00 but no further sign of the Caspian Tern. @BirdGuides

Ooof! Adult Caspian Tern @RSPBEngland #Hodbarrow 16:25 feeding over lagoon from hide for c.5 minutes then flew low east along the coast towards Borwick. @urbanwildthing @Blackledge68 @BirdGuides @cumbriabirds @CumbriaBirdClub

Great work by @BoomCumbria & @RSPBEngland #Hodbarrow #Cumbria team to translocate #SmallBlue onto site. #Butterfly bank creation and Kidney Vetch planting ahead of a release of 30 individuals in late May looks like it's now bearing fruit. #RSPBEcology @Blackledge68 @JFDIecologist

Here's a pick me up for everyone who's having to watch thousands of birds perish from #HPAI #AvianInfluenza #BirdFlu whilst the media say nothing & @DefraGovUK look away. Such a tonic at @RSPBEngland #Hodbarrow today - alive with terns, both healthy adults & fledged chicks. 🙌💚

Not a #Hodbarrow bird afterall, but ringed as a chick at Conder Pool nr Lancaster, 30 July 2021 and first sighting since. Thanks Ian Hartley and Bart Donato for the gen. @Lancsbirder7 @Merseybirders @Dan_Gornall @urbanwildthing

Nice to see this #Hodbarrow ringed #CommonTern at #Seaforth this afternoon, alive and kicking along with at least 100 other survivors of the awful #HPAI #AvianInfluenza #BirdFlu outbreak on the reserve this year. We've likely lost over half of the breeding adults. 😭 @DefraGovUK

Hoping all this early promise translates into good productivity figures at the season's end. Big up @urbanwildthing @Blackledge68 @mcmaclauchlan @ProjectLOTE and everyone else involved for their hard graft in making #Hodbarrow the superb @Natures_Voice reserve it is. #RSPBEcology

Great to see @ProjectLOTE funded improvements to @RSPBEngland #Hodbarrow delivering the goods. #LittleTerns have favoured an area of impermeable compacted slag waste in recent years and have lost clutches in puddles after heavy downpours. #RSPBEcology thread...

Being so close to the ‘mainland’ a predation risk from foxes remains, so an in-water barrier fence, similar to that at @RSPBEngland #Hodbarrow, was installed on a berm in the deep ditch around the island to make it inaccessible to foxes.

.... and a few hazy stills. #ElegantTern @RSPBEngland #Hodbarrow @RSPBbirders @urbanwildthing @mcmaclauchlan @Blackledge68 @cumbriabirds

It would be foolish not to grill a flock of 500 Sandwich Terns in the Irish Sea currently. That said I wasn't actually expecting the #ElegantTern to be here! @RSPBEngland #Hodbarrow this afternoon. Distant and into the sun but this grotty video will absolutely do me!

Juv Wood Sandpiper @RSPBEngland #Hodbarrow from the hide 16:45 on right side of main island from the hide. Elegant Tern still present on beach 16:35. @BirdGuides @RareBirdAlertUK @cumbriabirds @mcmaclauchlan @Blackledge68 @urbanwildthing

Elegant Tern still on beach with Sandwich Terns @RSPBEngland #Hodbarrow at 15:50 @BirdGuides @RareBirdAlertUK

Adult Elegant Tern with Sandwich Tern flock on beach @RSPBEngland #Hodbarrow 14:30 at least. 😁💥

#Seaforth still pulling in the #CommonTerns. Two more from #Hodbarrow and Marsh Lane NR I think. @RingersWm @urbanwildthing @Blackledge68

Sulking after missing #Seaforth's long-awaited first ever AGP by 2 minutes, I distracted myself with reading #CommonTern rings. #Hodbarrow red 410, 417 & 443, black 081 from Marsh Lane NR and yellow flagged TX probably from #Skerries Anglesey. @urbanwildthing @Lancsbirder7

So much more than #terns. @RSPB_N_England #Hodbarrow #Cumbria is a botanical treat too. Bee, Early and Northern Marsh and Common Spotted Orchids from a couple of weeks ago plus Pyramidal and Dark Red Helleborine yet to flower. #wildflowerhour @wildflower_hour

A trio of #tern chicks from @RSPB_N_England #Hodbarrow #Cumbria yesterday. And not by accident. Lots of hard graft put in by the site team to tick all the boxes for these vulnerable #seabirds. #RSPBEcology