Malham Tarn revisited - Again! :)

[Cazzie]

I know, I just can't keep away lol!

Anyway, this time I took our 10yr old son James with me (he promised he'd be good in the reserve, which he was, apart from trying to catch the lizards on the boardwalks! ). He failed miserably haha as they were too smart for him and shot off before he even got near them lol! but he counted 19 individuals so he was well happy with that. Still, he learnt alot and I actually managed to make him walk slowly and he was suprised at the amount of creatures he came across by doing this.

So here's a few piccies from our afternoon out, oh, and I need some ID's please!

Here's a little froggie in one of the special dragonfly pools that the reserve has created... we also found two emerging Hawkers as well!



ID needed for this chaser please There were quite a few around and some darters too...


Azure or blue Damsel?


So we moved on to the Tarn by the crag and James inevitably found a new 'pet' that he wanted to bring home Hmm... so what is it with young boys and small creatures that they want to bring home eh?!? After some debate I managed to persuade him to leave the grasshopper where it naturally lives. ID on this one please....


Oh blimey... here we go again! now he wanted to bring home the baby frog We found this one in a weeny stream running into the Tarn, in fact I nearly trod on it! It was really cute and has lovely little yellow toes!!!


Found this pretty little flowering plant in the grass. I was about 3" high, any ideas what it is?


Piccy of Malham Tarn Crag (the Tarn is on the right btw but out of shot lol!) There was a flock of about 30 goldfinches feeding off the thistles here and also I spied some Wheatears too.


Back to Tarn Moss for a quick look-see before heading home and we found a nice darter... ID please!


Thought I'd show you Malham Cove which everyone flocks to, as after all it is rather spectacular. Apparently there are some Peregrines nesting there atm! Malham Tarn is approx 2 miles behind it and is much quieter which I why I personally prefer it Btw, there are 280 steps to the top


So there you go - hope you enjoyed!

[goosey]

What a lovely trip out and some smashing photo's aswell. It looks and sounds agreat place to go.

[wyevilla]

Thanks for the memories. I last visited MT in 1976. Golly - its definitely time to revisit.

Great pics - thanks again.

[Cazzie]

Originally Posted by wyevilla

Thanks for the memories. I last visited MT in 1976. Golly - its definitely time to revisit.

Great pics - thanks again.

1976! Yep I think it's high time you came back to visit although it's a bit of a trot from Dorset though eh?!?

I'm certainly a lucky moo living just 1/2hr away from this wonderful place

[wyevilla]

Lucky isn't the word!!

BTW its a male Common Blue Damselfly. Nice photo.

[GuyF]

Looks like you've had another nice day out there. I agree that the damsel is a Common Blue, and both the dragonflies are Black Darters, the 1st is a male and the 2nd a female. The grasshopper may be a Lesser Marsh Grasshopper, but I'm not really sure.
Guy

[Cazzie]

Argh! See I get confused with darters and chasers lol! - thanks for the ID's Guy

[RobSutton]

Originally Posted by Cazzie

Found this pretty little flowering plant in the grass. I was about 3" high, any ideas what it is?


Piccy of Malham Tarn Crag (the Tarn is on the right btw but out of shot lol!) There was a flock of about 30 goldfinches feeding off the thistles here and also I spied some Wheatears too.

Flower is a gentian either field gentian or more likely autumn gentian - to tell for sure you need to look at the calyx tube (the bit below the petals). The cliff is properly called Great Close Scar - in April it's a really good spot to look out for migrating ring ouzels, they seem to congregate there waiting for weather to improve higher up in the fells but you need to be there early morning.

[Cazzie]

Originally Posted by RobSutton

Flower is a gentian either field gentian or more likely autumn gentian - to tell for sure you need to look at the calyx tube (the bit below the petals). The cliff is properly called Great Close Scar - in April it's a really good spot to look out for migrating ring ouzels, they seem to congregate there waiting for weather to improve higher up in the fells but you need to be there early morning.

Ooo! A gentian, how lovely! Only got an 'above shot' sadly, but it was a first for me and such a pretty little flower

Now Ring Ouzels are on my hit list -they're so very elusive and timid! There is a notice below the crag stating that they nest in the immediate area and no-one is allowed on the crag during April - August because of nesting birds including the Ring Ouzel. I did see a fleeting glimpse of what I thought was an Ouzel above my village a few weeks back, but couldn't ID it for sure

Thanks for the info Rob - you're a star!

[RobSutton]

Sadly Ring Ouzels haven't nested there for a good number of years, Kestrels do most years and the Peregrines from Malham Cove often pop up and we keep hoping some of the young birds might take it over as a nesting site. For the Ouzels try about the second week in April.

[Cazzie]

Originally Posted by RobSutton

Sadly Ring Ouzels haven't nested there for a good number of years, Kestrels do most years and the Peregrines from Malham Cove often pop up and we keep hoping some of the young birds might take it over as a nesting site. For the Ouzels try about the second week in April.

Looks like I'll have to wait sometime to see an Ouzel then - I'll bung the 2nd week of April in my diary for next year! On my first visit there back in June I think, I chatted to a chappie who said he'd seen a Little Owl on the crag, but I couldn't find the little one despite my eagle eye lol!

[Cazzie]

Went back yesterday (had friends visiting) and got a close-up of the Gentian - so is it field or autumn do you think?