The post-before-last recounted my longest bike ride of the year to date which saw me cross the Hampshire border for the first time in 2022. A successful venture which made me feel like I had got my cycling mojo back after the frustrations of June. A few days after the Hampshire marathon my legs were still feeling it but a gentle stroll down to the patch was enough to add Yellow-legged Gull to the yearlist. Four adults were present on one of the scrapes which have been a reliable site for this species in recent late summers, and the number rose to 10 later in the week.
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| Painted Lady, Tarrant Rushton 17 July |
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| Painted Lady, Tarratn Rushton, 17th July |
By the 24th of the month the legs had recovered enough to repeat another summer pilgrimage from last year: a ride to Portland to look for Balearic Shearwater - one of the rarest species in global terms to grace our shores. The journey down cycling into the wind starting at 0530 was challenging, but ultimately successful - a couple of distant 'probables' were followed by a few Balearics close enough to photograph, plus two Arctic Skua and half-a-dozen Manxies.
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| Corn Bunting, Tarrant Rushton, 17th July |
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| Whitethroat, Tarrant Rushton, 17th July |
When I started the 2021 non-motorised yearlist I decided to include 'heard only' species but in the end managed to see everything, including the normally elusive Quail. This year I adopted the same rule which made a visit to Tarrant Rushton airfield, a reliable site for hearing if not seeing Quail, a good option. After dipping on 17th I managed to hear at least 3 calling males at the second attempt on the evening of the 29th. The month saw 6 new species added to bring the yearlist to 192 (compared to 198 at the same point in 2021). 318 miles had been cycled, my second highest total for a month in 2022 after May.
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| Balearic Shearwater, Portland Bill, 24th July |
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| Balearic Shearwater, Portland Bill, 24th July |
