Thursday 6th. September 2012

Firstly , a couple of bits of interest during local visits this week . The High Elms butterfly transect produced 11 species , and also a squadron of flies that were all intent on being in the correct position

on one particular leaf , or were they the fly equivalent of the Red Arrows working out a new manoeuvre ?  In the lake at South Norwood Country Park could juvenile Coots cause a diplomatic

problem over the ownership of the floating log ? Fortunately , the Red-eared slider / Trachemys

scripta elegans managed to summon up some support and the Coots decided discretion was the better part of valour . Today , I made an early start , and headed for Ashdown Forest , to see if I could catch up with a couple of Odonata species which have given me the slip so far this season . Arriving at Old Lodge Reserve in bright sunshine , but with a chill in the air , I decided to do some birding before concentrating on the Odonata , but walking along the top path , there was just nothing seen or heard . As I reached the gulley , I was pleased to see something , as four Fallow Deer crossed nervously

between two areas of cover . Down at the bottom of the gulley I could see movement and headed

there , but it turned out to be a few Chiffchaffs , one hanging around just long enough to get a shot . Green and GS Woodpecker were heard but not seen along the wires at the far side of the reserve . As I started down the hill to the small stream , the 'cronk' of a Raven was heard on the MoD land , but once again , the bird was not seen . The stream produced , nothing , but it was still quite chilly . On the way up the other side of the small valley , some more small birds were seen , and on getting

closer , they turned out to be a group of Spotted Flycatchers , along with one or two very active Common Redstarts . As I watched and tried to get a shot of one of the Redstarts , a couple arrived from the top and enjoyed the busily feeding birds as well . They left , heading down where I had come from , and almost immediately put up a couple of Wood Larks . One of them flew up into the

same trees as the Sp.Flys , and before it moved on , I got a quick shot . I carried on trying , and failing to get a Redstart shot , when , what I think was the other Woodlark , flew in and landed on the other

 side of the path , about 15 mtrs. away . I watched it for a while , searching for food on the ground , before eventually being lost from sight . I moved on to the small ponds half way up the hill , but , apart from the odd Common Darter and a roving male Southern Hawker , the only ineterest found

was a well mature male Keeled Skimmer . I decided to head down hill to the stream again , to have another try for my target , the Golden-ringed Dragonfly . It was a bit warmer now , but still it was just Commopn Darters that were found . I was just about to give up , when a glint of sunlight caught my

eye in the vegetation on the far bank , amazingly , just a couple of metres away from where I had the Diving Beetle on my last visit . The male GrD was being constantly harrassed by the Common Darters and eventually flew down beyond some Willows , still on the far bank . I came back to the bridge and crossed to the other bank to see if I could refind it , which I did , but also found a second

male , right where the stream flows onto the MoD land . Very soon afterwards , the two male started scrapping , and both were seen off by a male Southern Hawker , neither to be seen again . By now ,

female Common Darters had started arriving at the stream , and very soon after that , pairs in tandem were ovipositing in numbers . Heading back up the hill again , there was no sigh of the feeding birds , and nothing new at the ponds , so I slowly made my way back to the car along the top path . One third of the way back , I re found the feeding group , more out in the open , and managed to get a few

more shots of the Sp.Flys , and this time managed just two shots of one of the Common Redstarts ,

but it still wasn't willing to come right out into the open . The rest of the walk back to the car was almost in silence , and for once , not a single raptor was seen or heard on the visit .