Friday 24th. June 2011

First job this morning was to take Carol shopping , but with hindsight , I should have left that till this afternoon , as the best of today's weather was early on . After a quick coffee , I set off first to the Farm Lake . No sign at all of any of the Little Grebe , adult or young , which is sad . Of course the Coot family is still intact , 2 adults and 6 youngsters , and the female was seen collecting nesting materials at a different sight from the first , presumably for her third brood . The weather was still good for butterflies , but only Large and Small Skipper , Meadow Brown , Ringlet and this male Small White were recorded . The most dominant Odonata by far was the Black-tailed Skimmer , which I estimated at 75/100 plus around the lake , with many pairs in the 'wheel or ring' . Just one Emperor Dragonfly , a male was seen . Common Darters were well represented , with some starting to colour up , and this one prepared for a real close up . I heard somewhere recently that a Dragonfly's eye is made up of up to 30,000 individual lenses in each compound eye . A few Damselflies were seen , mainly Azure , male pictured , and Blue-tailed . Not a lot of colour around the lake , but Musk Mallow/Malva moschata is doing it's best to cheer things up , and a white Crab Spider , bottom flower on the left , was using it in the hope that it's breakfast would be attracted to it's flower .

My second stop , in worsening conditions , was at High Elms , not the full butterfly survey , but to see if two special species had emerged , White Admiral and Silver-washed Fritillary . On the way to Burnt Gorse , a quick check on the Violet Helleborine , found all three plants in good order , and with the flower spikes starting to unfurl . With what looked like a botany class going on on Burnt Gorse , but did manage to record two Marbled Whites , now sighted at both ends of the site , before I headed for the small glade between it and the Orchid Bank . The sun was truly at a premium , and when it did appear , it was only for a very short period before being swallowed up by cloud again . But , in one of those short periods , two male Silver-washed Fritillaries entered the arena to fight for it's ownership . One headed off , but the other stopped to nectar , and in doing so , showed the 'silver wash' on the underside of his wings . I had already had a good look for White Admiral , and had seen my first of the year , as it moved it's position some 10 metres up in a Beech , but obviously well out of camera range . Another look around an area of Larches , many draped in Honeysuckle , the food plant of the White Admiral , proved negative , but , high in one of the trees I spotted a Sparrowhawk , a male if I think . I moved position and tried to get closer , but someone had their beady eye on me , and just after this shot disappeared . In what I think was one of the last periods of sunshine , I spotted another White Admiral , right at the back of a Bramble patch . I managed this one shot , when the sun disappeared , and so did the butterfly . Of interest , last year the first sightings for White Admiral and Silver-washed Fritillary at High Elms was 1st.July for both species .Earlier in the visit I spotted a Cuckoo sp. bumblebee , tussling with a much smaller insect on a Bramble flower . When the Bee moved off , I tried to photograph the unusual insect , and caught it just as it took flight , revealing the brightly coloured abdomen . Another species that I haven't come across before . Any offers ?

As I returned home with the sky getting greyer by the moment , I passed the Chicory that I mentioned on Dean's blog/DDD , as still being in bud just a couple of days ago . Well , it has now caught up , with just one flower for every head of buds .

Thursday 23rd. June 2011

I arrived at the Common Buzzard nest site at a bit after 8 o'clock , unsure what to expect . The views we had yesterday were very poor , mainly because of the conditions , but I must say that I wasn't expecting to find two juveniles in the nest , and looking as if they could fledge any minute . My first reaction was to get a couple of hand held shots , just in case they actually did .Having got a couple of shots , I then decided to pass under the nest and set myself up on the other side of the tree , which I hoped would be better for the light . The two youngsters took absolutely no notice of me as I passed below them or when I set up the tripod and camouflage screen . I even took a folding garden chair with me , which came in very handy over the next five hours . To begin with , everything was very quiet in the nest , that was apart from the many flies that could be seen and annoying the pair . Every now and again , a bit of activity , when the more dominant of the pair got in a bit of wing exercise , which it seemed to do with every decent gust of wind . The only other movement was when one or the other defecated over the side of the nest , I won't post that shot , and when the dominant one had a struggle to regurgitate a pellet , which it finally managed , hitting the ground with a thud . Adults were heard calling at regular intervals , but then , without a sound , this adult arrived at the nest , not bringing food , it looked like it was just to check that everything was OK . After about 2/3 hours , an adult did bring in food , arriving unexpectedly at the back door , and appeared to just toss something small into the nest , then dropped down out of sight as silently as it arrived . The dominant one grabbed whatever it was and appeared to make short work of it . Then it was back to the hanging around bit again , and of interest , whilst I was there , neither the youngsters or the adult that arrived , made any call at all . During the time there were a couple of showers , but all the youngsters did was to cower down in the nest , presumably so that the feathers on the back would run the rain off . It would have been nice to have got a shot of the adult with food or the youngsters begging as the adult approached , but I came to the conclusion after five hours that the youngsters had probably eaten a hearty breakfast and it could be some time before they needed topping up .As I packed up my gear , the two youngsters still sat quietly , looking as if it could still be some time before they needed feeding .

The only regret of the visit , that I didn't have a second camera with me , because , as I sat quietly watching the youngsters , many Tree Creepers were seen , some only a couple of metres away , one flying down to the bottom of a tree I could reach if I stretched out my hand . Also seen , at least one family group of Marsh Tits , good to know they were successful again this year in the area .

Wednesday 22nd. June 2011

Firstly , many thanks to ShySongbird for identifying the first species on yesterday's post . The Solitary Bee was in fact a fly , Sicus ferrugineus , which probably explains why I couldn't find it .

Mind you , with a name like that , it should be on the duck list .

The second species was identified by Mel Lloyd , for which I am very grateful , and is a Saproxylic Beetle-Tumbling Flower Beetle / Tomoxia bucephala . I have tried to find out more about this species , but although there are many entries , very little information is available . It would appear to have come from Scandinavia /Russia , and was first recorded at Wicken Fen in 2006 .

Thank you very much Mel for your help .

Turning to today , the day of the Dormice/Reptile survey up on the Greensand Ridge , which can only be described as a very wet one . I was joined on today's survey by fellow Blogger Phil / Sharp by Nature , and fellow 'wildie' Terry Laws . The early part of the morning was just overcast , but as we reached the halfway stage on the first site , the heavens opened . With vegetation in places as high as us , we just got wetter and wetter . Added to that , we failed to find any Dormice on the first site , but on the upside , nearly every Tit nest had successfully fledged , just the odd egg being found . The only box with eggs/young , was one temporarily occupied by a Wren . By the time we started on the reptile refugia , we resembled drowned rats , and the Bracken and Bilberry in the area of the refugia , at times head high , just added to the wetness . The odd Slow Worm , a Common Lizard , and two very large Grass Snake sloughs , shed skins , raised the spirits , but a bit of sun would have been appreciated better . On the roadside between the first two reptile sites , a Stinkhorn / Phallus impudicus was found , the smell of rotting flesh attracting flies , which in turn carry the spores to others of the species . We actually managed to have lunch outside , before the next heavy shower put paid to that . The afternoon was more of the same weatherwise , but finds did get better on or near the refugia . Several juvenile and a good sized adult were found , then a large female Adder , surprisingly lying out in the middle of another heavy shower . Eventually , she sloped off to the shelter of a tree stump , when one of the lads spotted this specimen almost infront of us . The main reason that it wasn't seen earlier , was it's size . Another job for the 35mm film canister , suggested by Phil . A probable female , born last year , that too got fed up with the rain and moved off . The Dormice boxes continued producing spent Tit nests , until the sight of a few green leaves in one box , produced what we were hoping for , a male Dormouse , a first for the lads , and the rain was forgotten . The survey finished in the rain , and we were all glad to get back to the yard for a hot drink and to straty to dry out .

The best find of the day though , was a Common Buzzard nest with what we are pretty sure was young in it . Guess where I'm going tomorrow ? Weather permitting .

Tuesday 21st. June 2011

Firstly , thanks again to Dean/DDD , for identifying last night's moths . Light Emerald and Brown china-mark in that order . Also to ShySongbird for putting forward Amblyteles armatorius for the Ichneunom , which I originally thought it was . But now I am going for Ichneumon suspiciosus , unless anyone knows better ?

After sorting out some chores this morning , with the strong wind back again , I set off for a site just over the county border in Surrey , that I heard had done really well with Small Blue butterflies this year , with three figures being mentioned . Not really a butterfly day , arriving in cloudy , cool conditions , with the occasional sunny period , the highlight of the visit were , several male Marbled Whites , frantically searching for females when the sun appeared , then returning to shelter when the sun went ,Rest-harrow /Ononis repens , a member of the Pea family , the rains have produced good sized Wild Strawberries/Fragaria vesca , a member of the Rose family . This one almost the size of a small marble ,I should be scratching my head over this one , but I think it is the same species posted by Rob/The Living Isle last night , Chrysotoxum bicinctum , thanks Rob ,eventually I did find some Small Blues , this shot showing how small they are , especially if the forewing is lowered ,nowhere near the three figures mentioned , but I would estimate 15/20 seen , and it is coming to the end of their flight season , a very fresh Small Tortoiseshell , also seen , Small Heath , Speckled Wood , Large and Small Skipper and Large White . Considering the conditions , not a bad tally .

After lunch , a short visit to Spring Park Pond , with conditions much the same , the highlights being ,my first Essex Skipper of the year ,I looked for the Peacock caterpillars , but couldn't find them as the Bracken is now taller than me , and was surprised to find this tatty adult in the same area ,with just two Large Red Damselflies around the pond , my search focused on the Bramble/scrub areas around the meadow , which held 20+ Large Skippers , and even though this female in the middle had two suitors , she mated with neither . More Marbled Whites , Small Skippers , Ringlets and Meadow Browns were also recorded .The Brambles also turned up the caterpillar of the Knotgrass moth .

Once again , not every species has been identified today ,what looks like a small Solitary Bee with a distinctive head ,and this specimen , looking a bit leaf/froghopper like , but I have never seen it before .

Monday 20th. June 2011

Once things had warmed up this morning , I headed for High Elms to do the butterfly transect . Nine species were recorded , against 14 on the same day last year , and , for interest , have put last year's numbers recorded in brackets after today's . Meadow Brown 128 (31) , Marbled White 3 (0 , none seen yet ) , Large Skipper 8 (5) , Small Skipper , pictured 27 ( 0 , none seen yet ) , Ringlet 44 (1) , Red Admiral 1 (0) , Common Blue 3 (13) , Comma , pictured 1 (2) and Large White 1 (2) . Other species recorded last year , Dingy Skipper 1 , Brimstone 2 , Small White 2 , Green-veined White 2 , Brown Argus 2 , Holly Blue 1 , Painted Lady 1 and Speckled Wood 1 . It shows again just how further forward we are this year , especially with regard to the Small Skipper which had a good year last year and could do even better this .

Other interest found on the way round ,just a single specimen of White Mullein/Verbascum lychnitis , a member of the Figwort family ,a hurried shot of what I think is another Ichneumon , but haven't been able to identify it yet , just before it disappeared for good ,Lacewing / Chrysopa septempunctata ,Speckled Bush-cricket ,the recent rain has done wonders for the Orchids , with some very robust Common Spotted Orchids just about in perfect condition , especially compared to some very stunted specimens found during the dry weather , my first Bee Orchid of the year , then found a second shortly afterwards , and not too far away two more Fly Orchids and one more Man Orchid ,down by the dipping pond , Bloody Cranesbill/Geranium sanguineum ,and finally a couple of moths for the man , who identified the Coronet moth on the last post as such , even though I was convinced it wasn't , thanks Dean . This specimen , about the size of a Gatekeeper was struggling to fly and kept dropping into the wet grass , so I rescued it and placed it in a Yew , hopefully to dry out ,and this smaller specimen , with what looks like white hearts on the wings , found on emergent reeds around the dipping pond .

Saturday 18th. June 2011

Firstly , many thanks to Warren/Pittswood Birds for spotting yesterday's mistake . The male Warbler singing , directly after the Willow Warbler , is a Sedge not Reed Warbler , Cheers Warren .

Now that the Norfolk trip posts are finished , and with a family get together tomorrow , I'm using this post as a catch up on the last three days , on each of which , I managed to get out for a short period in between rain/showers .

Thursday afternoon , I managed an hour on the LWT site on Saltbox Hill , below Biggin Hill Airport . The two Dartmoor ponies that the grazier promised would be off site within two weeks , five weeks ago , are still there , and the chalk grassland looks like a horse paddock , which is what it has become . The ponies seem to prefer the larger fenced area , which in the past was very good for butterflies , on the day I found 1 Com.Blue , 1 Med.Brown , 1 Sm.Heath and 1 Brimstone . The area less preferred by the ponies looks much more butterfly friendly , and before the next shower arrived , I found two new species for the year , Ringlet , and Marbled White , to think I used to get counts of 250/300 of this species on site , but that was before the arrival of the ponies . Heading back to the car under threatening skies , I did manage to get a shot of Vervain/Verbena officinalis . I just made the car as the heavens opened again .

Friday morning , I had a quick walk around the Common , this time before the first rain of the day . On one of the fire sites that we used through the winter , Common Toadflax had got a good hold . Nearby , Crow Garlic/Allium vineale , a member of the Lily family will soon be flowering . Just three butterflies were recorded , but there was no shortage of Grasshoppers of all sizes . This Meadow Grasshopper was quite happy for the warmth provided by my finger .Whilst looking for any Purple Hairstreak caterpillars on the Oaks , I came across this unusual Shield Bug . After a lot of digging when I got home , I have come to the conclusion that it is the final instar , one step from emerging as an adult , of the Forest Bug/Pentatoma rifipes .

An early visit this morning was to the Farm lake . Even though very windy , the Black-tailed Skimmers were found in good numbers . These two 'in the ring' , separated shortly afterwards , and the female started ovipositing immediately , whilst the male patrolled above her . Another new species for the year when I found several newly emerged Common Darters . Once again , impossible to say male or female at this stage , but as they mature , the females will basically stay this colour , whilst the males will redden . The bad news of the visit is that I could only locate one adult Little Grebe and just one juvenile , which has grown well , but not surprising as it is getting all the food . Constant calling by this one was not repeated elsewhere on the lake , and could well be why the others were predated . Ringlets , Large Sippers and this Small White , were the only butterflies recorded , but the conditions were far from good . This Silver Y moth , a migrant from the continent was tucked down in the vegetation and didn't seem to want to move . That ground vegetation now contains large amounts of Lady's Bedstraw/Galium verum . Most of the family are white , but this species will cover the ground with yellow when in full flower .

And finally , a moth found in my garage the other morning for the man . I must admit , I thought it was the Coronet , but it isn't .