Swings & Roundabouts

Female Cuckoo ditto - record shot

Turtle Dove
ditto
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit - on its way to industrial nest

Great Tit - leaving nest

Great Tit (c) 2011 Margaret Richardson

Peacock

Common Blue [male]

Common Blue [female]

Common Blue [female underside]

Green-veined White

Red Admiral

Comma

Cinnabar Moth

Blue-tailed Damselfly

4-Spotted Chaser - apparently with a gap-toothed grin!

4-Spotted Chaser

Ford Granada - in gold - it's indestructible!

Old machine becomes artwork installation & Great Tit nest provider

(c) 2011 Margaret Richardson

The am contingent had great views of a Turtle Dove (a lifer for some); whilst the pm session had a fantastic fly-past by a female Cuckoo. However, even though the morning group heard a female Cuckoo bubbling 3 times, they failed to catch a glimpse of one. Similarly, in the afternoon there wasn't a single piece of evidence that Turtle Doves are present at this site, despite the weather being more suitable than at any time during the past fortnight. Unfortunately, last week's Grasshopper Warbler completely evaded both sessions. Other sightings during the day included: Reed, Sedge and Willow Warblers, plus a Chiffchaff, a pair of Bullfinches, and a Great Tit nest in a ridiculous place. We had good views of Reed Buntings, Skylarks and Meadow Pipits in the rough grassland. The Common Blue butterflies had emerged, and we saw a worn Comma, plus Peacocks, Small Tortoiseshell, Green-veined Whites, and plenty of the compulsory Orange-Tips. There were several damselflies and 4-Spotted Chasers.

Hatched & Despatched

Moorhen Chicks & Eggs

Chaffinch
Heron

Dryad's Saddle

Otter Droppings?

Water Vole Droppings?

A return visit to last Tuesday's location to discover that our 2 Grass Snakes were the 1st sightings of these creatures at this venue. There was no sign of them today in the cloudier, cooler, wetter weather. Last week there were 8 Moorhen eggs, 3 of these had hatched by 9.10 this am, but no further eggs had hatched by 2.30pm! There were fewer song birds along the stream this morning, probably because of the strong winds, as well as the approach of June. We did see Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Reed Buntings, Red-legged Partridge, Yellow Wagtail, Lapwing, and we heard Sedge Warbler, Blackcap and Great Spotted Woodpecker. Away from the birds we saw a few Brown Trout, and possible Otter & Water Vole droppings. Unfortunately, no one, including the tutor would handle the Otter droppings to confirm the ID. I saw a Water Vole before the sessions started, and Tony Robinson saw another during the am class, and he may have snatched a picture, which will be added to the blog if & when it comes through. The weather took a turn for the worse in the afternoon, and the session finished in record quick time.

It's a Grebe's Life

Great Crested Grebe

Courtship Dance
ditto
ditto



Tending the nest

Avocet

Avocet & chick

Lapwing

ditto

ditto

Nothing about a Coot's Life is Pleasant

Black Swan - an interloper, which may have to be removed

Black-headed Gull

Redshank

Shoveler

Wasp mimic

Froghopper - manufacturer of Cuckoo Spit

Stonefly

Unpleasant biting flies, and strong winds, meant the original venue had to be abandoned, so we went round one of our most popular local nature reserves instead. We saw more than 40 species, starting with a distant Corn Bunting from the car park. One of the star birds was a Great Crested Grebe, and we witnessed every aspect of their life at the moment: from nest construction, courtship display, grooming & wing-flapping. The am group saw an interesting wasp mimic, which was still present at lunch time, but before the pm group could be shown it the site was destroyed by a strimmer or grass-cutting machine. However, this excessive tidying-up of the site threw up lots of Froghoppers for the pm group to observe. There were at least 7 Avocet chicks & lots of adult birds sat on nests - looks like it will be a bumper year for them! The site was absolutely swarming with Sand Martins, and there were also Swallows and a few Swifts, but no House Martins. A couple of Willow Warblers gave great views for both sessions, but the Whitethroats were a little trickier, as were the Blackcaps, and Sedge and Reed Warblers. I'm looking forward to a day without a strong breeze to encourage the small birds to sing from high vegetation.

Taster Session for Beginners

Sparrowhawk

Swift

ditto

Sparrowhawk & Swift [above]

Meadow Pipit [below]

Dunnock

Blackbird

Today was a taster session for those interested in birdwatching at a privately-owned site. We did see some interesting birds, but few of these hung around for their photograph to be taken! A Turtle Dove whizzed past us very swiftly, but there were plenty of actual Swifts to see, as well as House Martins, Sand Martins and Swallows. A Sparrowhawk sent a ripple of fear among these birds as it soared over the lake and trees. Unfortunately, the Grasshopper Warbler and Cuckoo were only heard, although the former was only a matter of a few feet away! We climbed the highest point to see if we could re-enact the occasion 2 years ago when an Osprey drifted over, but there was only a Chiffchaff singing away in a Ash-tree. However, the climb was punctuated by a visit of 2 dedicated enthusiasts checking on an Owl box. There was no Tawny Owl in residence, just a cold Stock Dove egg! A couple of Blackcaps sang strongly either side of us as we went back down the hill. Some Reed Warblers could be heard chuntering deep inside the Reeds, but Sedge Warblers could be heard more clearly, although they didn't come into the open for the class. A Whitethroat camed very close to us on the cinder track, but it only gave very brief views. On the walk back we found a pair of Great Crested Grebes with 3 fairly well-grown chicks on one lake, and a Skylark and Meadow Pipit around the car park. Overall, we saw more than 30 species, and there were a couple of quality birds we weren't able to see, but which we did hear clearly.

June is Bursting Out All Over

Goldcrest Chaffinch
Whitethroat Orange-Tip [male underside]
Red Twin-spot Carpet Moth?

A Micro Moth - Agapeta hamana?

Early Purple Orchid

Ramsoms [Wild Garlic]

Ramsoms under Beech & Ash

False Oxlip?

Crosswort

Out in the countryside although it is only 13th of May, it is beginning to feel that we are already in June. Birdsong always quietens down noiceably towards the end of May, but this week birdsong is already dropping away markedly! Presumably this is a result of the relatively dry, warm conditions since early April. The breeding season even for recently-arrived birds is definitely in full-swing. Yesterday we spotted a Whitethroat with caterpillars in its bill, which seems way too early for nestlings, for a species which really began to arrive in force, only a fortnight ago. The Goldcrest was one of the later highlights for the am group. Each session watched both Song & Mistle Thrushes, but the latter were harder to see in the afternoon. Lapwins were displaying more prominently in the am, but were still visible after lunch. Rooks & Jackdaws were feeding in the same pasture, and a pair of Linnets dropped in briefly in the afternoon.

Despite the lack of obvious birds we did also see: Marsh Tit, Yellowhammer, Skylark, Red-legged Partridge and Swallow, but only heard Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Tawny Owl & Treecreeper.