This afternoon it was very warm, so I knew that the bird sightings would be few and far between, however, it's just the kind of weather to bring out some damselflies, and it was these i was trying to find. I had some instant success too, as I passed my garden pond on the way out I found my first Large Red damselfly of the year!
I walked over to the run off pool over at the Tree Nursery, there is sometimes damselfly activity here, before the water evaporates later in the year. Again I was successful, finding another large Red and a Blue species, that flew past, and rather rudely just kept going! The only notable bird at this point was a WHITETHROAT singing from the Nursery/Ashes Lane boundary hedgerow.
The next Damselfly / dragonfly spot is over at the NW side of my patch, along the watery ditch behind Migrant Alley, this too will dry up soon, but sometimes has a few damsels and dragons, but alas, not today. With the sun beating down on me ( i'd forgotten my hat!) I sought some shade, and went over to the scrubby wood at the north end of Migrant Alley, more to see if I could find any new species of Butterfly, than to find any birds. There were plenty of Butterflies about, but none were new for the year - Peacock, Orange Tip, Green Veined White, Small White, Speckled Wood and Comma were all on the wing, the bird life was represented by another singing Whitethroat, the LONG TAILED TIT family and BLUE/GREAT TITS whizzing about collecting food for their nestlings.
Needing to sit down and rest my aching legs, I reached my skywatching seat and stayed for 40 mins in the hope of seeing a Black headed Gull go over, or maybe something more exciting, but it was not to be, only the KESTREL showed, while a few PIED WAGTAILS chased the thronging insect life, and the massed ranks of the Juv. STARLINGS continued to beg for food. Five STOCK DOVES were new for this week, and a SKYLARK was again singing over the cut silage field.
When it's cooled down a bit later this evening i'll go out again and see whats about.
Whilst topping up my ponds this afternoon, I got a new species of animal for the Garden, this Slow Worm, an excellent record for my small plot! Just think what I could achieve with one of the large gardens that surround mine!Below is a photo of the Large Red damselfly that was by one of my ponds.
7 comments:
A lovely picture of the Slow worm, and you caught a Damselfly.
Oh dear Warren, you're inching towards saying its too hot with lots of references about how warm it was today, don't forget all those constant cold and wet days.
Well done on the slow worm and good to see a small garden being so nature hospitable. Glad to hear that the sun also shone on you. Wasn't it just delightful!
Warren, I've had a simply excellent birding day today but believe it or not, with the exception of a few 'white's' I found just one butterfly in seven hours (yes seven hours) an Orange Tip....something wrong there surely.
Congrats on the warm weather finally arriving! Beware though....I thought we had hit summer, too, then went straight back to November.
"at long last summer has arrived!"
I hate to spoil the party, Warren. But northerlies are forecast after the weekend, with temps only just above single figures.
All that aside though, well done on the Slow Worm. That`s a species i`ve never seen.
Very well done on the Slow Worm and the damsel, you have certainly created the right conditions there!
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