Monday 25 July 2011

The weather was warm and sticky this afternoon, one of those days when even the butterflies laid up in rest.

I still went over to the tree nursery to find some though! There were fewer about than yesterday, but Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, Small Skipper and Brown Argus were found along the hedgerow, where the families of both LINNET and WHITETHROAT scolded at me when I came to close. On reaching the end of the field, I walked across to the other side and made my way back down again, searching the long grass and vegetation that grows up from the drainage ditch there. I was startled by a small brown bird that flew up in front of me and shot into a row of Shrubs, I could just see it through my bins, and was extremely pleased and excited to find my 100 bird species of the year looking back at me - a SEDGE WARBLER ( 100, 63) no less!!

After that pleasant experience, I went over to check the Scrubby Woods and Lake area, seeing both KESTREL and COMMON BUZZARD go over as I went. Upon nearing the lakes I could already hear the 15 GREYLAG GEESE and 7 CANADA GEESE that were there, with them were 6 MALLARD and 4 MOORHEN, one of these was with another two newly fledged young. A nearby chattering alerted me to 6 SWALLOWS sitting up on a phone line, so I sneaked up on them, making sure I had the light with me, in order to get some photo's, just as I was viewing them through the lens, a flippin male SPARROWHAWK came dashing through, sending the Swallows in all directions!

I next made a circuit of the Scrubby Woods, but it was unusually quiet, there was just the song of a lone SONGTHRUSH, and a half hearted attempt at singing by a BLACKCAP, but the call of CHIFFCHAFFS was ever present as I went round, the only other notable bird was a TURTLE DOVE siting up on the power cables.

On the way home again I saw this GREEN WOODPECKER on one of the large lawns





It soon flew off when it heard the camera shutter though!




A quick search around the Greenhouse Complex was well worth the effort, I saw the usual PIED WAGTAILS, Blackcaps, Whitethroats, and Chiffchaffs, but I also watched another Sedge Warbler flitting from a thick mass of nettles into a dense stand of willowherb!! Quite something, as Sedge Warbler has never been recorded in any July before :-)




The 100th species for the year has come in the second quickest time, but out of the ten years of recording on my patch only four times has 100 species been reached, these years are from 2008 onwards, the year when I upped my visits and went part time working :-)


Below are the previous dates upon which I reached 100 species:


2008 - 30 Oct


2009 - 17 May


2010 - 27 Aug



Not much in the way of Photo's today, just this distant Turtle Dove


With a Brown Argus below and a Small Copper below that.





I also came across this Moth, one for all you moffers out there to ID for me :-)


10 comments:

Greenie said...

Warren ,
Well done making the ton , never doubted it .
Snap with a couple of the butterflies shots .
Would love to ID your moth , but -

Warren Baker said...

Know what you mean Greenie, i'm hopeless with moths!

Phil said...

Well done with the ton up Warren. I wish I could move my list on a bit.

Lancashire and Lakeland Outback Adventure Wildlife Safaris said...

Congrats on the ton Warren and I know someone who'll be sooo jealous whe he spots your green woodpecker.
The moth could be rosy rustic but I know someone who'll probaby tell me I'm wrong,,,I wait with baited breath

Cheers

Davo

Marc Heath said...

Nice one with the 100. As you said the other day some birds are common and seen every day whilst some are a rarity. I will let you decide what a Sedge Warbler is at Reculver, a clue is they are not rare!!!

Pete Woodruff said...

Like the Green Woodpecker Warren. As for the moth - and Davo's Rosy Rustic - I'll not be so bold as to question that....but I do wonder!!

Anonymous said...

Dave, i`m not going to tell you you`re wong. Rosy Rustic it is.

Sorry about not getting here sooner, Warren. And well done with the ton up.

Tim James said...

Many congratulations on your century, Warren. I guess you are the Matt Prior of Pittswood fauna!

Alan Pavey said...

Nice one Warren, Sedge was the 100 for me too! Nice Green Woodie pics. I hope we add a few more goodies between us this autumn :-)

Ghost of Stringer said...

Wow I'd kill for that turtle dove on the patch ! I'll do you a swap, storm petrel for a turtle dove ?