Another superb late spring day, even warmer than yesterday, we deserve no less after the weeks of rain and wind :-)
This afternoon I made my way over to the lakes and Scrubby Woods, mainly to try and find some recently fledged young birds to add to the years 'confimed successfully breeding' list. On the way I re-discovered the MANDARIN DUCK with her young skulking in the tangle of broken branches in the Wet Woods. On reaching the lakes I checked up on the COOTS, they still have two healthy young :-) And a CANADA GOOSE paraded 9 youngsters off, I tried to photograph them but they swam away into the sun, I did get get a shot of them, but my battery went, I always carry a spare, so i quickly put that in, then realised I'd picked up the wrong battery before leaving home and this one was flat too.........Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
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| Canada Geese with young |
Not much else was on the lakes, just a few MOORHEN, 3 MALLARDS, 2 GREYLAG GEESE and a GREY HERON. The adjacent Scrubby Woods was a bit more interesting though, I found my first Beautiful demoiselle damselfly for the year, and saw a few Butterflies including Brimstone, Speckled Wood, Green Veined White, Small White and Comma. Whilst sitting and listening to the BLACKCAPS and CHIFFCHAFFS singing, a
TAWNY OWL (
68) hooted twice from its roost in a high and dense line of leylandi trees, something for the May list :-) I couldn't hear or locate any Turtle Doves, or the Garden Warbler, but a female CUCKOO gave its ''bubbling'' call, hopefully some lucky Dunnock will have a big mouth to feed next month :-) A commotion in a nearby Oak tree alerted me to a family of GREAT TITS, so I got something to add to the confirmed breeding list.
I decided to make my way home and pick up the re-charged battery, then go on to the Tree Nursery for some butterlies, it was swelteringly hot, and hard work taking the photo's but worth the effort, especially as I found a new species for my patch, a SMALL HEATH ( at least I think it is, never seen one before!) This, if confirmed will be the 26th butterfly species for my pittswood patch :-) Other flutters found here were at least 8 Holly Blues, 4 Brown Argus, 2 Small Copper, and 2 Orange Tips, making nine species for the day.
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| Small Heath - a patch first ? ( Greenie - Dean ?) |
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| Small Copper |
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| Small Copper |
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| Brown Argus |
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| Holly Blue - This female was constantly being made advances to by a male, but she didn't want to know! |
9 comments:
Small Heath indeed Warren - an increasingly hard to find species round here and extinct(?) on the nature reserve - 20 years ago it was quite numerous there - reason???? you tell me...
Cheers
Davo
Warren ,
Spot on with the Small Heath , well done .
Good day for butterflies .
Cheers Davo,
Excellent, a patch tick butterfly :-)
Thanks Greenie,
I wonder where it came from, and why this year ?
Great set Warren, certainly inspiring me to get out there and get some shots.
Well done on the Small Heath Warren, I've never seen one. Lovely photos of all the butterflies! Great to see the Canada family too.
Warren, have you heard the dreadful news that Defra plan to imprison wild Buzzards to favour captive-reared Pheasants!!! Defra's plan is to allow the destruction of Common Buzzard nests and to permit Buzzards to be taken into captivity to remove them from shooting estates!!!!
Great to read that the Beautiful Demoiselles are out. Wonderful to spot the Small Heath - a very dainty little butterfly, Brown Argus & Small Copper lovely sightings too. What a good week for the Holly Blue, she looks like she's depositing eggs there. Linda
Well done on your patch first Small Heath. That took its time making it onto your list ;-)
Songbird,
yes I heard that terrible news about the Buzzards. This government plans to spend 375,000 quid to carry out the atrocity - not much osterity going on there then! Usual support for the wealthly idle shooting brigade !
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