Thursday 12 July 2012

I fared slightly better with the weather this afternoon, I got a full 90 minutes out before the rain rolled in around 15:45hrs, not time enough though  :-(

I went over to the Lakes and Scrubby Woods, via the Wet Woods, in which I found a TREECREEPER taking food to its recently fledged young, there are 3 breeding pairs on my patch that I know of now, a MOORHEN was sitting on a new nest here too.

Nothing was on the lakes, except the COOTS, two MALLARD and a Moorhen, I was hoping for the first Greylag Goose of the month, but it was not to be, I probably need to get here early in the mornings to beat the disturbance around the area. I was also on the lookout for the first Mistle Thrush of the month as I entered the Scrubby Woods but that wasn't found either, it was good that there was a bit of song still being heard from the likes of CHIFFCHAFF, BLACKCAP, TURTLE DOVE and GOLDCREST, that cheered the afternoon up  :-)

I soon turned my attention to the Butterflies, I wanted to try and photograph the Purple Hairstreaks, and although 3 were seen floating around an Oak tree, they never came down near enough for the camera. There were plenty of Red Admiral and Comma about though, plus one or two Green Veined Whites, all good for a photo or two  :-)
Red Admiral
Red Admiral
Comma
Green Veined White
Whilst looking for the flutters, a male Emperor Dragonfly was seen, plus a Common Darter, and a White-legged Damselfly, only one of each though, but after yesterdays 6 hours of storms and torrential rain I'm surprised anything at all was left!
White Legged Damselfly
I left the Scrubby Woods with the intent to walk the Tree Nursery and then finish up with a Sky watch on my seat at Migrant Alley, but the rain started before I got to the Nursery - still at least I got out today   :-)

4 comments:

Marianne said...

Got to grab those dry-weather spells when we can! Gorgeous butterfly pics and the close-up of the White-legged Damsel is stunning, what weird legs they have :)

ShySongbird said...

We've both posted White-legged damsels!!! :-) Great photos again Warren, Red Admiral is my facourite butterfly but have only managed to photograph them on the ground so far this year. No sun here at all this afternoon and been raining most of the time :-(

Warren Baker said...

Marianne,
those WLD legs are a bit wierd, unlike any of the other Damsels. Perhaps the fatter they are, the more they attract the opposite sex!

Warren Baker said...

No sun here now Songbird, just grey and rainy :-(