my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald

[ian mcdonald]

This weeks weather has been mixed. I was on my own the first day and the weather was OK in the morning then clouded over in the afternoon. I noticed a few lapwings on a wet muddy patch then saw a group of grey lags on a pool where there arn,t usually any water birds. I had good views of a hunting marsh harrier. They cover quite a distance in a short time. The usual small song birds were in good voice, including, blackcap, chiff chaff whitethroat and chaffinch. I sat for a while at an area which has good views and saw six hobbies hunting. Walking along the main path between trees I became aware of a large bird coming over the trees towards me. Thinking it was a heron I raised the camera to take a picture. It was not until I was looking through the lens that I saw it had a forked tail. A red kite, which flew over me and disappeared behind some trees. Because the sky had turned grey the camera failed to record the birds colourful plumage. Later I noticed a cormorant sat on some exposed mud next to a grey lag goose. Despite the windy conditions a number of butterflies were on the wing. The ones I saw were, ringlet, meadow brown, small skipper, speckled wood, small tortoishell, small white, large skipper and good close views of a banded demoiselle. On the second day it was hot and muggy. I met my colleague on site and we decided to walk along a route we have not been on for some time. The major works to clear scrub about four years ago seems to have had little effect. The clearance was by machine, with probably a time constraint. The scrub was cleared in many areas but there was no follow up to spray the remains. The idea was that the works to raise water levels would in turn drown out any re-growth. Water levels have risen but not enough to prevent scrub re-growth, mainly birch. Due to the virus, maintenance on the tracks, in the form of mowing, has not been carried out. This makes it more likely that ticks will be waiting for any passing animal (or human). We sat for a drink at a bench and noticed in the distance, a large colourful raptor. It was joined by a smaller bird with pale patches on its plumage. I thought the first, larger bird might be a male marsh harrier. My colleague thought it was a kite. Before we could identify the birds they disappeared behind a line of trees. Two that got away. Among the butterflies etc. we saw, peacock, small skipper, large skipper, large heath, ringlet, meadow brown, silver Y, common hawker, 6-spot burnet, brown hawker, black tailed skimmer, emerald damsel and azure damsel. The large heath came early this year and we may be seeing the last of this years brood.

[ian mcdonald]

Red Kite.



Cormorant.



Large Skipper.



Possible Essex Skipper.



Banded Demoisell.

[ian mcdonald]

Re-growth of birch on cleared area.



Overgrown track.



Common Valerian, Valeriana officinalis.



Remote Sedge, Carex remota.



Mesembrina meridiana.

[ian mcdonald]

Long Winged Conehead?



Black Horehound.



Yarrow, Achillea millefolium.



Cross-leaved Heath.



Reed Bunting.

[ian mcdonald]

Mossy Willow Catkin Gall.



Scorpion Fly, Panorpa communis.



Leaf Hopper, Cicadella viridis.



Schizophyllum sabulosum.



Harebell.

Birds this week were, lapwing, grey lag geese, black headed gull, marsh harrier, chaffinch, blackcap, chiff chaff, crow, pigeon, swift, house martin, hobby, teal, mallard, reed bunting, whitethroat, red kite, cormorant, stonechat, blackbird, magpie, jay, bullfinch, sedge warbler, yellowhammer, kestrel and collared dove.

[ian mcdonald]

This week has been fairly cloudy but warm. I was on my own this time. I went down a track with a deep water filled ditch at the side. The first bird I noticed was a water rail calling from dense vegetation. Later I stood on a vantage point which is a mound of peat. From there I could see several Hobbys hunting for Dragonflies? Also seen was a small grey raptor which was too far away to identify. Swifts were in smaller numbers than previously. Maybe they had moved to another part of the site. Cuckoos seem to have left now, I have heard nothing of their calls for some time. On the second day I first saw a Kestrel hovering not far away. On some bare peat a peregrine was sat on a tree stump and another kestrel was on the peat not far from it. The peregrine must have decided it did not want to share the spot and it chased the kestrel away. At the edge of one of the large pools I noticed nodding bur-marigold in flower next to trifid bur-marigold. It seems to be a quiet time now for birds with the summer visitors less frequent. Along a path I disturbed what I thought were two Small Copper butterflies. Looking closer I noticed one was a Purple Bordered Gold, Idaea muricata, not a common species in our area. Later I saw a Red Kite in the distance, if it is the same bird as seen before perhaps it has moved into the area.



Nodding bur-marigold, with flowers and Trifid bur-Marigold.



Common Milk-wort.

[ian mcdonald]

Thyme -leaved sandwort.







Ruddy Darter.



Roe deer buck.

[ian mcdonald]

Female black darter?



Lesser treble bar.



Small copper.



Detail of Brachypodium pinnatum.



Birds this week were, kestrel, mallard, wren, whitethroat, buzzard, reed bunting, pigeon, hobby, marsh harrier, linnet, swift, lapwing, crow, water rail, blue tit, great tit, blackbird, house martin, peregrine, teal, grey lags, sedge warbler, blackcap, chiff chaff, heron and a sandpiper which I was told was a green sandpiper.

[ian mcdonald]

This week has been a quiet one as far as birds are concerned. The first day was windy. I came across my colleague and the site manager crouched in the grass photographing something. It turned out to be a juvenile dunlin. We later went our separate ways, my colleague and myself went looking for insects. My colleague found a lace bug on a reed stem. Hobbys are still here, hunting dragonflies. On the second day I was on my own. The day was hot and muggy. Few birds were seen. I managed to photograph a sundew plume moth. They are very small and tend to blend in with the vegetation. It is only when they are disturbed that they are found. A late large heath was noticed in the same area as the plume moths. Whitethroats were singing from cover as were sedge warblers. Yellow loosestrife is in flower now as well as purple loosestrife. Cameras struggle to record the true colour of the purple. Some southern marsh orchids are still in flower in the shelter of taller vegetation.



A juvenile dunlin.



Remains of a pine tree in the peat.



Lace bug and a tiny wasp?



A Russula? on peat.



Gadwall.

[ian mcdonald]

Heron fishing.



Whitethroat singing from cover.



Yellow loosestrife.



Angelica just coming into flower.

[ian mcdonald]

This week has been hot, making it tiring to walk about. The first day we went to one of the woods. Birds were few and there were no signs of animals. A green woodpecker was heard calling then a great spotted woodpecker. My colleague heard a siskin calling. We seemed to be going round in circles for a time, looking for the edge of the wood. A willow tit was heard by my colleague but my hearing is not so good. A hobby was hunting low. A jay flew off making its usual screeching noise. The site is fairly quiet now, made to feel more empty by the long views (birch bushes permitting) and big skies. On the second day we saw two little egrets by the shore of a large pool. Two green sandpipers were on one of the dried out pools. We watched a peregrine take off from another dried out pool being mobbed by a lapwing. Walking along an overgrown track I nearly stood on an adder, which my colleague had walked past. He disturbed a frog which jumped in front of me. Before I could avoid it I stood on it. It seemed to come to no harm and hopped away. Later my colleague saw a grass snake retreating from a path we were on. We noticed a Ruff probing the wet peat at another pool. We went to look at the site of the marsh pea, Lathyrus palustris, and found several plants hiding in the fairly dense vegetation. Some were in bud, others had already set seed. As we were leaving we saw the only marsh harrier of the day. My colleague thought they were not so active due to moulting. 



A Harvestman stretched out.



A hoverfly which my colleague thought had been parasitised.



Hairy tare, Vicia hirsuta, note the two seeds.



Smooth tare, Vicia tetrasperma, note the four seeds.



A well camouflaged moth on a birch, Anacampsis blattariella.

[ian mcdonald]

One of the little egrets.



Wood avens, Geum urbanum.



Seed head of wood avens.



Perennial sowthistle, Sonchus arvensis.



Marsh pea.

[ian mcdonald]

Common hemp nettle, Galeopsis tetrahit.



Tufted hair-grass, Deschampsia cespitosa.



Cream spotted ladybird.



Ruff.



Hawker.

[ian mcdonald]

Corizus hyoseyami.

Birds seen were, lapwing, siskin, bullfinch, green woodpecker, great spotted woodpecker, green sandpiper, pigeon, jay, willow tit, blue tit, hobby, crow, yellow wagtail, little egret, willow warbler, chiff chaff, chaffinch, robin, wren + juvenile, buzzard, coot, gadwall teal, peregrine, stonechat, ruff, pheasant, whitethroat, yellowhammer, pied wagtail, marsh harrier and blackbird. Adder, grass snake, frogs. Butterflies were, peacock, speckled wood, gatekeeper, common blue, skippers, meadow brown, brimstone and small white.

[Hoy]

Still much to see and hear!

The Norwegian names of the two vetches are "two-seed-vetch" and "four-seed-vetch"!