A nice garden hedgehog at dusk a little compensation considering I spent most of the weekend recovering lost photos from my Iceland trip - managed to get them all back - very lucky.
29th June
Finally nailed the turtle doves that have been present in audible range of my garden since returning from Iceland. A pair fed off and on all afternoon in the back garden. Nothing else of note apar from hedgehog activity at dusk and he allowed me to take a photo.
12th June
I had to make a short visit to Oxfordshire and popped to a Bucks orchid site on the way back to follow up on James Hunters find of probable Common spotted orchid var Rhodochila I found the plants easily and some greater butterfly orchids were flowering nicely, but the best fins was a small elephant hawkmoth on a military orchid a nice combination.
8th June
A day of orchids started in North Kent for some man orchids just coming into their best. Next stop further into Kent was a lady orchid site but it also held some late early purple orchids and greater butterfly and common spotted orchids just starting to flower. It was then west to revisit the tongue orchids and a single loose flowered orchid that was not fully out on my last visit. Continuing west it was into Hampshire to an amazing site rammed full of sword leaved helleborines and smaller numbers of white helleborine, birds nest and fly orchids. After a little searching I located the sword x white helleborine hybrid to finish off the day.
7th June
I popped up to Norfolk to check on the pool frogs, I met someone from the project who told me that the previous summers had not helped them and numbers were down, I still located a couple before heading to a church to follow up reports of bats being present, along with several memebrs of the Cambs Bat Group we took a look and then did a survey and indeed both Soprano pipistrelle and Natterer's were present and a common pipistrelle was seen outside.
2nd June
Lardon chase was the first stop to check for Adonis blues, but there had not been any reports in the last few days so I may have been a little early, another butterfly spotter informed me that one had been seen the previous day but despite good conditions none were found. Several small blues, plenty of common blues, small heath, brimstone, dingy skipper and large white the full list of species seen. After some non wildlife stops I found myself near Marlow looking at some fine Military orchids with a couple of other very helpfully and knowledgeable orchid enthusiasts, fly orchids were also in fine order and a few butterfly orchids just coming into leaf and some nice birds nest orchids were found in the wood itself. I headed for home via Bedfordshire where the burnt tip orchids were just coming into flower.
1st June
Heading back to the Chilterns for the weekend to see family and friends, I had a few hours in Goring firstly at Hartslock for the good showing of orchids which I had all to myself. A couple of ladies, plenty of monkeys, some hybrids in full flower and white helleborine just starting to flower. I took a walk by the river in search of club tailed dragonflies but without luck, a banded demoiselle and a garden warbler the highlights. I met a few other people searching but they had no luck either but shortly after they kindly called me over as they had located two freshly emerged individuals.
31st May
Finally with some nice weather I finished work early and headed to Lakenheath I joined the assembled crowd and we waited for the savi's warbler to put in an appearance. Hairy dragonflies were on the wing as were the hobbies. The Savi's put on a very nice show off and on for about an hour before it was time to move on, a flyby bittern on note on the long walk back. After a brief stop for chips it was onto the noctule roost count, but despite the ideal conditions on 13 were seen.
25th May
With two days at home there was little to report apart from turtle dove and plenty of large red damselflies.
25th May
A quick visit to Sussex for tongue orchids, then into north Kent for grizzled and dingy skipper and into London for yellow bellied slider and home via a quick stop at Rainham RSPB. The highlight was the sticklebacks a territorial male performing nicely. A cuckoo, common lizard and a water vole also of note, but not much else.
23rd May
The first Odonta of the year large red damselfly emerging from the garden pond.
22nd May
I popped up to Lakenheath after work, where the red footed falcon was putting on an amazing show, even flew over my head several times in the couple of hours I spent watching it and several hobbies and a bittern put in a flypast. I visited Weeting after one stone curlew, spotted flycatcher, a barn owl and several roe deer in a brief visit.
19th May
Feeling a lot better I paid a quick visit to Kent to see some reptiles which I was not upto the previous day, my first site had a nice fox which I disturbed from about 10 feet away but was not ready with the camera, loads of slow worms and two adders one a melanistic one - very nice were more accomodating subjects. I had a brief dash to Marden Meadow to see the masses of green winged orchids which was very spectacular, and I located several pink and one of the white varieties. A quick last stop at Rainham RSPB where marsh frogs were in voice as was a nice cuckoo, a few water voles gave me the run around but one eventually let me get a few photos. A common lizard and a hobby were a nice bonus and an ice cream was partaken in the pleasant sunshine before heading home for tea.
18th May
Picking up the late night mega news I was primed for the trip to Kent, but not being too well over the last couple of days I was not up that early so arrived on ite at 10am and the Dusky Thrush was showing, and it spent the next few hours hopping round a sycamore always a little obscured but I had some nice views and even got a couple of photos. The warm weather and a crowd who was mostly well behaved and chatting to friends and aquantances made it a very pleasant morning. I stopped briefly at Samphire Hoe for a look at the early spider orchids which were flowering nicely before heading for home to relax and hopefully recover, no chips or ice cream today - shows how bad I was.
6th May
A day staying local, with midwife toads as well as smooth and great creasted newts easily located but little else, here's hoping for better weather.
3rd May
I spent a few hours searching local a local site for water voles, however none showed during my visit, but ample replacement was a water shrew with only barn owl and loads of whitethroats of not bird wise. On the way home I went via the golden rabbit site, two were present amongst their darker cousins.
2nd May
An after work visit to Weeting in search for stoats, they are still present however did not show during my visit, other mammals present were rabbit, roe deer, muntjac and some bank voles in the wood. Two stone curlews were present but little else apart from a wheatear. I stopped in on the local serotine roost on the way home but only one ventured out in the chilly night and a common pipistrelle was also present.
1st May
An early start for Simon West and I but it paid off as traffic was very light and we made the Forest of Dean by 9am, we met Ben at Nagshead and had a wander round the reserve, but it was very quiet 5 pied flycatchers and a lone tree pipit the pick. A quick stop for adders proved to be fruitless and we headed to Cannop Ponds in hope one of the garganey would still be present and we were in luck. One drake was showing at point blank range. A couple of Ravens were harassing the swans and several photogenic mandarin ducks entertained. Simon located a displaying tree pipit. Time for the main event searching for wild boar piglets, we tried one site without any luck but our second site was more successful but the views were a little obscured and we decided to have a cup of tea and check the lesser horseshoe bat roost heading back Ben spotted a part of a boar, we stopped and check it out and three adults with about half a dozen piglets showed a couple of times reasonably well, as did the bats.
26th April
Finishing work at lunchtime it was off to Spurn, where the rock thrush was on show as I arrived. It went as little elusive for a couple of hours before putting on a great show in the bluebell caravan park. There were plenty of common migrants around male redstart and channel wagtail the pick, and a long eared owl was a welcome bonus. I finished with a visit to the chip shop as is customary on these occasions.
23rd April
After some Large Tortoiseshell sightings on the Isle of Wight at the weekend, James Hanlon and I headed there taking the 8am Ferry. We were the first on site and after a false start which did get us a grasshopper warbler we found the correct area. A few others joined the search but we had mostly split up when I got the first accidental sighting of a Large Tortoiseshell but not spotting it until the last second as I was walking I flushed it into the trees. There was no further sign until about 1.30 in the afternoon just as we were all flagging James spotted one on the deck and we all got views but it was quite flighty and only record shots obtained. On to the grip - an elderly couple apparently regular to the wood asked us about the increased activity and we explained and off they went in search of the primrose spectacle which lay elsewhere. We could see them 200yards or so away photographing something with the smallest compact ever. We investigated and they had frame fillers of Large Tortoiseshell we were well and truly gripped. There was no sign of the individual here and we decided to leave at 4pm, James suggested taking the scenic route back to the car and good job we did as we located one on the track but it moved on. We relocated it in the next clearing where it finally let us the photos we were after. We stopped for Ice cream and drink, bumping into a small Citroen in the process but it was not damaged. We headed to Ventnor Botanical garden which was closing but we easily found a few wall lizards from the car park. The famous Alvestone Mead Red squirrels were next on our itinerary and they were as obliging as ever and one of the locals entertained us with their stories before we headed off for chips and our last stop. Here we waited for bats, and it was not long before we had at least one common pipistrelle and a cracking little owl before our only grey long eared bat of the evening, conditions being far from perfect and our ferry awaiting we left after a productive day.
21st April
Another quiet weekend apart from some bat box checking in Cambs on Sunday afternoon which was quite productive with several noctules and 30 or so soprano pipistrelles for our efforts.
13th -14th April
A quite weekend at home, where the toads finally emerged from hibernation so I was kept busy with the toad crossing, common frog, smooth newt adn great crested newt also using the assisted crossing. It was also time to let the hedgehog go although he has a nice hedgehog house in the garden to live in. A yellow necked mouse was a nice spot in the garden, perhaps the same one who was living in the garage. Five fallow deer at the edge of the village and a couple of buzzards enjoying the warm weather. A little bit of small mammal trapping was quite productive mainly wood mice and a couple of field voles.
6th April
A few hours in the Lea valley with pretty much the same species as last week the fox the real star showing several times.
5th April
Finally caught the mouse living in my garage, already caught the vole, both seen in the video below. It was a yellow necked mouse the first of the year, very nice to see.
3rd April
With the sperm whale still present in Oban harbour, Simon West, James Hanlon and I travelled up overnight arriving aroung 7.30ish. It was bitterly cold but a quick scan located the sperm whale. After We found a good vantage point in the sun we watched the whale for quite a few hours, predicting its arrival from its regularly timed dives. The black guillemots entertained during the intervals and a flyover osprey was my first summer migrant, and we tried to make a speck over Mull an eagle but even for us it was a bit of a stretch. A large crowd built up and a BBC crew arrived and decided I knew something about the whale and interviewed me for the news. We left early afternoon after some chips. Many Thanks to Simon for all the driving, as my car is now completly knackered.
