A quick whizz down to Kent after work, there were loads of marsh frogs which were easily photographed, but I was here with a few others for damselflies. The stars were the Blue tailed Damselflies with all five forms typica, rufescens, infuscans-obsoleta, infucans and violacea all seen. A grass snake and bank vole were also seen and someone found a rare moth, a Fiery clearwing which allowed s to take a few photos. The crowd dwindled but after a long search one of the gathered few found a female Dainty Damselfly the object of the trip a great evening.
26th June
I was woken to shouts of come and identify this snake, which turned out to be a slow worm but anyway nice to see. It was a completly differently day perfect for butterflies so we headed to the Great Orme, where we located some Silver studded blues ssp caernensis around the toll road along with grayling ssp thyone and many other species. After some ice cream we searched for the feral Kashmir goats, introduced here over 100 years ago. We located a small herd sheltering from the sun before heading home.
25th June
A touristy day in terrible weather we had some incidental sightings, notably tree pipit, pied flycatcher, red kite and dipper.
24th June
Despite a late start we got to Prees Heath on our way to North Wales just before the rain. Some locals were getting one upmanship on how many silver studded blues ssp masseyi they had seen and helpfully pointed us in the right direction and we quickly found loads.
21st June
Finally someone wanted one of my photos, check out page 10 of the July Edition of BBC Wildlife Magazine - and yes it is an introduced species.
20th June
The planned trip home via the south coast for Herps had to be abandonded due to the terrible weather, but we did make a stop at Radipole to see the Bee orchid variations in the pouring rain and via Noar Hill for musk orchids again in the rain.
19th June
A short day out for some touristy stuff while heading across the moor a stoat was spotted, the camera was in the boot - arrgh! But I nipped out got ready and drove to where we first spotted it, there was in fact two, and they showed very well a couple of times, but after a while of no sightings I got out of the car to photograph some bumblebees a stoat popped up 2 feet in front of me.
18th June
Finally free to do some wildlife stuff but constrained by being in Dartmoor for a few days in what was poor weather. Today I managed a quick trip just over the border in Cornwall where I was searching for stick insects for about the 6th time at this site, but today was the day where I finally located a young A prasina on some bramble.
27th May - 12th June
While I have been away in Finland a few interesting mammals have been visiting my garden recorded with my Camera Trap, a badger which is new, the now regular fox and the latest visitor muntjac. The hedgehog has so far eluded the camera.
21st May
I went to Sandscale Haws to join a guided walk to see a variety of wildlife and plants including the hard to find Coral root orchid. The small group probably reduced by the weather forecast were all keen to see the Coral root so we headed there first stopping for a variety of interesting plants and insects. On reaching the area we quickly located a few Coral root orchids, then as we got our eye in we were finding them all over the place. A few of the group were happy with this and left but I continued with the now very small group to see some more interesting stuff, it was an excellent walk and I learnt a lot, many thanks to the wardens. Next as the heavens opened, I headed for Silverdale to take a look at the Lady's slipper orchid and then to Arnside for some chips. Last stop was Warton Craggs where only the Peregrine protection crew were braving the poor weather, but one showed very well between the showers.
20th May
After having my own trail cam for nearly two months I have finally got the best from it, this one is rather cheap (Tasco cost £ 30 from e-bay details here ) so its range is very poorer than those I have used before, but now aware of this fact, I have managed to get one of the local foxes to visit regularly and get used to the camera> Its one with a flash not a IR one, hopefully I will buy one of those in the future, (hint to my wife as its my birthday soonish!). The fox has even started coming in during the day - see photo.
A day out with James Hunter, Simon West, Paul Lambourne and Trevor Willis, we started our frog quest in North London where we easliy located half a dozen Edible frogs at an Urban nature reserve. Next stop was in Epping where again we quickly located our target of pool frogs getting very active in the sun, and posing for some photos. We had a photo stop with some midwife toads which performed very nicely. With the weather getting worse we headed to our last site looking for more Pool frogs, but despite an extensive look we could not find any. A recently emerged four spotted chaser and a few damselflies, a roe deer, the journey home was broken by a stop for stone curlew and a roe deer
14th May
I had to go to Devon but had some time in the afternoon to visit a few sites, first off was a visit to Rame, where the Iberian chiffchaff was easily located. Next stop was for some wall lizards but on the way a raptor caught my attention as it passed over the A35, as I got close I could clearly see it was a black kite nice, but nowhere to stop and when I did it was too distant. The wall lizards were a bit more co-operative considering the deterioating conditions.
12th May
Dipped the Great Snipe, but a bearded tit and lesser yellowlegs were seen.
7th May
It was the Stortford Crew Annual Bird race, which I finally was able to attend this year, I joined Mike Harris and Stephen Patemore for a 2am start in the Brecks with a 9pm finish saw us tally up 152 species, it was an excellent day. I won't give the details as a full in depth write up will hopefully appear shortly.
We had a cracking day highlights excellent views of a male Golden Oriole, common cranes and some unexpected birds rough legged buzzard, Taiga Bean goose and goldeneye and a few common species we could not catch up with notably Grey wagtail, hobby and water rail. Mammals were also about and we had muntjac, roe deer, fallow deer in good numbers, a cracking stoat running down the path at us, common and Grey seals, rabbit, brown hare, grey squirrel and on my drive home I also added hedgehog and wood mouse, we also had a couple of bat sp. I promised not to take the camera to focus on the task so no photos from the day.
27th April
I stopped off in Kent for a few hours on the way to the Netherlands, caught a yellow necked Mouse and saw a few rabbits but not much else.
24th April
A slightly more leisurly start than the previous day proved to be ideal as Simon West and I arrived at Denge Marsh which was warming up all the time. A hairy dragonfly got the expectations of the small group present up. Shortly after a male Vagrant emperor was located distantly along the ditch from the bridge. It came closer and eventually it could be followed along the ditch where it was interacting with another. The two were seen off and on for well over an hour before we left.
23rd April
An early start picking Simon West up on the way to the Forest of Dean for a day birding and boaring. A Mandarin crossed the M25 and plenty were seen later. Our first stop was Nagshead which was already quite hot, A few Pied Flycatchers were quickly picked up but despite a good walk no Wood warblers were found, but apparently quite a few are present. We did catch up with a tree pipit. A brief look for Redstarts in another part of the reserve also drew a blank. In search of a phone signal to meet up with a local for our wild boar search we parked up and a redstart was singing and showed well in the top of a tree. Our contact arrived and we quickly headed to our destination and took a wander very much off piste! It was hard going on the hottest day of the year but somehow our guide spotted movement in some bushes, where a piglet ear was moving, 4 piglets were dozing and a sow was nearby. This was our only sighting for a few hours and we were flagging a bit so a drive to Cannop Ponds was in order to get cold drinks and ice creams. On the way a few palmate newts were spotted in a small ditch but all eluded my attempt to capture them. At Cannop ponds I indulged in some Mandarin photos before we headed back to our boar search. Our guide had seen the boar in one area over the last few days so baited this area, we took a wander then returned to the bait and waited. It was not long when we heard wild boar and bushes were moving until a sow and a few piglets came into view. They became aware of our presence and moved away quickly but were still around and eventually they crossed a very small field of view, two sows and about 12 piglets passed. We had another couple of encounters but we spooked them and they stayed away. We took another walk but decided to call it a day and get some cold drinks and chips before the drive home, a hot day but a top day.
Tempted by the Wryneck at Winterton-on-sea I visited after work, a pre visit to the chipshop before heading into the dunes which I had to myself. I quickly located the wryneck perched in a tree and had good views for a while before it flew off to roost. I took a wander and found my first wheatear of the year, wryneck before wheatear how did that happen? I headed to the pools many of which had dried out but I staked out one with water in. A snipe came down to feed and a pipistrelle fed on the mozzies that were annoying me. As dusk fell I could hear my quarry but not in the pool I staked out so I had to go to another pool where there was a Natterjack toad and another was found crossing the sandy path on the way to the pool.
17th April
Another leisurly start and I headed to Rainham RSPB mid morning, my heart sank as I spotted the coach in the car park, but I managed to avoid most of the springwatchers. The warblers were out in force with sedge, reed, grasshopper, chiff chaff and whitethroat all in song, as were the abundant Marsh frogs. They were plentiful and showing well. The water vole was a little more elusive probably due to the disturbance by several noisy individuals. I took a quick look at some slow worms before heading home.
16th April
After a nice lie in I headed off to Woodwalton Fen, a rain shower had emptied the reserve so I had it to myself, I had a nice muntjac along the main ride and a couple of Grasshopper warblers reeling. It was a good morning for Chinese water deer with six individuals some showing well close in, others distant. I headed to Huntingdon to join up with the Cambs Bat Group to do a bat box check, some 25 bats were seen all soprano pipistrelles, I also found 20+ Kidney Spot ladybirds.
15th April
A day for catching up on some BTO bird atlas work. There were a few common migrants but the highlight was a reeling Grasshopper warbler worth the effort.
9th April
A very early start to check the traps at the Botanical garden, where we enjoyed the whole site ourselves on a beautiful morning. There were 12 captures all wood mice. I then headed down to Kent for more herping in near perfect weather, and I was well rewarded. Over 20 slow worms a common lizard and three adders including a cracking 'Black' Adder. Then down to check on the wild boar wood and set some small mammal traps. A couple of grass snakes were spotted but were too quick for the camera. A tawny owl and sparrowhawk were the bird highlights, and checking the traps I had a capture. A yellow necked mouse hopefully the one from last week which beat me. This time I had some gloves to stop it biting me (and they do have a monster bite) after a quick photo shoot it was released and I headed off for an ice cream and home.
8th April
An after work visit to Ely for the Muscovy ducks then off to the Botanical gardens to set up for some small mammal trapping. Two common pipistrelles in the village tonight, and probably the soprano again but it was not close enough to get a decent signal.
6th April
Finally being able to try my new toy (A Christmas present) a Frequency division bat detector, so a glimpse of a bat outside and I was out. I took a few recordings on my laptop and a bit of analysis showed it was a soprano pipistrelle, my first locally, but they are quite common in this area.
4th April
A post work visit to a deserted Woodwalton Fen, perhaps it was the force 10 gale, but it was a breath of fresh air (literally) compared to Saturdays effort. It was hard to stand up and even harder to digiscope one of the chinese water deer. A red kite and a marsh harrier were also battling with the strong wind as well, but more surprising was a bumblebee trying to get around. A muntjac on the walk back to the car was a bonus.
2nd April
With the almost summer weather I finally managed some herping, with 4 adders a couple of common lizards but the star of the show were the slow worms too many to count. It was then off to Dungness RSPB to catch up with some migrants, there were a few of the common summer migrants scattered round the reserve, and a touch of winter was present in the form of a brambling was present. The whole experience was ruined by a coach load of 'Springwatchers' who had the field craft of a riot.
They had scared everything off apart from a few rabbits which I was photographing, but they soon scared them off as well.
They spent an age discussing if pochards were diving ducks, when they were actually diving infront of them! And then some of them tried to tell me the brambling I was watching was a chaffinch, at this point I had to leave before a brutal mass murder took place. So I headed for the woods and to do set some small mammal traps. Then it was off for some food and to have a walk round before re checking the traps a few hours later. Only one was triggered but it was heavy and vicious, the brute inside was a yellow necked mouse and it bit me while trying to photograph it in the dark, hold the torch etc. The mouse won! But I will be back for another go. The with two working trail cams, I had a selection of reasonable photos and videos to view before heading home, another feral ferrett was seen on the drive home and a hare of note.
1st April
Not an April fool but a dead polecat on the outskirts of the village they have really made a push east.
A brief post work jaunt to Rutland water, where I did connect with Brown rat and adult and a very small youngster were quite showy.
