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dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45381
Location: yes
PostPosted: Sat Jun 18, 16 11:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

my sparrow pals were a little shy so here is a snap of one of my pet bees

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Tue Jun 21, 16 4:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Nice.

buzzy



Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds
PostPosted: Mon Jun 27, 16 11:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Last week was another Mobday wah-out, as you may have guessed. But this week there was no rain, and even sunshine.

Our main quarry was the Black Hairstreak (Satyrium pruni) which we found, if not in abundance, at least in reasonable numbers (not quite outnumbered by butterfly photographers). Though they were coming down out of the Blackthorn canopy to nectar, they were still a bit frisky, but I managed this shot:


.

There were also Ringlets and Meadow Browns fluttering about, as well as innumerable bees, flies and other nectar feeders.

We also found a couple of Common Lizards (Lacerta (Zootoca) vivipara), one of which was very shy, but the other was more obliging:




All in all a good morning, and on the way there we saw several red Kites (or at least you did if you were sitting on the right side of the car!) and on the way back we saw a Marsh Harrier and a couple of Little Owls.

Henry

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45381
Location: yes
PostPosted: Tue Jun 28, 16 12:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

lovely ,it would be good if common lizards were what half the name suggests.last one i saw was about 15 miles from a road in west scotland.i apologised to it for using it's house for a while.it seemed quite happy for me to be a guest on it's patio.

even after a week of watching it on and off all i really know about their lifestyle is they like sunbathing and they seem to eat quite large things when they potter off for dinner,im sure i could see quite a bulge after one expedition through the grass.

nice wee critters

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Tue Jun 28, 16 7:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Nice pictures Henry.

There are quite a lot of common lizards in some parts of our woodland complex, and after mowing some bracken, one decided to use son as a look out post. It sat happily on the outside of his thigh for ages, and we were wondering how to get rid of it. Luckily it took itself off after a while.

buzzy



Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds
PostPosted: Mon Jul 04, 16 11:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

This week e were hoping for a butterfly-fest, with Sliver-washed Fritillary, Black Hairstreak and Purple Emperor on the list of possibles in order of likelihood.

We had beautiful sunshine, and enough flowers to keep the Ringlest, Meadow Browns and Speckled Woods interested, but the "big three" failed to make an appearance.

However, one of our more eagle-eyed companions spotted this, well hidden in the grass by the side of a ride:




an Elephant Hawk Moth (Deilephila elpenor). From its looks and the fact that it allowed so many photogs to be taken without seeming at all bothered, I suspect it was recently emerged and still drying off.

Henry

sean
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon
PostPosted: Mon Jul 04, 16 11:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Cool. Not quite as cool as a hummingbird one but still a good spot.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Tue Jul 05, 16 6:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Lovely. Your chances of getting a picture of a hummingbird hawk moth are not high btw. We chased one all over the buddliah in our garden one year and couldn't get a shot. Haven't yet seen any silver washed fritillaries, let alone purple emperor and our other summer special, white admiral.

buzzy



Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds
PostPosted: Mon Jul 18, 16 11:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Last week some of us missed the walk - partly because of doubts about the weather, but mainly because of transport problems. Back to normal (if a group called The Eccentrics can ever be normal ) and we had a very enjoyable (and very warm) walk. Lots of butterflies and moths, but it was so warm that they were all very active and I didn't get any good pictures. Lots of Marbled Whites, and a fair few Dark Green Fritillaries, and plenty of Skippers.

The only reasonable photog that I got was of this Dryad's Saddle (Polyporus squamosus) - a particularly large specimen. I should think it was two feet across;




Oh yes, at the beginning of the walk there was a notice with a brief, but interesting, list of the things one is not allowed to shoot!




Henry

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Tue Jul 19, 16 7:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Like the sign. I assume those are things the land owner has had trouble with. I have a newsletter, changed every couple of months, at the woods telling people what is going on. At the bottom there is a list of things we don't want people to do, mainly for their own safety and other peoples enjoyment, which includes lighting fires, digging holes after going metal detecting and leaving litter and dogs mess.

Butterflies can be difficult to photograph. I have a memory of one of our volunteers, who is at least in his 70s, running round on a warm day trying to get a picture of a silver washed fritillary. The last seen of him that day was disappearing into a coppice coup after a purple emperor.

buzzy



Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds
PostPosted: Mon Jul 25, 16 11:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

This week we were looking for butterflies. We saw Purple Emperors, Purple Hairstreaks, White Admirals, Red Admirals, Peacocks, Ringlets, Meadows Browns and three kinds of White.

Well, when I say 'saw' it varied from excellent close views of Ringlets to small black dots (P. Hairstreaks) or bigger black dots (P. Emperors) dashing from branch to branch high up in oak trees. One or two of us had much better views of Purple Emperors, but we have forgiven them!

Saw another Common Lizard - some saw a couple of others, but here is the one I had a good look at:-


.


We also saw several of the Yellow and Black Longhorn Beetle (Rutpela maculata) including a pair vigorously involved in procreation whilst, at the same time, feasting on the flowers of Meadowsweet. Look away now if you are offended by beetle porn!




OK, you can open your eyes now!


Henry

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Tue Jul 26, 16 6:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Nice photos again Henry, thanks. We have red admirals and silver washed fritillaries zooming around the woods at the moment. I have also seen speckled woods defending their patch of light, and think I may have seen a marbled white yesterday. Have ringlets and meadow browns in the garden. Haven't yet seen white admirals or purple emperors, but it has only been warm for the last week and a half, so if it stays reasonable, we may see some.

buzzy



Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds
PostPosted: Tue Aug 02, 16 12:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

This week we went to an ex-quarry, now lumpy grassland with masses of wild flowers.

First spot was a Painted Lady (several, in fact). This one was conveniently on gravel in somebody's garden, rather tha the others which were feeding high up on Buddleia flowers:




Vanessa cardui for those that care. Given the excellent condition of this one, and the others we saw, they are probably offspring of early migrants, rather than recent arrivals from Africa.

We saw lots of flowers, including Wild Basil, Clustered Bellflower, Toadflax, Scabious, Dodder, Greater Knapweed, Harebell and Dyer's Greenweed, of which more later (in another post). The last species I stopped to photograph was this:




the Snowy Inkcap (Coprinus niveus), which is apparently growing on dung! (We didn't bother to check!)

More later when I have more time.

Henry

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Tue Aug 02, 16 6:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Seems to have been a good day Buzzy. Haven't seen any Painted Lady's yet, although we have plenty of red admirals, which are also migrants some of the year.

We have a bank down the road that is growing some lovely downland flowers. It has been through the pyramid orchid and is now on scabious and harebell.

buzzy



Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds
PostPosted: Fri Aug 12, 16 11:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Sorry for delay in posting this week's report. Have had three days of the in-laws, encompassing a visit to see Jaki's and my new grandson, who is lovely!

We walked round some flooded gravel pits in pleasant, not too sunny weather. Quite a lot of distant birds, ducks, gulls, a Little Egret, Mute Swans, Egyptian Geese, Canada Geese and so on. We heard a Bullfinch quite close, but I failed to see it, and I don't think anyone else did. Several dragonflies - not as many as we had hoped to see.

I photographed Flowering Rush (Butomus umbellatus):




and White Water Lily (Nymphaea alba);




because I think they are beautiful.

Henry

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