25th December - All Wrapped Up In Christmas Feeling

With the children all now left home and the impact of the Covid-19 restrictions Helen and I found ourselves on our own once again on Christmas Day.  It was always our intention to go for a walk to get some air before the meal and compulsory drinking, however when the weather forecast said it was going to be clear and frosty we decided to get out early and as a result we found ourselves walking Brislands Lane just after sunrise, the winter sunshine providing a golden glow across the frost tinged hedges.

We walked through Old Down Wood, the muddy paths frozen in places.  A check of the tree where Morris the Owl has been for the last ten years came up with a blank, maybe he has yet to start breeding, it won't be long though.

Walking through the woods the early morning silence was pierced by the laughing call of a Green Woodpecker and as we reached the Old Down Cottage entrance Redwing burst from the hawthorn and holly bushes, their "seeping" calls audible as they melted into the surrounding trees.

On Christmas Eve I had walked past the pond and counted 31 Mallard a high count for this time of year.  As we approached the pond this morning I wondered how many there would be present.  I could see the Mallard all in the middle of the pond due to a family walking around the pond.  But what caught my eye more than the Mallard was a single drake Tufted Duck, a patch tick and a very welcome Christmas Present, my first new bird around the patch for two years.

Now the annoying thing was I had decided not to take my camera so I had to make do with the phone.  However it is clearly a Tufted Duck, even if I can't get the exposure right o have the best reflection in the water!

Chuffed to bits with the Tufted Duck we walked on.  Along Gradwell Lane sixteen Red-legged Partridges fed in the field.  Here one at eye level.

And then it was down Brislands and back along Lymington Bottom to home for a Christmas Breakfast and to enjoy the rest of our day

Everyone didn't have the Christmas they expected this year, but one thing for certain is the world roles on.  That afternoon there was a beautiful reminder of the wonder of the world outside, a spectacular sunset over the village.

Happy New Year and please stay safe everybody!

10th November - Close My Eyes, Taking Me With You

With the Acers in the garden showing off their beautiful autumn colour I stood in the bedroom over loking the garden with the window open in the hope of catching one of the local Blue Tit in amongst the deep red of the Acer leaves.

The Blue Tits were close to the feeder along with a couple of Goldfinches.  As I willed them to move up the tree to the leaves a dark shape appeared through the branches and all the birds we gone.  The shape dropped and turned and the flew through the tree and up on to the roof of the house at the bottom of the garden.

I knew as it happened it had to be a Sparrowhawk, it was an amazing approach at speed through a gap between the Acers and the Leylandi hedge.  As I raised the camera she turned to look at me with those piercing yellow eyes.

Then she looked away as if embarrassed by her unsuccessful hunt.

Then she turned back to look at me as she heard the camera shutter

Looking away again

The garden was no empty and alarm calls could be heard all around.  I took the opportunity to get a longer lens and get closer.

And again those piercing yellow eyes

She then moved to the apex of the roof.

A better vantage point from here.

Once again the camera shutter catching her attention.

But not enough to distract from ensuring no opportunity was missed as she returned to scanning the garden.

And then she was gone, dropping low over the hedges and trees, alarm calls ringing out once again as she headed off towards Lymington Bottom.  This female has been a regular visitor over the last few years, every so often a pile of feathers us,ually either of a Goldfinch or House Sparrow, are an indicator of a successful hunt, but more often or not an attempt is thwarted due to the many birds that are on the look out, alarm calls ring out and everything scatters.

It was great just to get the chance to see her close up, the Sparrowhawk never fails to impress along as you are not a small bird.

A little later a sense of normality returned to the garden, the feeders were busy with Goldfinches and Blue Tits and while I never managed to get the shot of the Blue Tit in the red leaves I did manage to capture this Goldcrest as it searched for invertebrates amongst the leaves and branches.

It has been unnaturally mild over the last few weeks and when we are graced with the sun it becomes pleasant.  Over the last week a Red Admiral has been about, nectaring on the few buddleia flowers remaining.  When I came out around midday to go out for a walk I managed to see it but it was difficult to see and I only managed a glimpse through the branches and leaves of the buddleia.

When I returned a little later it was much more confiding, nectaring on the flowers.

Then sharing the flower head with a large queen bumblebee.

From the buddleia it moved to the house itself, at first settling on one of the window frames that allowed me to get nice and close.

Finally moving to the brick work to show off the amazing red colours of an impressive butterfly in November.

Hopefully over the next few weeks the weather will become more seasonal and the garden will become more important for the birds, we can hope.

1st - 15th July - You Were My Silver, You Were My Gold

Mid summer, the butterfly season continues, with most of the activity in Old Down Wood.  As you can see the thistles are flowering and these are a major attraction to the summer butterflies.  This Marbled White one of a few found in the wood.

The weather has not been that conducive to butterflies, periods of overcast days with rain interspersed with the odd day of sun, the weekend of the 11t/12th was probably the best weather and there were many butterflies about.  However when the sun did come out so did the butterflies with many large and Small Whites about and towards the end of the period good numbers or Red Admiral and Peacocks

Late June and early July is the peak time to see the Silver-washed Fritillary, this is the United Kingdom's largest Fritillary and is a powerful flyer.  They were on the wing in June and if you have read my previous post you will know that the biggest challenge then was getting this beautiful butterfly to land and show itself.  It would seem that with the thistles flowering they were more prepared to settle and with some lovely black backgrounds some great photographic opportunities.

Also an opportunity to appreciate the "silver wash" on the under wing

This is a beautiful butterfly that performed really well.

The blur of the wings as it moved on to another flower head.

Meadow Browns are everywhere regardless of the sunshine, but another brown butterfly was also about in good numbers, the Ringlet.  Brown butterflies are usually the first to emerge in the morning and Ringlet can be seen wings spread on the bracken fronds as they take advantage of the little radiation that is about.

Once warmed up the wings close up showing the roundels that give the butterfly its name.

Of all the butterflies to photograph the whites are probably the hardest, once on the wing their visits to the flowers are quick and they move on to the next.  I just managed to secure this Small White.

The second brood of Brimstones are on the wing and they are attracted to the bramble flowers.

While Large Skippers rest on the bracken as they wait to attack on engage with any passing butterfly.

Towards the end of the period there were plenty of Comma about.  Orange in colour like the Silver-washed Fritillary but a lot smaller they too will vigorously defend a territory from other butterflies.

Against the dark green backgrounds they can easily be picked out.

Red Admirals have had a very good year and they too, can be picked out sunning on the leaves.

A new butterfly for the year was the Gatekeeper or Hedge Brown as it is sometimes known.  Smaller than the Meadow Brown they emerge at this time of year and can be seen in large numbers around the Bramble, but this was the only one I could find so far.

On the last day of this period Old Down Wood appeared to be full of Peacock, they were everywhere.

I have said it many times before but if the Peacock was a tropical butterfly it would be lauded as a real beauty.  It is a real beauty and here the two just produce a flash of amazing colours.

Away from the butterflies numbers of Starling have built up around the village, flocks of juvenile birds wheeling around the house and like this collecting on the TV aerials.

Calls from the wood of young Buzzards to their parents, begging for food can be heard.  The adults seen soaring over the fields in search of prey.

At home the Blackbirds continue to feed juveniles from their third brood, hopefully this will be the last as I can't see the male's plumage lasting.  The Robins have finished and are now hiding away to moult.  One Robin that comes to the hand continues to do so but only at the start or end of the day.  Donald is tucked away in the hedge coming for meal worms again at the same time, while a juvenile will come close to the house to get food.

At the pond a pair of Moorhen have raised two young, this individual hiding beneath the lily pads as I came close, but then when it had to surface scurried away across the pads like Jacana.

The butterflies will still be about to the end of July and hopefully I can find some Common Blues and maybe Small Copper.

15th - 30th June - You May See The Floating Motion Of A Distant Pair Of Wings

A return to warm weather meant that the summer butterflies would probably be emerging around the patch but more specifically in Old Down Wood.  All around the patch summer is with us, nowhere more so in the fields where the crops are ripening.

A combination of the flowering Bramble, open woodland rides and warm sunshine is the ideal recipe to bring out the butterflies.  The most numerous of these butterflies are the Meadow Browns.  In my previous post I heralded the arrival of this summer butterfly and by the middle of the month they were the commonest butterfly being found almost everywhere and at the earliest and latest hours of the day.

Both male and female butterflies arise from the bramble flowers as you walk past, at times dueling with each other and spiralling up into the sky.  They will also take on other butterflies as they fly past and also get attacked themselves, mostly by the Large Skippers.

While being common, at times they do present some nice photographic opportunities

The Skippers can be seen sitting on the bramble leaves and shooting off at the larger butterflies as they come close.  I have found two of the species expected at this time of year, the Large and Small Skipper.  The Large skipper first, it can be found sunning on the broad Bramble leaves.  The Large Skipper is as you would expect, larger that the Small (sorry!), but also has more dark markings in the upper wing.

While the underwing has a greenish wash and some indistinct spots

The Small Skippers are a lot plainer, distinguished from the other common skipper found at this time, the Essex Skipper, by the colour of the clubs at the end of the antennae.

They like the thistle flowers that are blooming now contrasting nicely with the dark black background of the wood

Another brown butterfly that is an early riser is the Ringlet.  This one took a time to see this year, finally catching up with one in Old Down Wood on the 25th.  It may seem a plain brown butterfly but up close the rings that give it its name are beautiful.

Speckled Wood have been about since April, but recently have not been seen that much so it was nice to find this one, in good condition, so probably a second brood.

Walking down the rides there were several Red Admirals patrolling their "patch" of Bramble.

This usually entails flying up and then around the area in a jagged, but powerful flight in which you can see flashes of the orange red and white in the wings.  They also have a beautiful colourful pattern on the under wing.

Despite their colourful appearance they can appear to melt into the bramble and shadows when sitting on the leaves.

When they do sit out in the open they add colour to the lush green and black backgrounds.

The Comma is into its second brood now with immaculate looking orange butterflies fighting with the Meadow Browns and the skippers for suitable bramble flowers.

The Comma is now a familiar sight throughout most of England and Wales and is one of the few species that is bucking the trend by considerably expanding its range. The butterfly gets its name from the only white marking on its underside, which resembles a comma. When resting with wings closed this butterfly has excellent camouflage, the jagged outline of the wings giving the appearance of a withered leaf, making the butterfly inconspicuous when resting on a tree trunk or when hibernating.

The male butterfly sets up a territory, often on the sunny side of a woodland margin or at the junction of two woodland rides. Here he will sit on a favourite perch awaiting a passing female and will fly up to investigate any passing insect. The male will also make short flights - always returning to the same perch. Even when disturbed, the male will fly off for several metres or so before predictably returning to exactly the same leaf.

Those adults that hibernate take a good deal of nectar, building up essential fat reserves that will see them through the winter. They are often seen feeding from garden flowers or fruit, such as blackberries or fallen plums. They eventually search out woodland where they find a suitable location in which to hibernate such as a tree trunk, branch, hollow tree or log pile.

White butterflies are also about, The Large is very difficult to pin down, and I was not able to get a photograph of one, the other two, the Small White and the Green-veined White were a little more confiding.  Here the Small White.

Like the Speckled Wood and the Comma, the Green-veined White has been about since April and again this is probably a second brood adult as the green veins that are defined in the early spring individuals appear a little less in the second brood.

Midsummer though is the time for two specialist butterflies, the wood is not over run with these beauties but they are present in sufficient numbers to be able to seem them as you walk the footpaths.  They are both large butterflies, both with a powerful flight.  If the weather is hot then if you arrive around mid day the chances of seeing them settled is very slim.  The best time to catch them is early morning when they come out of roost and will nectar on the bramble.

This was the situation I found last week, in three trips during the middle of the day I saw both, but was never able to secure the photographs.  However on Thursday, the 25th I arrived just after 8.00 am and was rewarded with getting both butterflies settled on the bramble.

I am talking about the White Admiral and the Silver-washed Fritillary, the former a dark brown butterfly with white flashes on the wings, the latter a tangerine orange butterfly with black checkered markings.

First, The White Admiral, a woodland butterfly and a delight to watch as it literally glides along forest and woodland rides, flying from tree to forest floor and back up with only a few effortless wing beats. 

When settled, the adults are unmistakable, with their black upper sides intersected by prominent white bars.

The undersides of this butterfly are, however, in complete contrast to the black-and-white upper sides, and are surely one of the most beautiful of all species found in the British Isles.

Counting how many there are in Old Down is difficult, but I have seen them this year in at least four different places, always around Bramble and along the main paths.

The Silver-washed Fritillary is our largest fritillary and gets its name from the beautiful streaks of silver found on the underside of the wings. The bright orange male is quite distinctive as it flies powerfully along woodland rides, pausing only briefly to feed or investigate anything with an orange hue that could be a potential mate.  Through the week I had seen them flying past me and even this morning this one would not settle, just before I decided to leave it came down and settled on a Bramble leaf close to me.

As it flew around, back and forth before settling a Chiffchaff flew across and the butterfly flew at it as if to chase it away

The adults spend much of their time in the woodland canopy where they feed on aphid honeydew. However, they often descend to nectar on Bramble blossom and Thistle flowers - two of their favourite nectar sources.  

Although the butterfly is seen mostly in sunny glades and rides, it actually breeds in the shadier parts of adjacent woodland.

These are the butterflies found in Old Down Wood at this time of year, another summer favourite is the Marbled White, I did manage to see one in the wood but it never stopped.  However I did manage to catch one on a Knapweed flower head by the side of the field outside the wood.

The Marbled White is unlikely to be mistaken for any other butterfly, however it is not a "white" butterfly but a member of the "brown family.  Early morning is a good time to see this butterfly, as it warms up with wings held open absorbing the sun's rays. 

Locally the best places to find these butterflies is in grass meadows, but these areas are becoming a lot rarer now.  The best places would be the footpath between Blackberry Lane and Alton Lane and around the Rotherfield Estate.

It has been pleasing to have so many sightings of Small Tortoiseshell butterflies this year, in previous years they have been very hard to see, this year though I have been seeing them since late March, in as many as half a dozen sites.  This one was along the footpath heading towards Lye Way from Swelling Hill.

Other butterflies seen recently but not photographed were very active Holly Blues and Common Blues.  The one surprise I had was finding this moth in Old Down.  It is a Red-necked Footman, a moth I have not seen before and the only dark coloured Footman. It likes both Oak and pines,so no coincidence that I found this on Bramble beneath Oak and Scots Pine.

Dragonflies were very active in both Old Down and at Swellinghill Pond.  I found this Southern Hawker along the Kitwood footpath.

This one is a female

Distinguished from the Emperor by the brown and green markings on the thorax.

It breeds in ponds and hunts well away from water, hence its presence here in the wood.

There have been Emperor Dragonflies at the pond for a few weeks, you can see them hawking low over the lily pads.  This one though was in Old Down.  I have seen them here before and they are usually difficult to pin down, this one sat nicely in the grasses.

Here you can see the plain thorax in contrast with the marked one of the Southern Hawker

Back at the pond the Broad-bodied Chasers were still present, these dragonflies will almost always return to the same perch making photography a lot more predictable.  The male has a slate grey blue abdomen, while the female, a golden brown abdomen.  Here the male at rest on its favourite leaf.

And here a female in black and white to show the veins in the wings and a different approach to showing off this species, 

Azure Damselflies are still present in good numbers around the pond and mating is still taking place.

Back in Old Down another nice surprise was a Beautiful Demoiselle, a male sitting on a Sweet Chestnut leaf in the sunshine

I was probably expecting to see Banded Demoiselle as I did earlier in the month, they prefer still water, while the Beautiful is associated with running streams, something we don't have around here so its presence was a big surprise.

This is n't the best time of year for birds, but with a little bit of patience you can still get some good views.  It was unusual to see this male Bullfinch calling from a wire, can't recall seeing that before.

This Chiffchaff was busy searching for food as I waited for the Silver-washed Fritillary to settle.  I think the nest must have been close by.  At one point it was attacked by the fritillary.

Around Old Down at the moment you can't fail to hear the calls of the Ravens from the tops of the Larches.  I caught this one flying across the fields to the west of the wood.

Swallows have been very absent this year, many not returning to their usual breeding spots.  There were about half a dozen flying around the field as you cross towards Gradwell, the first I have seen this year.

Marsh Tits were feeding young along the main path running north to south through Old Down.

And every so often a Wren will appear, sing to declare its continued ownership of the area.

As you wait for butterflies there other insects that catch the eye and with the sun and dark background provided by the wood produce some lovely photographic opportunities.  This a Buff-tailed Bumble Bee.

And these Hover Flies, please don't ask me to identify them just thinking about trying blows my mind, they are hover flies and very attractive against a black background.

The Foxgloves too are enhanced by the black backgrounds.

While black and white experimenting has benefited grasses.

And the sunlight through the Beech leaves.

Finally, a Four Marks speciality, a flower that I haven't seen for a few years and I was concerned that grass cutting had wiped it out, the Violet Helleborine.  Four Marks is known as one of a few sites in the country for these rare orchids.  As yet the flowers have yet to emerge, but I will keep an close watch.  There are two plants untouched by the mower, lets hope it stays that way.

It's not the flowers which are violet, it's the stem!  The flowers are fairly distinctive and clean-looking and a pale greenish-white with smaller splashes of yellow, brown and sometimes two small pink bosses on the lip. It grows to 60cm with a spike of flowers. When there are flowers I will post photographs, fingers crossed they make it.

So that is it for the first half of the year.  The warm weather that brought out the butterflies swiftly left us over the last weekend of the month, replaced by gusty winds, rain and a drop in temperate of up to fifteen degrees.  Signs are that there may be better weather as we progress through July so hopefully the butterflies will be around and I can get some photographs of the Common Blue, and the one butterfly yet to emerge, the Gatekeeper