9th June - She Couldn't Help But See

Another dry but cold and very windy day.  The winds have been from the north east, and with them there has been a fair bit of cloud.  s I drove home I debated the value of going out for an evening walk, too cold for butterflies and my search for the Roe Deer Family has not been that rewarding just recently.

When I got home I decided to cut the lawn, and forego the walk, and when I had finished that I went back inside.  It turned out there was no power, so as a result I decided to pop out anyway, but driving to the pond and to just walk around the area where the deer have been seen.  As I walked from the pond car park, once again on the open lawn a pair of Mistle Thrush were searching the grass for food.

As I walked into the wood I could hear a Great Spotted Woodpecker calling, and from the repeated calls I assumed it must be a young bird begging to the parent.  I took the perimeter path and as I came into the open there was a large Ash tree, and on the trunk was the fledgling Woodpecker.

As I watched the adult, a female appeared on a dead branch of the tree called back.

The Young bird came close and there seemed to be a squabble but I think it was just the young one taking food.  The adult then flew off and the youngster flew to a broken branch.

Instinct kicked in, and it started to peck at the broken wood, but not really with any conviction.  It spent most of the time calling and looking around the tree.

It stayed there for awhile before the adult called again from behind it and it turned and flew off.

I turned my attention now to the field.  There was no activity in the Kestrel nest, but the male did fly through the wood.  At the other side of the field I picked up on a doe Roe Deer close to the far fence.

She was eating the leaves on the bushes in the wood while either lying or standing in the field.

I made my way around the path in the hope of getting a closer view, or maybe even a glimpse of the kids.  As I came out into an area with a better view she was sitting looking out across the field.

The noise of the camera caught her attention and she turned towards me and the source of the sound.

I made my way around closer to her, but she heard me and ran back towards the other fence.  I watched her go but there was no sign of any kids at all.  What I did realise was that the grass is deceptively long, and that it stands about the height of her shoulder, so if the kids are out there they will be completely covered and well hidden.

I walked a couple of circles around the wood, and caught up once again with the woodpeckers, this time in an Oak tree.  You can see the adult, this time a male hammering away at the wood while the young bird sits and waits to be fed.

I checked both the field and the Kestrel once again but there was no change, nothing was about so I thought I would head off home, hopefully the power would be back on.  Unfortunately it wasn't!

I am getting closer, today the doe in the field, who knows what next.  What I do know though is it will not be long before the field is cut for hay.

7th June - They Were Long and Clear

A beautiful morning, if still a little cool with the north westerly breeze.  Early starts are not necessary  as we have entered the dreaded time of early June.  The birds are all hidden away in the leaf canopy absorbed in looking after fledged young.  The rush of spring flowers has abated as grasses grow tall, and Bramble snakes over the forest floor covering any open space.  The spring butterflies are now giving way to the summer species but there is always a gap and that can mean almost nothing is about.  

It looks like I have missed out on the Holly Blue butterfly this year, and I haven't heard a Willow Warbler anywhere.  the chances of a Holly Blue are very slim now but hopefully there is still some places to look for Willow Warbler.

Today though I wanted to give the woods one more chance to look for the Roe Deer family that has also been avoiding me this year.  Helen and I set off late morning and walked along Brislands in the sunshine with a couple of Song Thrush singing, but no sign of any butterflies.

Turning into Gradwell the Jackdaw were calling from the top of the chimney pots where they probably have a nest.  This one was looking down while deep in conversation with its partner probably on the nest.

From Gradwell we took the path into Old Down.  I disturbed a Red Admiral that was sunning on the bare earth, a good sign?

Crossing into Old Down the sky to the north looked beautiful, full of little fluffy clouds in a sky that demonstrated a range of blue.  The  Four Trees can be seen in the left hand bottom corner.

As we entered Old Down it struck me how quiet it was, the usual song of the Chiffchaff no longer there.  Away in the distance though there was always the song of the Wren, this years success story in the woods.

A while ago I photographed the Larch tree branch and how the cones were beginning to form.  Today they looked different again, with a lime green fleshy look and signs of sap appearing.  We both could not recall seeing them like this, but this branch is quite low and has allowed the chance to see the fresh new cones.

As we came out into the open area there was the increased noise of young birds, as well as Blue Tits and Great Tits there was also a lot of Long-tailed Tit activity, this adult was busy scouring the oak leaves for possible caterpillars.

While this young bird was busy preening.

Not quite got the hang of the look yet.

Looking across the open part of the wood here, where the larches have been thinned out it reminds me of the scene from Jurassic Park when the first dinosaurs are seen, the long thin trunks of the larch representing the long necks of the Brachiosaurus that were grazing on the trees and swimming in the lake

I know it takes some imagination, but hey!  Its early June.

we headed of the main path and looped around on the southern perimeter path.  Foxglove spikes could be seen everywhere, but there were only a few with the pink petals showing.

From the perimeter path we crossed over the main path and then carried on around towards the west.  The kestrel was not in its nest box, and we could hear one calling from the trees above us.

Here the quest was the deer, but apart from trails in the long grass they could not be seen.

It was now just gone midday and the sun in sheltered spots was quite warm.  Hoping to see butterflies in he open rides we headed back towards the crossroads.  There was just a couple f butterflies and they were both Speckled Woods, one sitting nicely on a bramble leaf.

A little further on the buzzing of bees became quite strong and looking up we found a large swarm of bees on one of the branches of a beech tree.  Swarming is the process by which a new honey bee colony is formed when the queen bee leaves the colony with a large group of worker bees. In the prime swarm, about 60% of the worker bees leave the original hive location with the old queen. This swarm can contain thousands to tens of thousands of bees. I am not sure how many there are here but I wouldn't think it was tens of thousands.

Swarming is the natural means of reproduction of honey bee colonies. In the process of swarming the original single colony reproduces to two and sometimes more colonies.

Worker bees create queen cups throughout the year. When the hive gets ready to swarm the queen lays eggs into the queen cups. New queens are raised and the hive may swarm as soon as the queen cells are capped and before the new virgin queens emerge from their queen cells. A laying queen is too heavy to fly long distances. Therefore, the workers will stop feeding her before the anticipated swarm date and the queen will stop laying eggs. Swarming creates an interruption in the brood cycle of the original colony. 

During the swarm preparation, scout bees will simply find a nearby location for the swarm to cluster. When a honey bee swarm emerges from a hive they do not fly far at first. They may gather in a tree or on a branch only a few metres from the hive. There, they cluster about the queen and send 20 - 50 scout bees out to find suitable new nest locations. This intermediate stop is not for permanent habitation and they will normally leave within a few hours to a suitable location. It is from this temporary location that the cluster will determine the final nest site based on the level of excitement of the dances of the scout bees. It is unusual if a swarm clusters for more than three days at an intermediate stop.

Leaving the bees we turned off towards Old Down Cottage.  The path here is now very open and in the sunshine a very light and warm area.  Very soon a couple more Speckled Woods passed and this female Brimstone that settled on a Pink Campion.  It is nearing the end of the Brimstone's first flight season so this female was probably looking for somewhere to lay eggs.

In the sheltered spots the Bramble and the Foxgloves are beginning to flower much to the delight of the Bumblebees.  I got in close to one of the petals just after a bee had entered, and you can see how deep they go in.

Then it came out and you can see the pollen on the thorax.

As you can see the spikes of the foxgloves are quite dense here, if the weather holds and we have plenty of sunshine I would expect the flowers will be out in force by the next weekend.

We left the wood and headed off in the direction of the pond.  The fishing close season ended at the end of May, and there were quite a few fisherman around the pond.  As a result we decided not to walk around but just watched for a short while from the road.

Just like Thursday there was a large Hornet flying over the water and even settling on the lily pads.  Just above the surface of the water were lots of small flying insects and I can only suspect it was hunting these.

There was no sign of any dragonflies, or even damselflies.

As we walked towards Kitwood a Song Thrush was in full song above us.  It must have another brood nearby.  Perched high in a Holly tree for once it was visible.

At Kitwood I stopped to look at the small flower meadow, and at the back I picked up a Small Heath butterfly.  I watched it with binoculars as it drifted away from view.  Nice to see but I would like a closer one.

We then walked through Homestead Farm.  All the fields have been left to grow, and there were buttercups and flowering grasses but probably not enough flowers yet for the butterflies.  As a result it was just a walk with little to show for it.

We crossed the road and headed up the hill past the Shetland Ponies.  There were the calls of young Blue Tits from the hedges and as we reached the top an adult appeared on one of the fence posts again with the now common pose caterpillar in beak.

And that was basically it.  we stopped at the garden centre for a drink and something to eat, then walked down through the field to Blackberry.  The owner has finally fenced off the footpath meaning that it will now not be possible to get close to the butterflies, this has been a great spot for Marbled White, Common Blue and Small Copper.  On a positive not though the field on the other side has been left to grow so maybe the spotted orchids will have a chance at the end of the month.

The walk had not been scintillating in terms of things to see, but there are always one or two things that can brighten things up, and the bees and the distant Small Heath were nice.  During the afternoon as we sat in the garden a Blue butterfly appeared around the hydrangeas.  Helen commented that we had been looking for one on of those all morning, and I like she assumed it was a Common Blue.  But, when it settled it turned out it wasn't, it was in fact a Holly Blue!  Who would have believed it?  Now for the Willow Warbler and the Roe Deer family!.

5th June - My Lonely Days Are Over

As reported yesterday was fine and warm, and it was still as we went into the evening.  By about 10.00pm the clouds were rolling in from the west, and the forecast was for a much warmer night and possible thunderstorms in the early hours.

These were the conditions I had been hoping for, not the storms but the calm warm evening.  I decided that despite the threat of rain I need to put the trap out and at least see if the warmer conditions could produce a better catch of moths.

When I woke up in the morning it was raining and continued to do so through until the middle of the morning.  I had switched off the light and pulled the trap into cover, but I had not  given it a serious look, but a brief glance didn't fill me with hope.

I had time at lunch to have a look and while the box was not heaving with masses of lepidoptera, there was some of the species I felt I should be catching at this time of year.

First up was the Poplar Hawk Moth, the commonest hawk moth in the UK

This is a large odd-looking moth, but one of my favourites due to the bat and mouse look it has with the furry head.  It has the habit of resting with its hind-wings held further forward than the fore-wings but they are still half hidden by them.  It lacks the afrenulum a small hook that other moths have for joining the wings together. 

It is said to look like a cluster of dead leaves of the main host, poplar. When disturbed, the moth will suddenly reveal a bright orange-red basal patch on the hind-wing, possibly as a distraction or startle display.

They emerge late at night or early in the morning, the species flies starting from the second night and is strongly attracted to light. The proboscis is non-functional, so they do not feed as adults.  One or two broods are produced each year and adults can be seen from May to September and they overwinter as a pupa.

The next find was a Privet Hawk Moth, in fact there were two.

The Privet Hawk Moth is our largest resident hawk-moth found in the UK.  the fore-wing wingspan can reach up to 12 centimetres.  Despite their large size they are well camouflaged and can be easily missed.  The hind wings and abdomen feature attractive pink and black stripes. The fore-wings are pale brown with black lines running through them. The thorax is slate grey or black.

It is on the wing, unlike the Poplar Hawk Moth, for a short period only, in June and July. It is commonly found in parks and gardens, as well as woodland. 

The caterpillars, which grow to 85mm, are bright green with oblique purple and white stripes down their sides.  When the caterpillars are ready to pupate they move down the food plant and bury themselves in leaf litter.  They overwinter in this stage and emerge the following summer.

The last special moth was the White Ermine, seen before but always worth publishing and this one was playing dead.

The only differing factor last night was the temperature, unfortunately the forecast for next week although it will be dry and sunny is for more northerly winds and cold nights so I don't expect to see many more for awhile.

On a different note here are some interesting pictures of a coniferous cone I picked up in Majorca.  Back in the nineties when we had family holidays in Spain the girls would throw these cones down the road as we walked to the restaurant in the evening.  The game was to see who's would go the furthest.

When we were in Majorca in April I found some and brought them home for old times sake.  In the house the cones have opened up like a sci-fi film egg, and all the seeds have been dispersed (outside).  

Close up the cones look very unworldly.

Like some weird sculpture

4th June - Now He's Coming Back To Do The Same For You.

At last some weather to feel good about, whether it will last or not remains to be seen.  It was not the case though with the moth trap.  It has been a really poor spring, this time last year there were hawk moths everywhere, this year I look into the box and its empty.  Not totally true though as I emptied the egg boxes out in disgust to pack it away I found this one and only Treble Lines.  Sorry Treble Lines but Wow!

It would appear I am not alone the reports indicate that others are getting similar mediocre returns.  I can only put it down to the cold nights, but the moths have to be there somewhere.

The sun did shine today though, and the temperature warmed up. With this in mind I decided on a lunch hour walk, and drove up to Swelling Hill.    When I arrived there were several Swallows flying low over the water, not something you see all the time. A large Hornet was also flying around the area.

The iris are in full bloom, some have even gone past their best.  Around the flowers and on the leaves were  plenty of Azure Damselflies, the first I have seen here this year.  Some were engaged in mating, making up for lost time.

I walked around the path past the sunny bank and disturbed a Grey Heron from the mud at the back of the pond.  It flew off, and this seemed to be the signal for the Mallards, the two drakes and one duck to return to the water.  There was also the strange sight of a Robin perched on the vegetation coming out of the water.  From here it would fly off and pick insects off the surface of the water, very resourceful.

At the Iris bed close to the picnic table there were more Azure Damselflies, and a few Large Red Damselflies.  This one is a male (I have a new book!)

The Iris were not only an attraction to the Damselflies Bumblebees were also taking an interest too.

Ii waited to see if there would be any dragonflies about, but in the time I had I couldn't find any.  I decided then to set off to the wood.  As I  walked in a Large White was flying along the ride, but never stopped.  The Chiffchaff was  singing in its usual Oak tree, but the dominant sound was that of young  Blue Tits, or tits in general.

I  stopped at the large Beech tree as I could see movement along with the calls.  An adult was busy moving through the branches inspecting the under side of the leaves.  A young bird flew over and the adult delivered it cache.

It soon became clear that there were not only Blue Tits about, this young Coal Tit appearing in the same tree.

With the sun out, and it feeling warm I was hoping for butterflies.  A smallish orange butterfly flew  flew past me and had me chasing after it.  It was too big for a Comma and too bright for a Speckled Wood, but it never settled and then just disappeared.  Another of those "what Might Have Beens".

There were more Large Whites but that was it.  I walked around to the Kitwood end where a Great Spotted Woodpecker was calling but not showing, and then back alongthe perimeter to the Kitwood path.

There was no sign of the owl, but this Wren was busy calling, and carrying food for young.

I carried on down the path and made my way back to the car, with little else to report.

Late afternoon I decided to try again, this time to see if the Deer were about as well.  As I left the house a Rook flew over with something white in its bill.

Again it was very quiet along the lanes and no sign whatsoever of any butterflies.  As I turned into Old Down, two Blackcaps were singing against each other one after the other.  I took the diagonal path, and above me Buzzards were calling.  Looking up there were three birds and there did not seem to be any attempt by either of the birds to chase anyone away, so maybe these are non breeders.

There was a reason for the diagonal path, it is always warm and sheltered here, and has plenty of dead wood for insects to warm up on.  Finally I did find a cooperative butterfly, a Peacock.

They must be coming to the end of their first flying period.

From the diagonal I turned on to the perimeter in hope of seeing the deer, but there was no sign at all.  I came across a pair of Great Tits, one carrying caterpillars the other just calling out and dancing around in the trees as if to distract me.

Back on the main path a Dunnock appeared on the top of the fallen branches and burst into song, I wonder how many nests this individual is supporting.

With the sun a little lower there was now a lot of shade, and also areas brightly lit by the sun.  It was on one of the lit areas that I disturbed another butterfly.  It was a Red Admiral, and it flew around, and even contemplated settling on my blue t-shirt before landing back on the ground in the sunshine.

I headed out to the Gradwell entrance hoping that maybe the Spotted Flycatcher was still present.  As I approached I could hear a Chiffchaff calling.  The call was loud and I have learnt that at this time of year these calls usually indicate that the bird is close to its nest and wants to deliver food.  Sure enough I found the Chiffchaff in the Oak tree above me with a caterpillar.

I backed off and watched as it crept through the branches, still calling, but also still searching the leaves for more caterpillars.

Finally it appeared at the end of a branch.

The photograph shows the density of the leaves compared to the size of  the bird, and also the fact that the caterpillars obviously like the oak leaves.

I searched for the flycatcher but there was no sign.  I  then headed back out across the field.  Two Swallows were hawking the field, and one was sitting on the fence wire enjoying the evening sunshine.

Its definitely summer now, but it looks like we will be returning to cooler weather next week after a series of thunderstorms on Friday.  Great, summer and cold weather is not the combination  for good wildlife viewing so we will have to hope the sun at least keeps its hat on.