All The Young Juvs

Today was one that was constrained, in that I needed to complete some work around the middle of the day. So this morning I nipped over to Huncote Embankment with the aim of trying to photograph Odonata, and then this afternoon I've been out to Bradgate Park with Nichola.

This morning was warm enough, with good sunny spells but always some brooding clouds in view that in the end came to nothing.

The main plan was to point the camera at damselflies, and specifically to try and photograph Small Red-eyed Damselfly. I have seen this species before, years ago not long after first colonisation. We dropped into the Bluewater Shopping Center on the way back from a twitch, quite probably the Pallid Harrier in August 2002 but memory has gone hazy. I've never looked for or knowingly seen one since then, despite their rapid and widespread colonisation. And today was no different as to be honest the conditions were not great - either bright sunshine causing fervent activity or a cloudy spell when everything settled out of view or range. I think I may have caught one, but the angle is terrible and it's far from totally convincing. I was also confused by the apparent presence of (Large) Red-eyed Damselfly which I thought would be well over by now, but apparently isn't.

I think these shots are Red-eyed Damselfly followed by Small Red-eyed Damselfly based on the terminal segments, but I'll try again on a better day.

Also a few Common Darters around, and plenty of Blue-tailed Damsleflies.

I also spotted by chance what I think may be the first Orange Ladybird larva I've seen.

Later in the afternoon, we headed to Bradgate Park. Despite the reasonable weather and being slap bang in the middle of summer, it was a lot quieter than I expected it might be. All the better. Nice views, plenty of deer - albeit distant - and a few birds and bits whilst we wandered about.

These deer really were a long way off, at least 100 meters, probably more.

A walk around the outer perimeter of the ruins brought some plants and a new fly ....

After this shot I managed to pot what was clearly a robber fly, and it's now pinned and works through quite simply to Machimus cingulatus - though you can't see all features here apart from leg colouration.

There is plenty of fruiting Deadly Nightshade here if you have anyone that you think would benefit from some herbal remedy ....

I spotted a Purple Hairstreak a long way up in an oak, and also some galls on Walnut caused by the mite Aceria erinea ....

The main avian interest though came from a range of juvs ....

Confident and fully independent Stonechat

Confident to the point of cocky Goldfinch in a feeding flock with other juvs

Pathetic begging Reed Bunting that had barely fledged - no tail, no flight

Catch up

Haven't been getting out too much, and when I have I've not had a chance to post anything so here's brief catch up ....

First, a couple of nice beetles, butterflies and a moth from Ketton Quarry on 23/05/2015.

Cryptocephalus bipunctatus - only the 4th VC55 record, first since 1987

Agrilus angustulus (per Graham Finch) - 11 previous records

Dingy Skipper - was lucky to find a pair in cop

Grizzled Skipper

Burnet Companion

The new car had it's debut mothing night out on Friday 05/06/2015 to a group session at Charnwood Lodge; nothing too arduous on the chassis, just some woodland rides. I was pleased to fit 6x traps, 2x gennies and 7x cable reels easily into the boot space with room to spare.

The mothing itself was a little poor, as has been the whole spring! My traps managed a total of 46sp.

Code	Taxon	Vernacular	Total
131	Incurvaria oehlmanniella		2
140	Nematopogon swammerdamella		2
227	Monopis laevigella	Skin Moth	1
485	Schreckensteinia festaliella		2
602	Elachista apicipunctella		1
636	Denisia similella		1
649	Esperia sulphurella		1
770	Carpatolechia proximella		2
797	Neofaculta ericetella		1
1174	Epiblema cynosbatella		1
1497	Amblyptilia acanthadactyla		1
1645	Falcaria lacertinaria	Scalloped Hook-tip	1
1680	Cyclophora punctaria	Maiden's Blush	1
1722	Xanthorhoe designata	Flame Carpet	1
1759	Ecliptopera silaceata	Small Phoenix	1
1764	Chloroclysta truncata	Common Marbled Carpet	4
1768	Thera obeliscata	Grey Pine Carpet	2
1776	Colostygia pectinataria	Green Carpet	10
1834	Eupithecia vulgata	Common Pug	2
1844	Eupithecia indigata	Ochreous Pug	1
1857	Eupithecia tantillaria	Dwarf Pug	1
1902	Petrophora chlorosata	Brown Silver-line	63
1906	Opisthograptis luteolata	Brimstone Moth	2
1920	Odontopera bidentata	Scalloped Hazel	4
1931	Biston betularia	Peppered Moth	2
1947	Ectropis bistortata	Engrailed	1
1951	Aethalura punctulata	Grey Birch	12
1955	Cabera pusaria	Common White Wave	2
1957	Lomographa bimaculata	White-pinion Spotted	3
1981	Laothoe populi	Poplar Hawk-moth	1
2006	Pheosia gnoma	Lesser Swallow Prominent	2
2008	Ptilodon capucina	Coxcomb Prominent	2
2014	Drymonia dodonaea	Marbled Brown	14
2028	Calliteara pudibunda	Pale Tussock	5
2043	Eilema sororcula	Orange Footman	16
2060	Spilosoma lubricipeda	White Ermine	1
2061	Spilosoma luteum	Buff Ermine	1
2063	Diaphora mendica	Muslin Moth	3
2102	Ochropleura plecta	Flame Shoulder	4
2123	Diarsia rubi	Small Square-spot	7
2160	Lacanobia oleracea	Bright-line Brown-eye	1
2163	Melanchra pisi	Broom Moth	6
2190	Orthosia gothica	Hebrew Character	1
2289	Acronicta rumicis	Knot Grass	1
2302	Rusina ferruginea	Brown Rustic	5
2326	Apamea crenata	Clouded-bordered Brindle	1
		Total species	46
		Total individuals	199

Grey Birch

Scalloped Hook-tip

Whilst I'm on here, may as well post a couple of bird photos from Greece back in April.

Crested Lark

Stonechat

Stonechat fledglings

LRP

Taw Estuary

Nipped out for a very pleasant walk around the Isley Marsh reserve on the Taw Estuary this morning. This reserve is immediately opposite Lower Yelland Farm where there were five Cattle Egrets yesterday. Today, there were precisely zero Cattle Egrets around the area (or at least I didn't see any). The massive sandy/muddy expanse that is the Taw Estuary (click for a bigger expanse). The tide was out, so all of the waders and wildfowl were out of decent photographic range. I can't remember the last time I visited this site and didn't see Spoonbills, and today was no exception. There were initially three feeding out in the middle of the estuary, later the group had grown to four roosting on the edge of the saltmarsh. Four distant sleeping Spoonbills - honestly. Waders included 100s of Curlews, 1000s of Lapwings, loads of Oystercatchers and Turnstones, a few Redshank and a couple of Grey Plovers. There were also plenty of Shelduck, Teal and Wigeon, and a couple of Black-necked Grebes. At least five Little Egrets were knocking about, and a smart Kingfisher, flyover Raven, foraging Rock Pipits and a couple of Stonechats were nice to see. This Sonechat was out of frame a millisecond later.

Lunchtime Chat

Nipped over to Cossington Meadows around lunch time, with the intention of trying to get a couple of snaps of the Stonechats. I only had about half an hour so it was always going to be a quick grab or complete failure. Immediately as I headed down the main track, a male Kestrel was hovering over the verge and suddenly dropped down before re-emerging a few seconds later complete with small mammal in talons (presumably a vole). Further down the track, after a cursory glance over Swan Meadow (cows, ponies, herons, no owls) I bumped into a very pleasing mixed selection in the hedgerow. In the same hawthorn was a male and two female Reed Buntings, male Bullfinch, five Goldfinches, four Greenfinches, two Redwings, Blackbird, Dunnock, Robin and - the pair of Stonechats. Every time I edged closer the Stonechats fecked off further up the hedgerow. I need a much bigger lens! Eventually got a couple of grab shots of the female perched on a twiggy stem on the edge of the verge. This perch is uncomfortable. Shit - look at the spassy angle my feet are at! Before I left, some amazing Kestrel action. One male was happily minding its own business hovering over Swan Meadow when it noticed another male zooming in from The Moor at low level. It stopped scanning for voles and made an immediate bee-line for the incoming rival. They both crashed down into the long grass with talons pretty much locked before they both decided it wasn't worth it headed off in different directions. With the owls still present, and more Kestrels in one area than I've seen for a while, it must have been a bloody good vole year. Even the herons seem to be targeting them.