Before I start on the subject matter of this post, I'd like to mention a problem with Blogger that I am experiencing. For a month or so now, Blogger is only notifying me of about 40% of comments to my blog which are waiting to be 'moderated'. The rest of the comments are just sitting there in the background, unannounced. To find them I have to delve into my Blogger dashboard and actively seek them in the comments section. This means that, occasionally, pending comments go unnoticed for a while. My apologies if I am late accepting your comments. If anyone else has had this problem and knows of a solution, please let me know.
I have been so occupied with material from holidays away from home that I have not done any blog posts about day to day wildlife events at home and its close surrounds after the end of May. This blog post will start the catchup process by covering events in June not previously covered.
Wednesday, 2nd June Garden
For a change, the pair of Mallards that had been visiting our garden on a regular basis, turned up mid-evening, rather than before dawn, which had been their norm.
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Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) (male) - garden on 2nd June, 2021
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Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) (female) - garden on 2nd June, 2021
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Saturday, 5th June Garden
We have been doing quite well for corvids in the garden this year, with visits from Carrion Crow and Magpie, and occasionally Jackdaw - a species that, hitherto, has only rarely been seen in the garden. Sadly, Jay has, so far, been absent.
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Jackdaw (Coloeus monedula) - garden on 5th June, 2021
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That evening two moth traps went out - my original and the new portable that Lindsay kindly bought me as a birthday present. The result was not spectacular - only 35 moths of 21 species, with the most interesting for me being Coxcomb Prominent and Poplar Hawkmoth - the former being a 'first' for the garden. |
| Coxcomb Prominent (Ptilodon capucina) - from garden on 5th June, 2021 |
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| Poplar Hawk-moth (Laothoe populi) - from garden on 5th June, 2021 |
Saturday, 12th June Saltersford Valley Country Park
I'd not been to Saltersford Valley for a couple of weeks so set off that afternoon to see what the dragonfly situation was like there. It proved to be a worthwhile visit, with two species of dragonfly ID'd (others seen at a distance) and five species of damselfly.
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Four-spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata) (male) - Saltersford Valley
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This Hairy Dragonfly was the first member of the species I'd seen in 2021, and will have been the last too!
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| Hairy Dragonfly (Brachytron pratense) (male) - Saltersford Valley |
Damselflies were numerous.
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Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella) (male) - Saltersford Valley
 | | Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella) (male+female) - Saltersford Valley |
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Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans) (male+female) - Saltersford Valley
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| Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) (male) - Saltersford Valley |
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| Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) (female) - Saltersford Valley |
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| Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) (male) - Saltersford Valley |
I failed to get any shots of Red-eyed Damselfly.
There was non-odonate interest there too. A Common Tern was zooming around for a while and, at one point, caught a small Pike. However, that shot didn't make the grade - this one just scrapes in!
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Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) - Saltersford Valley
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A little worrying was the discovery of two Moorhen chicks beside the path with no adult in attendance. Given that, although little used, half the users seem to be dog-walkers, I feared for their safety here's one of them. |
Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) (chick) - Saltersford Valley
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Great Crested Grebe was on the large pool, and into the light as usual!
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Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus) - Saltersford Valley
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Other insects were represented too. I think this first one is a Mustard Beetle. If you think I have got it wrong, please let me know. |
| Mustard Beetle (Phaedon cochleariae) - Saltersford Valley |
I also photographed some butterflies.
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| Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus) (female) - Saltersford Valley |
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| Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) (female) - Saltersford Valley |
It had been a short (just under two hours) but worthwhile visit.
Tuesday, 15th June Heather Lake
A late morning visit to Heather Lake, three days later, was not as productive photography-wise. Although reasonably warm and sunny, there was a stiff breeze. All was not helped by much of the lake-edge vegetation having been removed, leaving little for damsels and dragons to settle on. Reasonable numbers were seen however, including Emperor (4), Four-spotted Chaser (2), Broad-bodied Chaser (3), Banded Demoiselle (1), Blue-tailed Damselfly (recorded as 6-20), and Common Blue Damselfly (recorded as 101-500!). Most of my photos were not satisfactory.
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| Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans) (male) -Heather Lake |
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| Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) (male) -Heather Lake |
I did also photograph this bee in a sheltered position.
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Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) (worker - pale form) - Heather Lake
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Wednesday, 16thJune Ashby Canal, Snarestone
This day was warmer and more sunny than the previous day, although just as breezy. I had not yet been to the Ashby Canal this year to seek what is probably my favourite damselfly - the White-legged Damselfly, so I made a morning visit there and spent a couple of hours wandering along the canal towpath. The White-legged Damselfly requires relatively lush waterside vegetation, and I was pleased to see that the canal, although well used by narrowboats, had vegetation more lush than I'd ever seen it. However, this vegetation was now so high and dense that it made spotting damsels rather more difficult.
I'm pleased to say that I did find 19 White-legged Damselfly, although sadly all male.
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White-legged Damselfly (Platycnemis pennipes) (male) - Ashby Canal, Snarestone
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In all there were five species of damselfly, but only one dragonfly (an Emperor, and not photographed).
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| Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans) (male+female) - Ashby Canal, Snaresone |
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| Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella) (male+female) - Ashby Canal, Snarestone | |
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Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) (female) - Ashby Canal, Snarestone
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Common Blue Damselfly was not photographed. However, I could not resist a shot of the drake Mallard that was glistening in the sun on the canal, and a Small Tortoiseshell on the towpath.
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| Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) (male) -Ashby Canal, Snarestone |
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Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) - Ashby Canal, Snarestone
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Monday, 21st June Garden
To our delight, we were visited by a juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker. This species is a very infrequent visitor to our garden, and this was our first sighting of the year.
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Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) (juvenile) - garden on 21st June, 2021
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Wednesday, 23rd June Sence Valley Forest Park
A visit to an area of Sence Valley FP that is not open to the public but that I have been granted access to in order to survey the area for odonata, turned out to be a difficult one. Apart from an issue with the heavy steel gate through which I access the area with my car, I found that the vegetation in the area had grown so densely that it was almost impossible to tread carefully and avoid stepping on sapling trees with which the area had been planted. It was also difficult to see where the edge of the ponds started so I kept getting wet feet! Nevertheless, I did manage to see and photograph some dragons and damsels and made a count as best I could under the circumstances. I recorded four species of dragonfly and five of damselfly. Here are a few shots of some of them.
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| Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) (female) - Sence Valley FP |
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| Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) (male) - Sence Valley FP |
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| Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) (male) - Sence Valley FP |
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| Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) (male) - Sence Valley FP |
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| Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella) (male) -Sence Valley FP |
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| Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) (female) -Sence Valley FP |
There were a few Small Heath butterflies around also.
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Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus) - Sence Valley FP
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Thursday, 24th June Calke Park
In
true pandemic style, Lindsay and I celebrated our 49th wedding
anniversary with a picnic lunch in Calke Park. I did take the camera
with me and took a few shots of the deer there.
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| Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) (male) - Calke Park |
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Fallow Deer (Dama dama) - Calke Park
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Tuesday, 29th June Garden
There was quite a lot going on in the garden this day. The Bullfinches seem to have returned to the countryside, but a male did visit this day.
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Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) (male) - garden on 29th June, 2021
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Having landed, this juvenile Starling seemed to lack the confidence to take off again and spent about ten minutes exercising its wings. It was amusing to watch.
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Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) (juvenile) - garden on 29th June, 2021
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The common Chaffinch is easily dismissed as an 'everyday' bird, but they are quite handsome - especially the male.
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Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) (male) - garden on 29th June, 2021
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We have done well with visits from juvenile birds this summer, with especially good numbers of House Sparrow, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, and Starling. Blackbirds were not so numerous, however.
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Blackbird (Turdus merula) - garden on 29th June, 2021
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That brings me to the end of June and the end of this blog post. Blogger started playing silly devils with font size of the image captions for the last part of the post and I have spent time trying to sort it without any success.
My next blog post will probably return to a 'short monographic' theme, in spite of my previous post on Vapourer moths not receiving many comments, as those persons that did leave comments (thank you!) seemed to enjoy that format. It will, therefore, be somewhat shorter than this one - you'll be relieved to hear, Diane!
Until then, stay safe, and take good care of nature.
A lot of 'work' and illustrations in this latest post Richard, including Poplar Hawk-moth in the garden....heck! And the Hairy Dragonfly, which for your interest, no records have ever been confirmed for Lancashire/North Merseyside. I've turned a little green here Richard!
ReplyDeleteTake Care. Pete.
That was my second garden Poplar Hawk-moth, Pete, with the first being last year. Hairy Dragonfly are around in these parts, but I don't see many. I had one at the same place last year.
DeleteStay safe - this virus thin is going downhill again - - - Richard
Beautiful photos of the birds, insects, the deers. The woodpecker, Tern and blackbirds are very beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Caroline. I'm pleased that you liked them.
DeleteLovely images Richard. An all round naturalist I would say. I did have to check I didn't put naturist. Take care.
ReplyDeleteI've had some narrow escapes with embarrasing typos Marc, and some that slipped through - my most recent being thanking someone for a 'massage'. However, I'm also losing the ability and confidence to spell in my old age and find myself regularly having to check that I've got the spelling of words correct. Thanks for your support. Stay safe - - - Richard
DeleteWell done, a fab set of photos. Love the baby blackbird, ours have been really naughty this year. They have been digging up pot plants, even in the green house!!
ReplyDeleteSorry I am not keeping up with blogs and comments just so much going on. Lots to do in the garden and I have not had time to process photos that I have taken, I am getting backlogged!!
We are going away for 4 days to La Rochelle, Nigel decided that I needed a break, and he is probably right, but it will mean even more to do on our return. Meanwhile I hope the weather holds and that I can relax for the 4 days!
Hope all is well, take care, best wishes to you both and the family, Diane
Hi Diane. I'm pleased to see that you managed to wade your way through this long blog post with your dreadfully slow internet.
DeleteI was amused to hear of your Blackbirds. Our biggest problem is with squirrels digging up the garden - mainly to bury hazelnuts from our tree which crops profusely. I reckon I dig up a few hundred hazel saplings every year!
I too find that going away is counter-productive in some respects. My main problem is processing all the photos on my return. It's got to the point where I have some trepidation about next year as we already have four holidays in the diary - one recently added to celebrate our 50th!
Have a great time in La Rochelle. Stay safe - - - Richard
A Jackdaw in the backyard is probably far more welcome that a Jackdaw around the nest site of a Little Owl was in times past! I am sure that the visit of the Great Spotted Woodpecker to the backyard was wonderful, Richard. We get Downy Woodpeckers almost daily, but it's always a thrill. The Mallards are kind of whimsical. We have never had them in our yard, but the neighbours over the fence have a pool, and more than once I have seen a pair swimming in it. I doubt that they are thrilled with these visitors. It's precious to see the Blackbirds feeding young. Best wishes to you and Lindsay. David
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed that you remember tales of Jackdaws invading Little Owl nests, David! I'm sure that, for me, a daily visit by any sort of woodpecker would always be magical - they are so different in character to almost any other bird. I think the Mallards visiting us were vagrants from next door's pond. They have a small pond and the Mallards arrived and were making a real mess of things so he 'discouraged' them somehow and they came here for a while. We haven't seen them for a long while now (the Mallards, not the Neoghbours!) but I think I may have heard them next door a couple of days ago so maybe they'll be back sometime!
DeleteTake good care - - - Richard
Absolutely incredibly wonderful observations!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Anne, for your kind words.
DeleteHello Richard
ReplyDeleteA compilation of the finest, the moths look very good but the favorites are of course the dragonflies, very nice photos
Greetings Frank
Thank you, Frank. I agree - the dragonflies are my favourites too! Take great care and stay safe - - - Richard
DeleteBeautiful blog
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteCatching up with your "catch up" post was extremely satisfying!
ReplyDeleteYour typically high quality photographs are a joy to behold, Richard. Of course, as usual, there is no way to select a "favorite". They all qualify for that honor.
The Odonates. Impressive. I am ashamed I have not paid more attention to our local group lately.
What with our high temperatures and humidity it is difficult to believe fall migration has begun! We have seen a few early warblers and flycatchers already. Now, if the birds could just bring a cool breeze with them, we would not complain.
Gini and I are doing great and we hope the same may be said for you and Lindsay.
I too have not being paying as much attention to the Odonates, as I should do, Wally, with July being a rather pathetic effort on my part, and August being not that much better! The season is starting to close here, but I'm now doing the best I can in the circumstances.
DeleteWe're getting some pretty amazing fall sightings in UK at the moment, but they're attracting too many people for my liking and it seems that some people are putting their selfish wants ahead of the wellfare of the birds.
I'm comforted to know that you and Gini are OK - were doing pretty well here too! Take god care - - - Richard