Header image (while this post is current) - Male Large Red Damselfly at Saltersford Valley Country Park
My recent blog posts have totally focused on reporting on two vacations away from home - the first to Norfolk and the second to The New Forest. It's now time to catch up with what has been happening closer to home. So here we go.
Tuesday, 23rd May Melbourne Pool
Lindsay fancied somewhere different to take exercise but, because of her limitations, it had to be somewhere with seating at relatively frequent intervals. It seemed to me that Melbourne Pool was just the place. There is plenty of seating and also some avian activity to keep me amused too.
A Coot was resting, near to the dam.
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Coot (Fulica atra) - Melbourne Pool
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Several Pied Wagtails were present and in various states of plumage. This was a rather handsome male.
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Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba yarrellii) - Melbourne Pool
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A Moorhen was busy going about its business.
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Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) - Melbourne Pool
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Mallards were, of course, quite numerous, but there's no denying that a male Mallard is a handsome duck. |
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) (male) - Melbourne Pool
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The real pleasure, however, was to find that the Red-crested Pochards were back. Sadly, they stayed distant on this occasion.
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Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina) (male) - Melbourne Pool
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We both really enjoyed the outing.Wednesday, 24th May Saltersford Valley Country Park
I made a brief visit to nearby Saltersford Valley CP to check on the dragonfly situation. I did have a few sightings of Hairy Dragonfly, but failed to get any photos. The only odonate I managed a shot of was a Blue-tailed Damselfly.
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Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans) (immature male) - Saltersford Valley CP
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The Yellow Flag Iris were in flower, and looking splendid. |
Yellow Flag Iris (Iris pseudacorus) - Saltersford Valley CP
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The only other thing of note that I photographed was a tiny Red-and-black Froghopper which, for me, are always a joy to see. |
Red-and-black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata) - Saltersford Valley CP
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Thursday, 25th May Garden : Saltersford Valley Country ParkWanting to have another attempt a photographing Hairy Dragonfly, I returned to Saltersford Valley, As I exited our front door I noticed an unusual-looking wasp on the wall beside the door. This was one of the solitary wasps, Sapyga quinquepunctata. It seems that they are only occasionally reported in our county. This was identifiable as a female by the red band on the abdomen.
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solitary wasp (Sapyga quinquepunctata) (female) - our front garden
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Again, I saw a few Hairy Dragonfly at Saltersford Valley CP, but failed to photograph one. There were, however, quite a few species of damselfly around.The first of these Blue-tailed damselflies had not quite reached maturity, having a distinctly greenish tinge to the thorax which would soon be the purest blue.
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| Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans) (immature male) - Saltersford Valley CP |
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| Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans) (male) - Saltersford Valley CP |
Large Red Damselfly is a quite easy species to identify. Here, I show both male and female. The male has a relatively slender abdomen, with finer dark rings at the joins of the abdomen segments.
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Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) (male) - Saltersford Valley CP
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| Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) (female) - Saltersford Valley CP |
For me, the key ID feature of the male Azure Damselfly is the marking on segment 2 of the abdomen, whch I think of as the being like a cross section of a drink beaker.
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Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella) (male) - Saltersford Valley CP
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More often than not, if I find a Red-eyed Damselfly it is on a lily pad or other vegetation, floating on the water. Finding one on waterside foliage is a real bonus.
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| Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma najas) (male) - - - Saltersford Valley CP |
Banded Demoiselle is always a delight to see
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Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) (male) - Saltersford Valley CP
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On the way back to my car, I stopped for this Common Carder Bee which was looking rather gorgeous.
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Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) - Saltersford Valley CP
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Saturday, 27th May Garden
Absolutely nothing remarkable about this sighting, but I was rather pleased by this shot of an immature Starling in our garden.
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Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) (immature) - our garden
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Monday, 29th May Cloud Wood
I attended a visit to Cloud Wood this day, organised by the Blackfordby Wildlife Group that I am a serving member of. The focus was, primarily, on the flora of this place, but it is not without other attractions. Here are a few of the things found. I'm no botanist, so no descriptions - please let me know if there are wrong IDs.
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Red Campion (Silene dioica) - Cloud Wood
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Guelder-rose (Viburnum opulus) - Cloud Wood
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Common Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) - Cloud Wood
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Yellow Pimpernel (Lysimachia nemorum) - Cloud Wood
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There were a few insects around also, although not as many as I had hoped for, probably due to the weather. It was cold enough that two of our participants had to return to the car, with one of them showing symptoms of hypothermia - in late May!!!
I believe these to be Celery Leaf Beetles on Hogweed in this first image.
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Celery Leaf Beetles (Phaedon tumidulus) - Cloud Wood
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The Tapered Drone Fly is a common occupant of Cloud Wood. This hoverfly is a male, as witnessed by the eyes that meet in the middle.
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Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax) (male) - Cloud Wood
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This brings me to the end of my observations for the month of May.
I intend that my next post will feature some highlights from June, outside of my visit to Norfolk which I have already reported on. In the meantime, please take good care of yourselves and Nature.
Thank you for dropping by - - - Richard
The month of May catch-up has been glorious to review!
ReplyDeleteAll those damsels. I am envious. Really incredible photographs all the way round, Richard. Thank you for including some "common" birds which most would bypass.
That Spotted Orchid is exceptionally lovely. I really like how you convinced that handsome Carder Bee to pose on a very colorful flower.
Gini and I continue to hope Lindsay's condition improves and we wish you both the best as we approach the weekend.
I'm pleased to be able to tell you that Lindsay is making a speedy recovery from her operation on Tuesday for an epigastric hernia. It was a large tear and so she's had to have a mesh put in to prevent a recurrence. She's even picking up a few light 'domestic duties', which is a great bonus for me. I am sure that your good wishes helped - thank you.
DeleteIt's all too easy to overlook the wonders of 'common' birds. I am also conscious of the fact that what is common now could easily be lost unless we get some sensible reaction on climate and sustainability from the powers that be.
Must go now and prepare lunch!
My very best wishes to you and Gini - stay safe - - - Richard
Lovely diverse mix of fauna & flora.
ReplyDeleteThank you - I'm delighted to know you enjoyed it. Best wishes - - - Richard
DeleteExcellent reading and viewing in your 'catch up' post Richard, and good to see you include images of the often under-valued 'common stuff' too. Can I also compliment you on your ability to ID such a variation of flora and fauna.
ReplyDeleteKind Regards and to Lindsey....Pete.
Thank you, Pete. These days my ID 'skills' are largely reliant on AI ! I tend to use the Obsidentify app. to give me a pointer, and then verify by checking Obsidentify's suggestions against other reference works.
DeleteFor me, even the common birds and other creatures are extremely special. It frightens me that we might soon be loosing them.
My best wishes to you both - - - Richard
P.S. Did you miss my previous post which finished with STONECHATS !! ??
Yes I did miss our last post Richard, but no point in your asking how come, as I have no idea why, but when I saw the Stonechats in the publication, my socks were blow off as usual, the bird never fails and never will. Thanks for sharing the images Richard.
DeleteMy Kind Regards as always....Pete.
(QvQ)
Delete(......)
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Good morning, Richard: If breaking up is hard to do then it seems as though catching up is easy to do! The Coot resting on the grass looks the very picture of serenity. Makes me want to lie down! The Red-and-black Froghopper is a wonderfully attractive little insect. I am astounded that people could have symptoms of hypothermia in May. What kind of clothes were they wearing, or perhaps more to the point, not wearing? As you know we routinely go out here in the winter at minus twenty degrees, and no one I know has ever suffered from hypothermia, or even suspected that they might be nearing such a threshold. I note your comment above regarding Lindsay's surgery. I have to confess that I didn't know what epigastric hernia was, but from what I have read it is easily fixed by a simple operation and patients are usually able to return home the same day. Seems that Lindsay is recovering well. Best wishes to both of you - David
ReplyDeleteHello David - I shan't reply with 'good morning' to you as it is nearly time for me to start preparing our evening meal. It's Lindsay's favourite and one of my specialities 'Sesame Chicken with Mango and Coriander Salsa'.
DeleteThe lady in question had arrived for the walk without a coat on and we were walking in a quite shady woodland and with a cool breeze blowing. She ended up shaking and losing comprehension of her situation. She had to be sat in a car with the heating on for a while in order to recover. It might not technically been hypothermia but it had that appearance.
Lindsay is doing quite well now, but when she passed out in the hospital A&E waiting room while we waiting for her to be attended to, I thought that I was loosing her. It was a frightening experience.
Must go now and be sorting out my 'mise en place'.
Best wishes to you and Miriam - - - Richard
Your photos are brilliant, Richard, you have a genius.
ReplyDeleteYou are too kind, Bob, but thank you anyway! My very best wishes to you - - - Richard
DeleteI note all the comments above re Lindsay and another trip to the hospital for what I guess should have been a simple hernia op, but the passing out in the waiting room must have been very scary for you. I am glad to hear though that she is back in recovery mode again.
ReplyDeleteAnother great set of photos, I do not think I have ever seen a pochard, interesting. The solitary wasp is also very interesting, I wonder if they are around here? The Pied wagtail is very beautiful.
Not a lot going on here, we have had a week of 40C and high humidity. Just walking out of the door was an effort. I never complain about the heat, but with the humidity even I wished for a cooler day. Sleeping at night with windows and doors open helped slightly if there was a wind but there was not much of that either!
Take care both of you, getting older is no fun. My Mum used to tell me the golden years are somewhat tarnished!!! Very best wishes to you both, cheers, Diane
Thank you, Diane. Lindsay is making a very good recovery, and the site seems to be healing nicely.
DeleteThose birds were Red-crested Pochard, as distinct from Pochard. Pochard is not uncommon, but Red-crested Pochard is uncommon, and these were possibly escapees from someone's collection (my assessment).
I was pleased to learn that your temperatures are dropping. Heat is far more difficult to cope with than cold.
I hope that you have both had a wonderful anniversary day.
My very best wishes. Take good care - my blogger friend Wally Jones once put it in a nutshell with "growing old is not for the faint hearted" - - - Richard
Hello Richard, what fright Lindsay and you must have had with the passing out of her in the hospital. Pain can do that, if the limmit of endurance is reached. I am glad to read things are much better now. Wish Lindsay all the best and a good recovery. Your outings earlier this year show the most beautyful observations of Damselflies, flowers, birds and insects, and the wonderful photos you took of them.
ReplyDeleteTake care and all the best,
Warm regards,
Roos
Lindsay's passing out at the hospital was very frightening, but they soon had a team come to her and take good care of her. She remembers nothing about it! She is doing really well now. Thank you for your kind words
DeleteSadly, the insect season will soon be over, and I will probably find myself concentrating on birds once more.
My very best wishes - - - Richard
Hello there Richard. I am glad Lindsay is feeling better (I have read the previous comments) and that she doesn't remember anything about her passing out. I have only passed out once, it was at school about 15 years ago and I remembered getting annoyed with the person who woke me up again, it completely felt like falling asleep!
ReplyDeleteYour photos bring me so many good nature memories of the time I spent in England and sometimes I wish I could go back there for at least a season, perhaps I would improve my English, I think it's getting a bit rusty as I barely speak, write or read in English. I wish it was easier for me to do that, though.
I hope you don't mind me asking but what camera do you use? Your photos are fantastic. That solitary wasp is gorgeous.
The temperatures have gone down in my area again and rains are coming, so I'm feeling way better now than in midsummer with +35ºC. At least I can sleep well now!
Take care, best wishes.
Hello Guillermo. Lindsay is recovering really well , thank you.
DeleteYour English is probably as good as mine - and I have lived in England for all my life!
I am not a person who likes to swap lenses on a camera, so I use a camera body with the same lens attached for everything. In March this year I switched from using a Nikon D7200 with a Sigma 50-500 VR lens. It was a very useful lens as it would focus down to about 10 cm from the lens hood if you pulled it back to about 170mm. The problem was that it was getting a little too heavy for me to carry on a long day out, and both lens and body were in need of service. I decided to go mirrorless in March, but if I stayed with Nikon, I was not going to save any weight, and the price would come in at more than I could afford. This made me look at Canon. I bought a Canon R7 and Canon RF 100-400 lens. It is half the weight of my old set up, and less than half the price I would have had to pay for a Nikon offering. It took a while to get used to a totally different system and these photos were taken when I had only had the camera three months. The lens is a little more limiting than my old Sigma - I can't get closer to the subject than about a metre and a half. I might find the lack of light in the winter a bit more difficult as its maximum aperture is F5.6 - F8. Time will tell. I am, however, absolutely delighted with the change, after decades of being a Nikon user.
I'm so pleased that your temperatures are dropping and that you will get some rain. We have had the opposite problem this summer - cold and windy and too much rain.
Best wishes - stay safe - - - Richard