Header image (while this post is current) - Brimstone - Cloud Wood on 9th August, 2023
Part 5 of this Catchup series will be a rather long one as I try to get nearer to the current date. This will cover a three week period, and I hope that it is not too long for you.
Having returned from a holiday in the New Forest on 14th July, which I have previously reported on, I had a period of just over three weeks without any excursions, other than for purely domestic reasons. The first part of this post will, therefore, just feature garden observations from the house.
Wednesday, 19th July Garden
Unfortunately, this image of a magnificent Carrion Crow is spoiled by the appearance of a line down its front caused by a reflection in the glass that I was shooting through.
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| Carrion Crow (Corvus corone) - our garden |
Staying with the corvids, this is the only occasion that I have ever consciouly seen a juvenile Jackdaw, and it was a real bonus that it was being fed by an adult. I have added a video clip from the occasion.
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| Jackdaw (Corvus monedula) (juvenile + adult) - our garden |
A visiting Comma butterfly allowed me to take a shot of its underside, displaying the reason for its scientific name.
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| Comma (Polygonia c-album) - our garden |
Monday, 24th July Garden
This year, for the first time, I have noticed Buddleia getting bad press as an invasive species. I do not, however, share this sentiment as I gain a large amount of satisfaction from the insects that are attracted to it. Until last year, we had just three Buddleia bushes. Last year I took one out as it was not in a suitable place, but transplanted two more, that had self-seeded elswhere in the garden, to more suitable locations. I also found another Buddleia this year and that has proven to be an interesting one as it seems to have a very tight and tall upright habit, having shot up to a height of around 4 metres in one season. It also seems to be a stronger flowerer than the others.
On this day, I photographed a couple of butterflies, but the real prize was a wonderful day-flying Humming-bird Hawk-moth. I live in wonderment as to how they manage to accurately direct that phenominally long and thin proboscis into the flower!
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| Humming-bird Hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) - our garden |
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| Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) - our garden |
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| Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) - our garden |
Friday, 28th July Garden
Also attracted to the Buddleia is the Peacock butterfly. The underside of this butterfly is very dark and rather uninteresting - the opposite is true of the fabulous upperside.
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| Peacock (Aglais io) - our garden |
The Gatekeepers that have been visiting, however, are primarily attracted to the flowers of the low-growing thyme, of which we have a profusion in the garden. This one was a female - determinable by the lack of 'sex brand' on the upper forewing.
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| Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) (female) - our garden |
Saturday, 29th July Garden
It has been a truly remarkable year for good numbers of Gatekeeper and Holly Blue butterflies nearly everywhere I go, and the same is true of our garden. Holly Blue, however, does not oblige by settling as often as Gatekeeper. Here's one that did - it too favoured the thyme.
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| Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) (male) - our garden |
Wednesday, 2nd August Garden
Sadly, we rarely see a Nuthatch in our garden. However, this day we were blessed with a brief visit, but I only managed a record shot.
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| Nuthatch (Sitta europaea) - our garden |
Wren had also been absent for many weeks, so we were delighted that this one started visiting us.
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| Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) - our garden |
Yet another visitor to the Buddleia has been Comma butterfly. This shot shows the bright upperside, compared to the drab underside shown earlier in ths post.
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| Comma (Polygonia c-album) - our garden |
Monday, 7th August Cloud Wood : Garden
A message from a friend to say that he'd been to Cloud Wood and seen White-letter Hairstreak butterflies had me visiting there this day. Because our car was booked in for a service in the morning, I was not able to go until the afternoon when there was little sun and also a cool breeze.
I didn't find the hairstreak, but there were plenty of other insects to enjoy. Soon after entering the wood, I found this hoverfly.
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| Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax) (male) - Cloud Wood |
A little further on, I found a second generation Green-veined White butterfly.
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| Green-veined White (Pieris napi) - Cloud Wood |
Taking a narrower side track, I had my most exciting find of the visit - a Silver-washed Fritillary, albeit a rather worn one.
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| Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia) (male) - Cloud Wood |
Further on, I found the day-flying moth, Shaded Broad-bar.
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| Shaded Broad-bar (Scotopteryx chenopodiata) - Cloud Wood |
I ventured further west into the wood until I was approaching the working quarry, but it was all rather dark and gloomy, and nothing of interest was spotted. I continued on the path that runs parallel to the quarry edge before turning to the east and towards my starting point. I then found a few more things to point my camera at, some of which were species already featured above, so I wont bother you with them here.
Volucella inanis is a very attractive hoverfly which seems to have several different 'common names', so I'll avoid using any of them here! It is a relatively recent arrival in these parts, with only twelve records in the county pre-2015. This one is a female, with wide-spread eyes.
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| hoverfly (Volucella inanis) (female) - Cloud Wood |
I don't recall ever having photographed, or even seen, this fly species before.
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| Red-sided Eriothrix (Eriothrix rufomaculata) - Cloud Wood |
I'd not found my target, but it had been a worthwhile visit, and my first trip out since 14th July!
I got home to find a Humming-bird Hawk-moth in our garden.
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| Humming-bird Hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) - our garden |
Tuesday, 8th August Garden
I rather like shieldbugs, so finding a Red-legged Shieldbug (a garden first) this day was special. Unfortunately I was unable to coax it into moving to a place where the light was better.
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| Red-legged Shieldbug (Pentatoma rufipes) - our garden |
Wednesday, 9th August Cloud Wood : Saltersford Valley Country Park
Having missed White-letter Hairstreak two days previously, I decided to have another shot at it and so set off for Cloud Wood once more. The weather was better than on the previous occasion and it was quite warm.
A Green-veined White sat with its wings open for a change.
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| Green-veined White (Pieris napi) - Cloud Wood |
I hung around for a while in a clearing where paths met and noticed a small butterfly settle up in a tree. It looked interesting and I was convinced it was a hairstreak, but it was too far away to identify. It was on the wrong side of the tree to be able to get closer and if I moved down the path I was at a very awkward angle and into the sun. I then moved back to my original position and took a lot more shots. It was only after careful scrutinisation of my photos after I got home that I found two of them that gave me enough information to make a positive ID. It was a very worn Purple Hairstreak. Here are those two very heavily cropped images of what I was seeing with the lens at 400mm. It was the first of this species that I'd seen since 2007 so I was not disappointed.
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| Purple Hairstreak (Neozephyrus quercus) - Cloud Wood |
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| Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) (female) - Cloud Wood |
There were a few Brimstone around.
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| Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni) (male) - Cloud Wood |
Gatekeeper was the most numerous butterfly species.
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| Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) (female) - Cloud Wood |
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| Peacock (Aglais io) - Cloud Wood |
I was heading back towards the entrance when I noticed a large dragonfly flying around a clearing, I watched for a while, and then it settled on a distant tree trunk. I took a safety shot before making a stealthy approach and was glad I did so, as I was still well over 10 metres away when it flew - never to be seen again. It was my first ( and, as I write this, my only) photo of the year of a Southern Hawker, so please excuse the rubbish photo.
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| Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea) (male) - Cloud Wood |
I had a bit of time in hand before needing to get home for lunch, so called in at Saltersford Valley Country Park for a quick visit to see what might be around.
Most of the action was seen from the boardwalk.
Common Darter dragonfly can be a little tricky to determine the sex of when immature males are involved. both sexes exhibit longitudinal pale lines down the legs.
This first specimen is a mature male. The clues are in the stripes on the legs and the red colouration on the abdomen. A better photo would also show the distinctive anal appendages, and the secondary genitalia under segment No.2 of the abdomen.
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| Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) (male) - Saltersford Valley CP |
This is an immature male of the species. It has not yed deveoloped the red colouration and, in this shot, you can just detact the secondary genitalia under segement No.2 of the abdomen.
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| Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) (male) - Saltersford Valley CP |
The next image is of a female. It has similar colouration to the immature male, above, but the anal appendages are rather different and the underside of segment No.2 of the abdomen is smooth. A more side-on photo would better show the vulvar scale - a small flap below segment 8 of tha abdomen and just about visible in this image.
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| Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) (female) - Saltersford Valley CP |
I managed to grab a quick shot of a Common Tern that passed by.
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| Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) - Salterford Valley CP |
The most rewarding sighting, however, was a Brown Hawker that seemed to want to oviposit on the boardwalk!
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| Brown Hawker (Aeshna grandis) (female) - Saltersford Valley CP |
This brings me to the end of this post. I expect my next post to take things up to the end of August, and it will almost certainly be another long one - sorry! In the meantime, please take good care of yourselves, and Nature.
Thank you for dropping by - - - - Richard
I'm exhausted! What an excellent extravaganza of incredible images!
ReplyDeleteThe Jackdaw feeding a juvenile is quite special. So many insects, as you have pointed out in the past, are so similar to what we are used to seeing. There are those, however, which are quite unlike anything we encounter. Peacock, Brimstone and Green-veined White, for example.
Gini and I are very thankful that you share the results of your considerable efforts to showcase the natural world of the United Kingdom.
We both hope this finds you and Lindsay doing very well and wish you all the best.
I was rather thrilled to see that young Jackdaw being fed, Wally, and so pleased that I had my camera to hand when it happened - although my camera is usually primed and ready whenever I am sitting anywhere near a window with a view of the garden.
DeleteI will continue to try and present the local wildlife to the best of my ability, encouraged by your kind words - thank you.
We've got a few problems going on here at the moment, mainly age-related. Not our age, but the age of the house and its contents, and a car that's going to be out of commission for an indeterminate time due to the lack of availability of a replacement 4WD differential. Otherwise, things are looking relatively positive.
My very best wishes to you and Gini - - - Richard
Hello Richard
ReplyDeleteWhen I look at the red admiral, little fox and peacock butterflies they were always the same for me ;-)) to this day, the hummingbird butterfly is always a highlight when you see it, and of course the dragonflies, a special treat.
Greetings Frank
Hi Frank
DeleteI had to do a Google search on "little fox butterfly" as I had not heard that name before, and see it is an alternative name for the Small Tortoiseshell. It is good to learn something new occasionally!
Thank you for your visit.
Best wishes - - - Richard
Hello Richard, super encounters with the butterflies, dragonflies etc. Love the Brown Hawker. Never saw one. The photo with two Jackdaw one being fed by the other. So cute to see. The splendig photo of the Carrion crow I find very special.
ReplyDeleteTake care,
Regards,
Roos
Hello Roos. The Brown Hawker is a common dragonfly here, but quite hard to photograph as, unlike many dragonflies that set up a territory and patrol that area, sometimes taking predictable flight paths, and sometimes settling, the Brown Hawker tends to fly long distances, often going out of sight in a few seconds, and it seems to settle only very rarely. Most of my photo opportunities are of females ovipositing.
DeleteFor me, the Carrion Crow shot was spoiled by the reflection in the glass.
My very best wishes - stay safe - - - Richard
Hello Richard!!! Great set of pictures with birds and wonderful butterflies... I love the Wren in your garden... You´re lucky!!!! Many thanks for your kind comments!! Greetings from Madrid...
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ana. You continue to set the photographic standards that I aspire to.
DeleteBest wishes - stay safe - - - Richard
Yet another excellent 'catch up' post Richard, with an equally excellent variety of wildlife to share, including the amazing Nuthatch (Wallcreeper) climbing up the garden wall.
ReplyDeleteKind Regards....Pete.
That 'garden wall' is, in fact, next door's garage wall which forms the boundary to our garden on part of that side, Pete. For some reason, it is attractive to a some birds - tits, robins, goldfinches, etc. I suspect that they are scratching the mortar between the bricks for roughage. I think that the remains of the ivy, which used to cover that wall, helps them grip onto the wall.
DeleteMy best wishes to you and KT - - - Richard
Beautiful photos of the birds and insects.
ReplyDeleteThank you Caroline
DeleteGood morning, Richard: We arrived back from the West Coast yesterday afternoon and I am ready to get back to normal! It was a wonderful break - too short but welcome nonetheless. I am shocked to find how much rates for accommodation have soared! You photograph (and video) of the Jackdaw feeding young is precious. This is a sequence I always like to see. What a beauty Volucella inanis is! So many people, even keen naturalists, pretty much ignore insects and they are missing so much. Miriam will need to begin the long process of downloading and editing pictures, a task I am not sure she is looking forward to. I would gladly do it for her, but she always prefers to do it herself. Best wishes to you and Lindsay - David
ReplyDeleteThe prices for accommodation have gone through the roof here too, David, as they have for many things!
DeleteInterest in insects seems to be on the rise here, probably due to all the publicity concerning the dramatic decline invertebrates. I went on a guided 'bug hunt' walk two weeks ago. It turned out to be not what I was expecting, with the main activity being swiping foliage with sweep-nets and examining what fell into the nets. I would much rather be observing and photographing insects in their natural environment, even if it does mean that less is found.
Sorting through photos is very time-consuming, as well I know, David. You are very lucky that you've got Miriam to look after that aspect for you. Otherwise, you would not be nearly so prolific in your output.
My very best wishes to you both - - - Richard
Dear Richard
ReplyDeleteHow I have missed your excellent posts. You have the most wonderful wildlife in your own garden, and in nearby places. The photos of the adult Jackdaw feeding junior is very special, and all the Buddleia visitors in all their splendour are fabulous shots, as are the Red-legged Shiedbug and also the Hummingbird Hawk-moth, the bristly fly, and Hover-fly. Lovely Wren shot, one of my favourite little birds which unfortunately doesn't visit my balcony.
Richard please forgive my tardy visit. You see I didn't want to show any favouritism, and knew that my wrist would suffer if I started visiting all my followers. Now that I have improved I dearly wanted to let you know how much I appreciated your kind words on my blog. Thank you for the beauty of nature you always share, I have enjoyed your post immensely. I read that Lindsay is much better, and thankfully you are both doing well.
My best wishes to you both.
Sonjia.
Hello Sonjia - how wonderful to hear from you, and know that your injured wrist is starting to mend to the extent that you can now use the keyboard without too much discomfort or danger. Absolutely no apology needed as I was fully aware and understanding of your situation.
DeleteI fear that you may never have a Wren visit your balcony as, in my own limited experience, although they are a common bird, I don't think that I have ever seen one more than about two metres off the ground.
Please continue to take good care, and stay safe.
My very best wishes
Richard
(QvQ)
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Gracias por tu gran reportaje, he sido feliz de verlo. Besos.
ReplyDeleteGracias por tu visita y amables palabras Teresa.
DeleteHi Richard, sorry I am so slow at the moment. Too much going on with the garden, and all the fruit of which we seem to have so much more than usual this year. After a short, but heavy storm today, I have picked up a couple of bags of quinces so lots more work for me to do. We also have two lunches to go to this week which slows me up further.
ReplyDeleteI love the Crow and the Jackdaws, two birds which I can never get close to here. Especially now when it is hunting season! Your butterflies seem much the same as we see here though I spotted what I thought was a Geranium Bronze the other day in the garden, a first for me.
So jealous of the wren, I have only ever seen one here, long before I had a camera that was capable. That Brown Hawker is gorgeous I love those yellow stripes.
Very best wishes to you both. I hope health-wise things are running along smoothly. Take care, Diane.
Although we do not grow any edible fruit in our garden, with the possible exception of Quince, from my observations it does seem to be an exceptionally good year for 'fruit' (paticularly berries) this year in this neck of the woods too Diane. Seeing all that fabulous produce that you're harvesting, it's no small wonder that blogging has had to be put on the back burner. Absolutely no need for any apologies!
DeleteDid you manage to get any photos of your probable Geranium Bronze? What a beautiful butterfly!
Health wise, all is looking promising here. I wish I could say the same for the infrastructure of our home and transport!
I hope that all is well with you both, and that you are taking good care and not overdoing it.
Stay safe - - - Richard
The Bronze landed briefly, not in the best position, but I did manage two photos that at least i could find out the ID from. They will eventually appear on a blog! To add to everything I am also trying to transfer all to a new laptop, this one is on borrowed time I fear. Take care, both of you, Diane
DeleteI look forward to seeing those photos, Diane.
DeleteGood luck with the transfer of all your stuff to a new laptop. I don't envy you!
Take good care - - - Richard