April 'Odds and Sods', Pt.1 - 7th to 24th April, 2023

I have already published blog posts featuring some April excursions. This post will fill in the gaps with some garden observations and local short visits.

(Good) Friday, 7th April                    Garden

The appearance of a Long-tailed Tit will always lift the spirits, and this day we had two! Here's a photo of one of them.

Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus) - garden on 7th April, 2023

Hoverflies were appearing. This one favoured the Ipheon uniflorum - a plant that I once decided seemed attractive so acquired some from a nursery and put in a flower bed, not realising how invasive they are! The same can be said for Bluebells and Muscari! I suspect that this is Syrphus vitripennis - a female.

hoverfly (Syrphus vitripennis?) (female) - garden on 7th April, 2023

This Comma also showed up and I suspect, due to its tattered appearance, that it might have been a speciment that had overwintered as an adult.

Comma (Polygonia c-album) - garden on 7th April, 2023

That night, the moth trap went out, but only resulted in three somewhat uninteresting moths of two species.

Thursday, 20th April                    Kelham Bridge Nature Reserve ; Sence Valley Forest Park

The reserve at Kelham Bridge had, I'm sorry to say, been rather unproductive so far this year, but I am not about to give up on this place. It was rather quiet during this visit, with a trio of Canada Geese on the grass to the left of the first hide.

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) - Kellham Bridge NR

Since my last visit to this place, the Sand Martins, the smallest of European Hirundines, had returned to the artificial nesting wall, way off to the left of the hide. This next image, taken with the lens at its full 400mm and already a little cropped, shows the wall. 

Sand Martin (Riparia riparia) - Kelham Bridge NR

I spent some time trying to capture the action, and the best that I could come up with was these next two, highly cropped, images.

Sand Martin (Riparia riparia) - Kelham Bridge NR

It then dawned on me that I should try using the camera's video capability.  The video I took was a bit shakey in the wind so I have applied Microsoft's stabilisation facility, this shrinks the overall size of the video. However, I feel that it better captures the atmosphere.

 

As I left the hide, a Wren was singing its heart out beside the path. It always amazes me that such a small bird can have such a loud voice, but you can see the effort it puts into its output in this next image.

 

Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) - Kelham Bridge NR

I went to the second hide, but nothing much was visible, and the only thing that presented itself anywhere near enough for a photo was a Little Grebe.

 

Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) - Kelham Bridge NR

I decided to abandon ship and see if I could have any more luck at nearby Sence Valley. The short answer was 'no'.  It was pleasing to find Cowslip in flower beside Goss Water.

Cowslip (Primula veris) - Sence Valley FP

While looking for birds to photograph, I spotted what I at first took to be a day-flying moth go past. Fortunately it landed on the bridge over the Sence, where it flows between Horseshoe Lake and Goss Water. It was an Alderfly but, although the most common species is Sialis lutaria, it cannot be readily separated from the very similar Sialis fuliginosa.

 

Alderfly (Sialis sp.) - Sence Valley FP

Seeing little, and reckoning that it was about time I headed home anyway, I returned to my car. However, I found myself distracted by the butterflies at the roadside within ten metres of my car. I can't remember the last time that I saw six species of butterfly in such a small area. Seen were Orange-tip, Brimstone, Green-veined White, Holly Blue, Speckled Wood, and Comma.

 

Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) (male) - by River Sence

Green-veined White (Pieris napi) (female) - by River Sence

Saturday, 22nd April                    Ashby de la Zouch Cemetery

On the county WhatsApp group, there was a report of a Ring Ouzel seen at the cemetery in my home town. I was not even aware that this place existed! It was soon located with the aid of Google Earth and I set off to investigate.

I found another birder there checking the place out. After a relatively thorough check, no such bird was found. We agreed that the place looked to be a highly unlikely environment for a Ring Ouzel to stop in, and both of us wondered if an inexperienced observer had mistaken a female Blackbird (which often exhibit a pale chest crescent) for this species.

While there, I did use my camera on a couple of very common birds sitting on headstones.

Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus) - Ashby de la Zouch Cemetery

Jackdaw (Corvus monedula) - Ashby de la Zouch Cemetery

Sunday, 23rd April                    Garden

Lindsay has a frog phobia, which is why we can't have a conventional pond in our garden. The pond that we do have is a mini-pond, contained in a wooden structure with 18 inch (0.46 m) high vertical side-walls - too high for any frog that I've met! However, we do have a very small part of what used to be my Koi pond that has been retained as a bird drinking and bathing station, and is affectionately known to us as 'the duck pond'.

On this day, I found one of the largest Common Frogs that I've ever seen, sitting on a ledge overlooking the duck pond.

Common Frog (Rana temporaria) - garden on 23rd April, 2023

Having taken my photos, I left it in peace, and it was gone the next time that I looked.

Monday, 24th April                    Garden

Nothing very special was witnessed in the garden during the day, although I did take a few photos, some of which are shown below. However, an interesting event that night was uncovered the following day.

Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) - garden on 24th April, 2023

Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) - garden on 24th April, 2023

Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) (female) - garden on 24th April, 2023

Robin (Erithacus rubecula) - garden on 24th April, 2023

I deploy three trailcams in the garden each night, and have been witnessing at least three Hedgehogs visiting our garden. Occasionally we will see two meeting up. Usually this ends with a showdown, resulting in the weakest of the two retreating rapidly or just curling into a ball and waiting until the aggressor has departed. Sometimes, however, we witness more amorous activity. This entails the male circling round the female for a while, until she accepts his advances. On this occasion, the camera caught this behaviour and, although no mating was captured, the remarkable thing was the duration of the event. If you look at the time displayed at the bottom of the video, you will see that it starts at 22.19, and ends at 23.24 - 65 minutes in total! Don't worry - I've only included a few clips and the video is only about a minute and a half in duration.

Thus ends Pt.1 of my April O&S account. Pt.2 will probably be in about a week's time. In the meantime, please take good care of yourselves and Nature.

 

Thank you for dropping by - - - Richard

 

New Forest 2021 Pt.2 - 14th to 16th July

This is the last part of my report on our New Forest holiday with our daughter and granddaughter and covers the last three days. You can find Pt.1 here:- http://peglerbirding.blogspot.com/2021/08/new-forest-2021-pt1-9th-to-13th-july.html.

Wednesday, 14th July          Crockford Stream ; Hatchet Pond ; Eyeworth Pond

          warm and mostly sunny, but breezy

This day was forecast to be the best day of the week for dragon hunting, with cloudier weather  forecast for the following day. It was time to return to Crockford Stream to try for those Golden-ringed Dragonflies once more.

On arrival, Beautiful Demoiselle were immediately evident. However, it was not long before I found my first Golden-ringed Dragonfly - and it perched. Then next two and a bit hours were spent in seeking and photographing more of this species (in the end I think I saw at least six different specimens), and the rest of the five specialities of this site (Southern Damselfly, Small Red Damselfly, Keeled Skimmer). Here are those spectacular Beautiful Demoiselle:-

Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopterix virgo) (male) - Crockford Stream

It was good to see a pair couple-up in tandem and then form the 'mating wheel'.

Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopterix virgo) (male+female) - Crockford Stream

Sadly, I didn't realise until later that I hadn't paid enough attention to the Southern Damselfly, and am now kicking myself.

 

Southern Damselfly (Coenagrion mercuriale) (male+female) - Crockford Stream

Southern Damselfly (Coenagrion mercuriale) (male) - Crockford Stream

Scant attention was also paid to the Small Red Damselfly.

 

Small Red Damselfly (Ceriagrion tenellum) (male) - Crockford Stream

Small Red Damselfly (Ceriagrion tenellum) (male +female) - Crockford Stream

I did spend more time trying for Keeled Skimmer shots, but they do have a habit of settling on the ground where there is a cluttered background. This is an odonata species for which I find the female, with its gold colouration, more attractive than the male.

 

Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens) (male)  - Crockford Stream

Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens) (female)  - Crockford Stream

Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens) (immature female)  - Crockford Stream

Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens) (male+female)  - Crockford Stream

A New Forest pony decided to keep me company for a while.

 

New Forest pony - Crockford Stream

Although not one of the five specialities of this location, I did take a few shots of Common Darter.

 

Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) (male) - Crockford Stream

In retrospect, I did spend an inordinate amount of time focussing on the Golden-ringed Dragonflies when Southern Damselfly and Small Red Damselfly are so much rarer. However, Golden-ringed Dragonfly is such an iconic species, with the longest abdomen of any UK dragonfly, and its distinctive yellow and black stripes. Furthermore, it is a dragonfly that is not found in my home area, so I felt compelled to try for some shots. It is perhaps surprising that its colouring can be extremely cryptic in some settings.

 

Golden-ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii) (male) - Crockford Stream

I was also pleased to find a female of the species, although I didn't notice the fact at the time! This was only my second-ever female Golden-ringed Dragonfly. She seems to have had a hard life!

 

Golden-ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii) (female) - Crockford Stream

I had been there just over two hours and I was feeling in need of a rest, so I headed back to my car and had a picnic lunch in the car park at Hatchet Pond.

 

It made sense to have a quick look around while I was at Hatchet Pond. I only spent just over half an hour here, but was pleased to get a few wildlife shots. 

Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus) (male) - Hatchet Pond

Small Red Damselfly (Ceriagrion tenellum) (male +female) - Hatchet Pond

My favourite find, however, was a shed snake skin beside the water. When out dragon hunting I usually take a few small pots with me in case I find exuviae. I managed to get this snake skin into one of these pots which had an air-tight lid. It was a week later before I opened this pot and the smell was awful! The skin measured 90cm, so if the snake was this long or more, and bearing in mind that in shedding its skin it was going to get larger, it had to be from a Grass Snake as Adders only reach 60-80 cm and Smooth Snakes reach 60-70 cm, whereas Grass Snakes get to 90-150 cm. The skin is now hung up in my shed and has lost most of the smell.

 

shed skin of Grass Snake (Natrix natrix) - from Hatchet Pond

I joined up with the girls for the rest of the afternoon but, having recovered from my exertions by the evening, set off to visit Eyeworth Pond once more. I'd mis-judged the orientation of the pond and found that the accessible side was facing into the early evening sun. I did manage a little photography, however.

 

Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) (male) - Eyeworth Pond

Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma najas) (male) - Eyeworth Pond

There's no denying that a drake Mandarin looks pretty spectacular in his breeding plumage. However, it seems that the female is just as capable of drawing attention to herself. How about this for showing off!

 

Mandarin (Aix galericulata) (female) - Eyeworth Pond

Whilst sitting on a log watching the Mandarins, a Marsh Tit was visiting a post only about 2 metres from me, where someone had kindly left some seed for the birds. I don't usually like to publish photos of 'birds on feeders' but I don't see many Marsh Tits these days.

 

Marsh Tit (Poecile palustris) - Eyworth Pond

Thursday, 15th July          Keyhaven ; Cadnam Moor

 

          warm and sunny, but breezy, a.m ; calm, cloudy and muggy 12h00 - 14h00 ; sunny spells after 14h00

The weather forecast was for little sun this day, and Keyhaven is a place that I have previously enjoyed visiting for the birds as well as insects. This was then my destination.

I arrived at the car park I usually use and found that it was no longer a free park and only offered 2 or 3 hour tariffs - I settled for the longer stay. By the car park I found a Lapwing looking rather scruffy round the head but with the irridescence on the wings showing beautifully.

Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) - Keyhaven

I spent some time photographing insects, flowers, and a bird or two before I got to Fishtail Lagoon on Keyhaven Marsh, but I won't bother you with any of them here. 

 

Fishtail Lagoon - Keyhaven Marsh

The Fishtail Lagoon area tends to be the most productive in my limited experience. There were many Black-tailed Godwits in various states of plumage on the lagoon and a few were flying in and out.

 

Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa) - Keyhaven Marsh

Other birds seen included Little Egret (three), and numerous Canada Geese, but I was disappointed at the lack of terns - especially Little Terns that have been present on previous visits. It seems that they may have already bred and moved on.

 

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)  - Keyhaven Marsh

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) - Keyhaven Marsh

It was now time to continue my circular walk if I was going to get back to my car in time to avoid a parking penalty and still be able to take it at a leisurely pace in the hope of not missing too much.

 

I have found Linnet at this site on my previous visits, and this visit was no exception, with four seen.

 

Linnet (Linaria cannabina) (male) - Keyhaven Marsh

On my return journey I found myself mainly photographing insects. Here are a couple of hoverfly species:-

 

Sphaerophoria scripta (male) - Keyhaven Marsh

Episyrphus balteatus (male) - Keyhaven Marsh

I also saw my first Painted Lady butterfly of the year.

 

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) - Keyhaven Marsh

The wind had dropped, clouds had rolled in, and it felt quite warm and humid. I got back to my car with five minutes to spare on the clock - just enough time to bolt down a late picnic lunch before departing. With the afternoon free, as the girls were off on anorther mission, I decided to try and find a location that I'd heard about, but never sought out. I only had vague directions to Cadnam Moor Pond, but having arrived in the vicinity, it only took me about ten minutes to find it. From a distance it looked quite promising.

Cadnam Moor Pond

On arrival, I could see that there were many dragonflies around and there was a lot of interaction between them. However, few were settling. I'd had a fairly strenuous morning and was well-past my best condition, and my attempts at flight shots failed miserably. However, there was a fairly obliging female Emperor which was ovipositing.

Emperor (Anax imperator) (female - ovipositing) - Cadnam Moor

Emperors oviposit, placing their eggs onto sticks, stems, etc. which are just under water. The chasers, including this Broad-bodied Chaser, are rather more casual about ovipositing, and just dip their rears into the water and let the eggs sink! Sorry for the poor-quality shot.

Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) (female - ovipositing) - Cadnam Moor

A Black-tailed Skimmer also obliged by settling on mud, rather than grass.

 

Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) (male) - Cadnam Moor

It clouded over, and the dragonflies were disappearing, and a message from the girls suggested that we meet up for ice cream in Lyndhurst (David will not be surprised to know that this was a daily occurrence!), so it was time to go. Although I'd not managed to photograph anything very exciting, I could see that this place had much potential. I hope to return one day - and this time I will wear my wellington boots!

 

This was our last day. The following day we had to vacate the property by 10h00.

 

Friday, 16th July          West Kennet Avenue ; Ashton Keynes ; Home

 

          sunny and warm all day - just our luck that this was by far the finest weather day of the week!

 

We all left the property at the same time, our daughter and granddaughter taking the fast route home, whilst Lindsay and I settled for a very pleasant and leisurely cross-country route.

 

The White Horse on the hillside by Alton Barnes is not as old as some, having been cut into the chalk in 1812. Not the best of photos as it was taken through the car windscreen.

 

Alton Barnes White Horse

We stopped at West Kennet Avenue, near Avebury, for a short walk. This is a little older than that white horse, and reckoned to date to around 2,200 BC. Lindsay does love standing stones!

 

West Kennet Avenue - near Avebury

We arrived at Ashton Keynes at a perfect time for lunch in the garden at our favoured White Hart Inn. As always, the food was good, but the real highlight was the Southern Hawker that flew into the garden and settled in a tree. I'd left my camera in the car, so made a quick scoot to retrieve it and was relieved to find the dragonfly still there on my return. It was so confiding that when a fellow diner who was sitting adjacent to the tree said that he couldn't see it, I was able to place my index finger about 10 cm from its head before he saw it, and it didn't disturb it.

 

Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea) (immature female) - Ashton Keynes

After lunch, we had our customary stroll to the River Thames, which is no more than a narrow stream at this point. There were a few damselflies around.

 

Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) (male) + Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) (male) - Ashton Keynes

We then had a gentle and uneventful drive home, arriving mid-afternoon.

 

It had been a splendid holiday in a wonderful location, in spite of the weather not being that helpful. I hope that it will not be too long before we return to the area.

Thank you for your visit to this blog. I have my next blog post in mind and it will be a little different to my usual output. This will probably appear in about a week's time from now (19th August).

Take good care of Nature and Nature will take good care of you.