Dorset Holiday Day 11

Because of a placement related open day for my brother we were transferring from Dorset to Hampshire, specifically Fareham. As a result the morning was spent in transit and it was not until around 2.00 that I was able to get out.

I headed into the woods around the campsite to see what was about. On the bird front it was very quiet but there was a bit more success to be had on the butterfly front. I was able to enjoy a few more Silver-Washed Fritillaries around the wood, as well as numerous Peacocks and Red Admirals sunning themselves. A bonus was a nice Holly Blue along one of the tracks which settled down for some photos, but the light was poor and they are no more than record shots.

-Silver Washed Fritillary

-Small Copper

-Holly Blue

 On the other insects front there were a few Dragonflies on the wing, including a very nice Common Hawker, but none chose to land sadly. I was treated to a very nice Green Tiger Beetle running along the path, which are always awesome to see.

-Green Tiger Beetle

 In the evening we did our usual activity at this site of looking for nightjars. According to the site owners forestry work had disturbed them so I did not expect to see any. However, when we went up to the original spot we were surrounded by at least 4 calling birds, including an individual that settled on the path in front of us. They are so awesome, and they just get better every time. What superb birds. Words cannot describe…

-Nightjar

The Nightjar was so awesome to see, even if it was expected at the start of the holiday. Nightjar was my 208^th species this year, and without doubt is one of the highlights on the year.

Species List:

Bere Forest: Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Common Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Woodpigeon, Long-Tailed Tit, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Dunnock, Pheasant, Nightjar, Common Hawker, Emperor Dragonfly, Black-Tailed Skimmer, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Speckled Wood, Small Copper, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Large White, Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Comma, Peacock, Red Admiral, Silver-Washed Fritillary, 

Dorset Holiday Day 4

I allowed myself something of a lie in this morning, getting out of bed at 7.00. It is perhaps because of this that there were fewer moths again, many having already moved on. However, a few nice specimens were still around. A Buff-Tip had reappeared, but was near the roof of the building, while photographable moths included a nice Dark Arches and a male Four Spot Footman.

 -Four Spot Footman

-Dark Arches

 My family were heading into Wareham for the morning, so I decided to hitch a lift and go to one of the heathlands over that way. I eventually decided to go for Morden Bog, site of the 2014 ST Eagle. The weather was reasonably nice and so I hoped I might get decent views of Woodlark.

As soon as I was there I could tell this was a quality site. Just in from the road and there was a largish pool adjacent to the path, so I headed over that way to have a look for some dragon and damselflies. It was not particularly sunny but was pleasantly warm, so there were a few of them about. The main species present were Common Emerald, Common Blue and Small Red. The latter species is one I do not encounter very often so I was pretty pleased to see more of them. On a scarcer note I was able to add a solitary Variable Damselfly to the list.

-Emerald Damselfly

-Variable Damselfly

 On the dragonfly front there was significantly fewer individuals present but still a good number of species, overall higher than the number of damselflies. Around the pond there was the main Emperor hunting, then a number of Common Darter and Black-Tailed Skimmer along the fringes. I also had a Black Darter but only the one. Then in the wood itself I had a very distant Common Hawker

-Black Darter

 The pond also had a number of other goodies. There were a few notable butterflies around, including my first Silver-Studded Blues of the holiday, and a Grayling on the path. The weather probably played a part in the overall lack of butterfly species but there were still a few around. On the path I had a smashing Green Tiger Beetle running around, and in the pond itself I was thrilled to spot a Grass Snakes head bobbing around. I spotted it the same moment it spotted me, and it then quickly dived. I had to wait about a minute before I spotted it again but I was able to grab a few photos.

-Silver Studded Blue

-Grass Snake

 Birds were sparse around the pool but there were a few more as I moved around the heathland. I headed up towards the main pool where I was surprised to see a few birders around. I asked one about woodlark and he said that he had not seen any, and that at this time of year they were very hard to find. He did mention hobby though, which I failed to see (Probably due to the weather) and Dartford Warbler, which I did see.

-Dartford Warbler

 I had stupidly left my binoculars at home, and so was pretty much birding blind. That being said, I got a very good haul for the day. I heard multiple Crossbill flocks before I actually spotted 2 individuals flying overhead. Sadly without bins I was unable to really appreciate them, but through what photos I have you can see the bill extension. I also had multiple Stonechats, some of which were very vocal, as well as a solitary Tree Pipit. Siskins and Yellowhammers were also in abundance and were often very vocal themselves.

-Crossbill

 My favourite record from the site was one that was completely unexpected for me and a real bonus species for the holiday. As I was heading along the track I could see a depression in the vegetation which indicated a pool, which could mean dragonflies. I meandered over to have a quick check and was stopped dead in my tracks by the sight that greeted me. There, at the back of the pool, right out in the open, was a Water Rail. I could not believe what I was seeing. It had not seen me yet but was definitely on the move, so I only had a little time for photos. It moved behind a clump of vegetation and as I moved round to see it again it spotted me and bolted. So sadly I only have a couple of very poor shots, but they say more than I ever could.

-Water Rail

By one in the afternoon I decided to call it quits, largely helped by the fact that my parents were passing on their way back from Wareham, but the key factor was that I could not work around not having my bins. It was doing my head in and had put a real downer on the morning.

For the afternoon I decided to stay local. I headed to the local heath, but this time to the slightly further Winfrith Heath as opposed to my usual site of Tadnoll Heath. Winfrith was quite disappointing in all honesty, with only a handful of insects around, and most of those seemed to have a taste for my flesh. A few none savage insects included a Common Hawker hunting along the path, and a Green Tiger Beetle doing the same.

-Green Tiger Beetle

 I decided to call in at Tadnoll on the way back just to have a quick check of the corrugated iron tins for reptiles. So far it had been a pretty poor deal for reptiles but that all changed when I had a look then. I lifted up the first tin and was thrilled to see both a superb Grass Snake and a female Smooth Snake. The Grass Snake scarpered all too quickly for my liking but the Smooth Snake just sat there settled, allowing me to take plenty of photos and have a fantastic view of it. I was buzzing, and it got even better when I flipped another tin to see a male Smooth Snake under there. Sadly it too cleared off pretty quick, but I did get a couple of shots of that.

-Female Smooth Snake

-Male Smooth Snake

 Because of the success I had there, I decided to stick around and keep birding on the site. There were ample dragonflies within in the heather and plenty of butterflies on the brambles; Comma, Peacock and Red Admiral. There were also plenty of dragonflies and I was chuffed when I found a Golden-Ringed Dragonfly on the floor. I managed a few shots before it decided to move off…

-Golden Ringed Dragonfly

 Walking along the central dirt track I was given another fantastic boost for the day when I happened to flush four birds from the track. I knew exactly what these were, but when I set eyes on them on the deck for the first time I was taken aback and began to doubt myself as I could not clearly make out the features that made them Woodlark. This was probably due to the distance away that they were but fortunately, all doubts were laid to rest when they flushed again, and for the first time I heard them call. Distinct Woodlark call! That was all the proof I needed. They loitered around the path for a bit but despite seeing where they landed I could not pick them up on the deck, and my views remained only flushed views.

-Woodlark

 Now knowing they were still present I decided to put down some seed to see if I could attract them in. In the evening my parents mentioned that they wanted to have a look at the site, so put down some seed along the side of the path. Along the evening walk we flushed the four Woodlark again, but they returned to the heather and not the path, so I could not really pursue them. Still, having seen them again, I do have hope that I might see them on the deck properly at some point.

We had a look at the tins again in the evening, and were rewarded with the Grass Snake again, but once again it cleared off pretty quick. However, we had a fantastic encounter with a Slow Worm along the path. It was very docile, probably as a result of the cooler evening, but it did allow me to grab plenty of photos of it. It was lovely and bronze, the best I have ever seen. It was a lovely end to the day.

-Slow Worm

Species List:

Crossways Caravan Site: Treecreeper, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Woodpigeon, Nuthatch,

Morden Bog: Yellowhammer, Jay, Green Woodpecker, Stonechat, Robin, Woodpigeon, Greenfinch, Meadow Pipit, Reed Bunting, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Mistle Thrush, Siskin, Great-Spotted Woodpecker, Water Rail, Crossbill, Dartford Warbler, Tree Pipit, Bullfinch, Grass Snake, Common Toad, Black-Tailed Skimmer, Keeled Skimmer, Common Hawker, Emperor Dragonfly, Common Darter, Black Darter, Small Red Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Variable Damselfly, Common Emerald Damselfly, Large Skipper, Small Skipper, Small Heath, Gatekeeper, Grayling, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Marbled White, Silver Studded Blue,

Tadnoll and Winfrith Heath: Willow Warbler, Long-Tailed Tit, Magpie, Chaffinch, Yellowhammer, Grey Heron, Linnet, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Common Buzzard, Song Thrush, Great-Spotted Woodpecker, Bullfinch, Woodlark, Stonechat, Mute Swan, Green Woodpecker, Grass Snake, Smooth Snake, Slow Worm, Four-Spot Chaser, Black-Tailed Skimmer, Keeled Skimmer, Common Hawker, Golden-Ringed Dragonfly, Common Darter, Common Blue Damselfly, Common Emerald Damselfly, Large Skipper, Small Skipper, Small Heath, Gatekeeper, Grayling, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Marbled White, Silver Studded Blue, Red Admiral, Comma, Peacock, Small White, Large White,

Kinder Scout

Today is my last full day in Sheffield prior to my homecoming. Its sad to say the least. Since 'Le tour' was causing chaos on the roads of Yorkshire, I decided to venture into the peaks a final time, and climb Kinder Scout again. The day started with grim rain, but by the time I arrived in Edale the sun was breaking through and it had the look of a nice day.

I made my way through the small village, and on the way found a delightful family of 4 Pied Wagtails, one adult and 3 juveniles. They came quite close to me as I watched them from over the wall, so I was able to get some decent photos of them. The juveniles were hunting insects with the exception of one individual that was more interested in harassing its parent.

-Pied Wagtail

I climbed the hill making it up the top slower than last time, but still fairly quickly. The only birds I saw were Meadow Pipits, and one Kestrel. On the whole I had not expected many birds, and so it was surprise when they were in short supply.

There were a few more insects, including Small Heath and Meadow Brown on the butterfly front. The real noteworthy beast from the top was this caterpillar which I found crossing the path. For a caterpillar it was quite a monster. Sadly I had the wrong lens, but I did the best with what I could and the results are not bad. So far as I can tell, this is an Oak Eggar caterpillar, but don't hold me to that.

-Oak Eggar Caterpillar

I carried on round and came to the region where I had seen the hares previously. Sadly I failed to find any today, and the moor was very quiet. There were quite a few Meadow Pipits, also a couple of Swifts and a solitary Red Grouse.

Back on the edge of the peak the sun decided to come out and with it came one of my favourite animals, the Green Tiger Beetle. Again I lacked the lens for a good photo, but they were not very approachable, flying away if you got anywhere close. There were at least 3 in this area, but it was difficult to tell due to the flighty nature of the beetles.

-Green Tiger Beetle

Continuing round I found more of the caterpillars, with 3 in one area. These were on a more natural background than the one previously, so I tried again to grab some photos but it was difficult given the nature of the lens I had. 

-Oak Eggar Caterpillar

I finished the walk with little more wildlife. There were a couple more butterfly species with Small Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral added, but there were no additional birds and no more beetles were found.

But with a walk like this it is hardly about the wildlife and more about the scenery and stunning views. Having done it before I knew just how good the views were, but I had not brought the camera last time. This time I came prepared, hence the lack of the macro lens. As a result I was able to photograph the stunning views. Due to the bright nature of the clear sky, many of the photos were quite dark. But those that came out Ok I have included just to show how simply stunning a walk it really is.

-Kinder Scout Views

So not much wildlife, and no hares, but an incredible walk none the less. Sadly the wind and the clouds made it less pleasant that it had been before, the wind being a real issue in places. However, it was still a lovely morning, and a great way to spend my last day in Sheffield.

Species List:

Kinder Scout: Kestrel, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Red Grouse, Swift, Swallow, Blackbird, House Sparrow, Carrion Crow, Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Oak Eggar Caterpillar, Green Tiger Beetle

Ogden Water

First day back and I'm already back out. I stayed in during the morning due to spending the night being sick, but when I eventually made it out I decided to head over to Ogden for the wood warbler that had been there all week. It was a nice day, not clear but warm and bright.

The first thing that caught my attention was just at the top of the main road down to the visitor center where on the wall there were about 10 small Longhorn Moths seeming to all fly in some kind of pattern, but then all land together. I tried a few photos but they did not come out too well. A quick Google search informs me that they are Nemophora degeerella, a common longhorn moth species, and the behavior I observed is apparently called 'dancing'. 

-Nemophora degeerella

I made my way down to where the wood warbler was meant to be on the way picking up Small Skipper but not much else. I called off at the pools, where there were a few Large Red Damselflies. On the bird front I got decent views of Chiff-Chaff and Coal Tit but not much besides.

I carried on up, listening all the time, to the site where the warbler was meant to be. I did not hear the wood warbler, though I was surrounded by Willow Warblers and Chiff Chaffs singing. After about 15 mins I decided to call it quits, I did pick up Spotted Flycatcher though, which I think is the first time I have seen one at Ogden.

On the way down I bumped in Nigel Kerwin who took me to the spot where the bird had been singing before, and we had a look but there was nothing doing, but we did pick up a brown headed Blackcap, possibly a young male as a Blackcap, probably the same bird started singing after a short time.

Since I was unable to get the wood warbler I decided to go and have a look on the moors. It rewarded me well as on the way up I stumbled across a species I have not seen properly in years: Green Tiger Beetle. I was thrilled to find it hunting along the path, having never really considered the possibility of finding one on Ogden Moor. It was quite settled, unlike those in Dorset which I don't even count because they were so flighty. This one was a real poser, settled on the path for great photos.

-Green Tiger Beetle

I carried on up the moors. On the river there were a few Grey Wagtails and I found a small frog on the bank of the river. There were also good numbers of Meadow Pipits, as is standard. One perched on a nearby wall giving me really good views and a chance to take photos.

-Meadow Pipit

After I finished at Ogden I decided to head over to Soil Hell and renew my acquaintance with the site. It was reasonable quiet by its own standards. There were good numbers of Skylark as well as Carrion Crow numbers. But the only thing I took a photo of were the Feral Pigeons feeding on the cut fields. There was a male displaying vigorously among the small group, but its a species that I have never really taken photos of, so I thought now was a decent chance to enhance that gallery.

-Feral Pigeon

So that concludes my first return trip round, and so follows my species list. 

Species List:

Ogden Water LNR: Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Blackcap, Spotted Flycatcher, Willow Warbler, Chiff Chaff, Blue Tit, Magpie, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Meadow Pipit, Lapwing, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Mallard, Canada Goose, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Wren, Robin, Goldfinch, Treecreeper, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Collard Dove, Swallow, Swift, Blackbird

Soil Hill: Blackbird, Swallow, Skylark, Lapwing, Carrion Crow, Feral Pigeon