Sheffield City Center

Since I was back from my walk quite early I decided to finally take photos of the Feral Pigeons in the city center and Westron Park. I had been going through my photos and noticed to my horror that photos of this species were lacking in my collection. This is probably due to the fact that its a bit odd to go into the center of Sheffield and take photos of the pigeons. This turned out to be the case as I got quite few funny looks as I snapped the birds. Obviously they were very approachable, though the bright sun created a few issues, but I got some photos I can work with.

-Feral Pigeon

So that was a fun way to spend my early afternoon. Not really any need for a species list for this one, there was only one species.

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

Uni Week 7

Once more it has been a very quiet week, either that or I have been expecting too much. If that's true then its probably been quite a busy week, in that the numbers of ladybirds is still on the up and one is now asleep on my window. There has also been quite a few squirrels around, one of which was very bold and I managed to get within 1 meter of it, it was a huge squirrel too. Having said that, the real drama happened on Tuesday...

Tuesday
I came home from lectures today and crossing the courtyard where I live I found, under a bush, a feral pigeon that seemed injured, and was very stunned since I if I had wanted to I could simply tread on it. I figured it would be unwise to leave it there where so many students come past so went to get my gloves. I picked it up from the path and the thing did not move a muscle. There were some remnants of blood on its beak but apart from that and a bald patch on its neck there was no sign of injury. I placed in over the wall next to the stairs where I would be able to monitor it but nobody would know. I gave it some digestive and then left. Over the day I checked it regularly but it did not move at all. Before bed I came back and gave it some more digestive but it seemed pretty hopeless.

Wednesday
I headed down the following morning expecting to find that it had been predated during the night, or that it had died in its sleep. It was not where I left it so decided it must have died and been carried off, however when I turned around it was sat in the bike stands. I was pleased since it had obviously moved there itself. However, once more I was not keen to leave it there, in a place where it was very vulnerable so I moved to try and get it. I was pleased to see it running away and it even tried, though failed, to fly. Eventually I caught it and moved it on the field under some trees. I gave it some digestive and left it. When I checked later that day it had gone and there was no trace, suggesting it had flown off rather than being predated. I would like to think then that my rescue had been a success but sadly I guess I will never know...

Bolton Abbey

We decided to go to Bolton Abbey today since it was a nice day, though very humid. There were quite a few insects about and that was why we saw lots of swallows and house martins hunting on the river as soon as we reached it. Some must have also been drinking from it given how much water they were throwing up, either that or their aim was poor.

-Swallow

As we walked along the riverside we flushed a brown hawker dragonfly. It landed and I tried to track it down but flushed it again and it moved off so I was unable to get a photo

In my pursuit though I did find a couple of small coppers, which I would have thought were quite late. They were very approachable and I was able to get some good photos of them.

-Small copper

Up by the bridge we found a good number of wagtails hunting on the shingle beach, both pied and grey, as well as one dipper perched on the far side of the river.

-Grey Wagtail

We made it to the cafe without anything else particularly exciting. At the cafe there were the usual Mallards and feral pigeons about. The feral pigeons were very bold and they would sit on the tables picking up crumbs once the people had left their trays.

-Feral Pigeon

Walking back was just as unevetful until we reached the bridge again. Here we found an obviously very sick, but very large and colourful caterpillar on the path. We moved it off the path and I took some photos for i.d. It appears to have some kind of fungal growth on its back end, but I have no idea what it is.

-Caterpillar

A little further down the river we found three mandarins sheltering under a tree on the far side of the river. There was also a female goosander hunting in the river. It was quite bold too, not flying away at the first sight of us, and happily continued fishing.

-Goosander

And so we end where we began, with a large number of swallows and martins hunting the river. There seemed to be more on the way back, and the numbers were quite something.

-House Martins

-Hirundines

And so we headed back to the car, the only other thing of note was a speckled wood butterfly which we found flying along the path

soil hill and ringstone a week ago last tuesday

went for a walk up to soil hill. the weather was good and a green sandpiper had been seen the day before. i was in high spirits. its quite a hike from where i live (uphill-i mean) so got there in about 15mins.
there was:
a skylark-but good views
a flock of feral pigeons

ringstone:
1 common sandpiper that was miling about
a heron looking grumpy
lapwings, gulls (inc a greater black back and chick)
mipits flying over

dumfreis and galloway, holiday day 7, part 1

a majestic gannet flock

a juvenile stonechat hiding in the bush

a cmmon blue

a smile of kittywakes

a mipit

went back to the mull off galloway, what a difference a few days can make. the calm still sea was perfect and all the butterflys and songbirds were out. :

kittywakes-lots

black guillemots

common guillemots

1 kestrel

stonechats

wheatear

linnets

mipits

shags

house martin

feral pigeons

rock pipits

dumfreis and galloway, holiday day 6, part 2

left the camera at thecaravan for this cliff top walk-wish i haddent but such is life
house martins killing each other in a ball off house martin fury-a spectatcle in its own right
pigeons
herring gulls
7 stonechat
3 mipit
rabbits
kestrel-doing a funny circle thing in a cliff crevice
4 buzzards
6 eiders, on the sea
flock of common guillemots and black guillemots, mixture
6 bats
3 whitethroat

day 2-oxford

what joy, we finnaly get ot go to the oxford unversity museaum
it would have been cool-but we spent the morning in the car being lost
why, why, why
anyway i had a fossil on me which i was desperate to get identified because i was told it might be a dinosaur claw.
finally got there only to realise i forgot the fossil :(
go back to get it
get it identified
its a fish tooth
so much for dinosaur claw

birds:
pigeons (feral)
sparrowhawk-quite high too
buzzard-sat in a tree
buzzards must live a very red kite like exsistance;
it something dies then eat it and if its still alive wait for it to die

another exciting day