Dorset Holiday Day 6

It was meant to be another pleasant day, though cool in the morning, but the wind had picked up again and this was the issue of the day. I slept in after an exhausting day yesterday, so the number of moths was quite low again, with a female four-spot footman being the main highlight.

Since the weather was still reasonably unsuitable for insects I decided to go to RSPB Arne where there was a chance of some birds, as well as some insects. As soon as I arrived I was treated to a rummage through the onsite moth trap. The highlight was an Elephant Hawkmoth, but it was in too much of an inconvenient position to photograph. Other goodies were a plenty though, including 3 footman species and some other nice specimens. 

 -Rosy Footman

-True Lovers Knot

 As I arrived I immediately heard a nightjar churring, which filled me with hope of possibly finding a day churrer. However, that did not occur, which was only a mild disappointment, as there were plenty of other nice birds on site. Of course, the Middlebere channel Spoonbills were a must see. They spent a lot of time sleeping and were distant, but woke up occasionally allowing me to appreciate that bill. Whilst watching them it was lovely to see large families of Shelduck and a flock of Black-tailed Godwits in the saltmarsh. Other none coastal birds included a nice hobby hunting over the heath, which was also distant and all too brief, and a Siskin on the feeders in the car park .While they have hardly been in short supply it was nice to be able to see one properly as opposed to a calling black speck.

-Siskin

 -Spoonbill

-Hobby

 Perhaps the most curious and fantastic addition to the bird day list was a stunning male Peacock strutting around the car park, picking off the cinnabar moth caterpillars from the ragwort along the edge. Apparently it was quite a show-off but sadly did not perform while I was there.

-Peacock

 Despite the wind there were still a few insects around, the best of them being from the Lepidoptera. Across the heathland paths I stumbled across two Emperor Moth caterpillars trying to cross the path, which allowed me to take some photos of these stunning caterpillars. Also on that note, today I saw my first ever Clearwing Moth, a female Yellow Legged Clearwing to be precise, which is apparently nationally scarce. Not a bad one to get myself started with on the clearwing moths.

-Emperor Moth Caterpillar

-Yellow-Legged Clearwing Moth

 Of course the speciality of Arne is Britain’s largest spider, the raft spider, but sadly none would perform for me today. I did however spot a rather nice Nursery Web Spider, which I opted to take some photos of. I also grabbed some photos of a very obliging Common Lizard which was basking adjacent to the pool. I flushed it initially, but by waiting it did not take long for it to come back.

-Nursery Web Spider

-Common Lizard

I left Arne at around half 4, after a very productive day. In the evening we went into Weymouth for a walk alongside the quay and to have some fish and chips. No meds this time, but I was able to hand feed some of the adult Herring Gulls with my chips, which was something of a novelty.

Species List:

Arne RSPB: Grey Heron, Siskin, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Swift, Meadow Pipit, Spoonbill, Little Egret, Shelduck, Black-Headed Gull, Canada Goose, Graylag Goose, Oystercatcher, Black-Tailed Godwit, Dartford Warbler, Common Buzzard, Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Curlew, Cormorant, Redshank, Swallow, Great Black-Backed Gull, Starling, Blackcap, Wren, Willow Warbler, Hobby, Stonechat, Green Woodpecker, Common Lizard, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Comma, Painted Lady, Small Red Damselfly, Emperor Dragonfly, Four Spot Chaser, 

Old Moor

Its taken some time to make it, but today I finally made it to Old Moor for the barn owl. I set off with the intention of spending all day there, staying until the owls showed. Upon arrival I was informed that the day before they had even been seen during the day, with the chicks sat on the edge of the box. This then seemed a pretty bulletproof tick. I may as well tell you now that the owls were not seen all day, and it seems likely that they fledged during the night, one day too late. I guess that's what I get for not going sooner.

Not knowing this I made my way straight over to the Wader Scrape Hide, no messing about, to see if they were there. I wandered in to quite crowd, but there were no owls on the box. In fairness it was the height of the day, already 12.00 and a clear, very warm day. With that in mind I settled down to await upon the owls arrival. I spent a lot of time watching the box to see if any chicks would pop out, but none did. 

The scrape was much busier than it had been last time I was here. There were, of course, masses of Black-Headed Gulls, with the occasional Lapwing thrown in. And on the water there were Tufted Duck, Mallard and Gadwall, as well as a few Teal that spent most of the day sleeping. I got out the scope for a closer look, since Green Sandpiper had been seen a lot recently. I did not find any green sands, but I did find a Greenshank, that was feeding near the back, my first since I year-ticked them at Potteric Carr.

From my tactical eavesdropping I overheard a birder talk frequently about a pair of Godwits on the mud. I spent so long trying to find these birds, before eavesdropping again while he explained their location to another birder while he explained where the Greenshank was. The Godwits, Black-Tailed, were right next to the Greenshank, so I only needed to get 1 record shot for both species.

-Black-Tailed Godwit and Greenshank

I spent a good couple of hours waiting here for the 'barn owls' to show. There was not much change in the scenery either, the only real additions being that of Avocet, with one feeding at the back, and Common Sandpiper near the front. It moved onto the near shore too eventually so I got some decent photos of it. There were also the Lesser Black-Backed Gulls on the prowl, though they attacked many Black-Headed Gulls I did not see them actually finish one off, they all seemed to get away.

-Common Sandpiper

Of course it was not just 'barn owl' that I had wanted to get, since hobby was still well and truly on the agenda, but I figured it was much much less certain than the owl, but it meant I was reluctant to leave the Wader Scrape Hide, should I miss one.

I was tempted though as apparently the Green Sandpipers had been seen on Wath Ings Hide, so I decided to take a short break over that way to see if they were there. They did not disappoint, I picked up 3 birds all showing really well, though not close. This was great to see having only picked it up as a lifer on Monday. The birds did move gradually closer, and were soon pretty close, landing on a small patch of mud in front of the hide, but not as close as they were at Potteric.

I got to watch the bird Preen, which was interesting as I saw that it wet its beak or foot every time before scratching or preening. Its probably well observed and studied but it interested me. I also got to watch one of the birds try to bring up a pellet, I assume, though I did not see it actually expel it.

I got to see so much of the bird, and this time I even heard them calling, leaving me overall much more confident with identification should I come across one at a less expected site, like back home...

-Green Sandpiper

I did not stay long, as soon as the Green Sands had moved back to their distant location I withdrew back to Wader Scrape in the hope of Hobby or Barn Owl. I awaited patiently in the hide for another substantial length of time without much happening.

After about half an hour another birder in the hide said the word I had been begging to hear for so long: 'hobby'. As soon as he said it I found the bird drifting above the tree line but coming towards us. It eventually came right up to the hide and then round, giving great views. But sadly they were also brief views. I got some shots but they came out very dark, either way they serve as record shots for the year-list of this species that I have hunted for so long. I waited to see if it would come back but no joy, I thought it had at one point, but then that bird banked with broad wings, revealing itself as a Kestrel.

-Hobby

Having finally seen Hobby, so feeling very good, I decided to head off to try and find some other stuff while I waited for evening to come on and the owls to come out. I went to the garden to see if I could find any speckled bush crickets, but could not. I did find a Nursery Web Spider though, a species I have only previously seen in Suffolk. This one was perched with web atop a nettle, showing off its large size and gold streaks.

-Nursery Web Spider

I decided to head to the Bittern Hide to see if there was anything there. but it also gave views over the reedbed in case the owl decided to show itself. I ended up spending longer in there than I had expected as I got talking a couple who asked me on their chances of seeing the bittern (Very Small). As a result I probably spent over half and hour in there, allowing me to pick up Little Egret which flew over the reeds and then over the trees, and also one of the highlights when a Kingfisher flew past the hide, brief but clear, even catching the orange underneath.

After a little while and the couple had moved on, I decided to return to Wader Scrape to see if the owls were around. The advantage of Wader Scrape is that you can see the entrance to the box in case the young decided to show. Of course they did not, and after half an hours wait, it being only half 5 I decided enough was enough and that they were not going to show. Another late birder was there too, and he also suggested that the birds had moved off, 8 at Edderthorpe apparently...

I decided to leave the reserve and head back, not wanting to mess up my public transport. But on the way out I was given another treat when I flushed from the bank the unmistakable form of a Green Woodpecker. It did not fly far, and even landed in one of the trees along the road. Because it had stuck around I could get a decent view, identifying it as a young bird, which probably explained its boldness when I was clearly out in the open. I managed to get some decent shots of the bird, certainly an improvement on the green smudge from Padleys. 

-Green Woodpecker

I had expected to walk, but too a trip to the bus stop to find out times just in case. Turns out I timed it perfectly and got one of the later buses. In the grass there were still a few Bee Orchids, but many had gone. Those that were still there were quite clear individuals too, suggesting that if the others had been picked then these may be on borrowed time.

So it had been a mixed day, dipping the owls not good, but that aside it had been a pretty incredible day. Hobby was a massive plus, my 170th species this year. And the woodpecker was a real treat at the end. I picked up a decent day species list too, see below...

Species List:

Old Moor RSPB: Starling, Dunnock, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Blackbird, Black-Headed Gull, Wren, Mallard, Jackdaw, Mute Swan, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Goldfinch, Pied Wagtail, Grey Heron, Kestrel, Lapwing, Tufted Duck, Cormorant, Moorhen, Coot, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Common Teal, Shoveler, Kingfisher, Gadwall, Greenfinch, Tree Sparrow, Reed Bunting, Stock Dove, Oystercatcher, House Martin, Sand Martin, Swallow, Canada Goose, Graylag Goose, Little Egret, Avocet, Black-Tailed Godwit, Common Tern, Reed Warbler, Swift, Greenshank, Green Woodpecker, Green Sandpiper, Hobby, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Brimstone, Small Skipper, Common Blue, Common Blue Damselfly, Common Blue-Tailed Damselfly, Common Darter, Nursery Web Spider, Zebra Spider, 

Lake District

Since it was our last 'family wednesday' before I leave for university we decided to make it special and head up to the lake district. The weather was not as great as it could have been, a grey hazy day, but otherwise fair enough. We decided to start the day by walking up Aira force waterfall, a walk I can recall doing once. It was mainly woodland, and on the dead wood we found some pretty impressive fungal structures.

-Fungi

The rest of the walk passed without much wildlife in all honesty, with the exception of a nuthatch. I did however find a spider dangling about a meter below the branch it was attached it, which looked pretty special, but in the gloomy wood the light was too poor for photos and as such I had to use flash to really highlight the patterns on the spiders back.

-Spider (Garden?)

After that we moved on to Keswick to have lunch in the park/gardens there. During lunch we were accompanied by a number of garden birds. They were mainly sparrows, but there was also a curious, partially albino blackbird and a very aggressive juvenile robin that seemed to want a pick a fight with everything with wings. But it was quite bold so I was able to get some decent photos of it.

-Partially Albino Blackbird

-Juvenile Robin

After lunch we went out on the rowing boats as we always do. This time though we went straight over to the far side to see what was over there. There was nothing different in all honesty, a late family of ducklings and the usual groups of fishing mergansers. As we approached the mergansers they kept diving, but as came closer they dived again and when they reappeared they were right in front of us. It gave them something of start and they made off pretty quick.

-Red Breasted Mergansers

We also found one that was perched on a felled log, but it got up and swam away as we approached.

-Red Breasted Merganser

Oats Royd

Having been to soil hill in the morning I decided to head off towards to Oats Royd this afternoon to explore what is a very different habitat. Once more the first thing I saw was a scorpion fly, which are really nice insects to look at. I really wanted a photo of one showing its "scorpion" tail, but so far none have been willing to sit right.

-Scorpion fly

Once more the most numerous birds not wildfowl in the reserve were the willow warblers, which today I only saw a few. There was also the family of moorhens, Canada geese and mallard, plus a great tit.

-Willow warbler 

There were once more numerous damselflies of the common blue, blue tailed and large red, all once more looking rather splendid. There were though fewer exuvia, and still the monster that came out of the dragonfly exuvia I found has still not appeared. 

-Large red damselfly 

The most curious thing I spotted today was this remarkable spider. When I first saw it I had no idea what it was and thought it might be an elaborate seed, or a curious insect with its heat stuck in something. It is very colourful, but everything about it seems bizarre. I have never seen a spider like it. 

-Unusual Spider

I was walking along the track back home when passing a thistle I thought I saw a small clump of dead plant matter pinned to it, and something as I passed it compelled me to have another look at it. It is just as well as it was not a clump of dead material as described above, but a wonderful moth. I have had my dad's book out and believe that it is a Beautiful Golden Y moth, which would be a first for me, but I can not be 100%. Either way it was lovely to see and adds to the appeal that this site has.

-Moth (Beautiful Golden Y?)

Angelsey Day 2

Day two was quite warm, so I decided to go and have a look at cors goch Nature reserve, one of the Angelsey mires, and the one that on paper had all the unusual damselflies on the island. I got a lift there with my parents, and then spent about five mins trying to work out where I was in terms of the OS map that I had. Eventually I found a gate that said welcome to cors goch on it, and found myself very excited about having reached the site of the southern damselflies. The path led me into a wet field, before disappearing. There was a gate at the other side of the field which was open, so I headed for it assuming that must be where the mysterious path had gone. Half way across the field I found my first dragonfly of the day, a four spot chaser hunting over a small, well vegetated pool.

-Four spot chaser
Through the gate I found a flooded field with a number of damselflies in it. I quickly realised though that walking boots were not a good idea, perhaps wellies or waders would have been better, as my socks were soon very wet and my boots waterlogged. On the wildlife front I found none of the unusual damselflies, only common blue and blue tailed, which are still lovely, but not quite what I was looking for.

-Common Blue Damselfly

Continuing through the marsh and continuing to get drenched around the ankles I stumbled across a different damselfly species, not quite one of the rare ones, but a large red,which I was surprised about, as it was quite late in the year for this species.

-Large Red DamselflyThe path continued to not exist until in one corner I found a stile, which didn't do much, giving me the option of either the reserve or the road, I chose the reserve. That was a mistake. I found remnants of a path, including some wooden boards across a mud pit. In the reeds next to the mud pit I found a small female common darter.

-Common DarterI found that the path went onto a dry island in the middle of this sea of marsh and through a field across the dry section. Once more then, the path vanished. It went through an open gate and out into another marsh field. I decided to take a chance and go across it, see if there were any boards or something that I couldn't see. There were not. I ended up jumping from patch of vegetation to patch of vegetation, hopping across to what was a real path on the other side. On the way I spotted more four spot chasers, but didn't particularly want to stop to take a photo of them because I might sink. When I reached the stone path I had probably got trenchfoot. The path cut through an open area of water surrounded my sedge and here there were plenty of damselflies and dragonflies...

-Common Emerald Damselfly

-Azure Damselfly

-Four spot chaserThere were more odonata there than anywhere else on the reserve, but still none of the scarce species I had hoped for. It was nice to catch up with the common emerald damselflies, my first this year. There were also common darter hunting on the path.
  Having located the real path i followed it onto an area of heath. There was not much here, except for some highland cattle. On the far side of the heath was a boardwalk of kinds through the next stage of marsh. I have to say that it was very appreciated. Sadly there was not much nature to make the most of it with, and before I knew it I had reached the other side of the reserve. Here I found another damselfly, which turned out to be a female common blue.

-Common Blue damselflySince I still had half a day until I should concern getting a lift I decided to head back through the reserve to see what I could see. Just before I managed to get onto the boardwalk I spotted an emerald moth on the bracken which was my first moth of the day.

-Emerald MothHalf way back along the board walk I found my first new species of the day. It was not a damselfly but a plant, though an incredibly unusual plant. It was round-leaved sundew, which is the first time I have ever seen a natural carnivorous plant. Whats even more unusual was that they were beginning to flower, though no flowers had yet emerged but the yellow buds were very prominent.

-Round leaved sundewI reached the heathy area again and found a couple of peaty pools that I had missed before. There were lots of common blue damselflies on it as well as a rather nice hawker dragonfly of some description, probably common hawker.
  Leaving the heathy bit before I re tried at the marsh I spotted a family of juvenile wrens flitting through the shrubbery. They didn't really stop for a photo but I got one that was OK.

-Juvenile WrenI had another look at the area where there had been loads of damselflies to see if any southern had turned up but none had. There were still plenty of other damselflies around, including this common blue

-Common Blue DamselflyI decided to walk back to the main road along the farmers track, due to it being dryer. It paid off too, as I spotted some common darters roosting in the vegetation between the track and the marsh.

-Common DarterWhen I reached the stile I talked about earlier I decided to go over just to make sure that if there were any southerns then I would have not missed them. Instead I found a four spot chaser hunting over the marshes.

-Four Spot ChaserAfter that I decided to try and go back to the main road so that I could decided what to do next. To cut a long story short, I got lost amongst the farmland and hills but eventually ended up legging it over a barbed wire fence in order to reach the main road. The only thing I saw during my struggles was a common buzzard.

-Common BuzzardOnce on the main road I decided to walk on to cors errhiniog, or something like that, but it was late in the day, and it was a good 5 miles away, so when I reached the junction after 3 miles and realised it was probably the same distance back to the caravan site, that's where I decided to go, my feet squelching the whole way home. On the way back I spotted a raven flying over head, an ominous sign. There were also some funnel-web spiders in the hedge near to the caravan site.

-Funnel web spider

So overall it was quite disappointing in terms of the species that I didn't see but, not to worry, because there were plenty of other nice things.