The Bagsy Blog: 08/07/16

Sunday, 7 August 2016

With just +9C showing on the dawn thermometer on Friday it was

considered, being early August and all, that things couldn't get much worse!

However, yesterday morning proved us wrong dropping yet another degree

which has been reflected at the Moth Traps with further poor returns.

Qualifying as the Best were

YELLOW SHELL

DARK UMBER

DINGY FOOTMAN

and

DARK SPECTACLE

in addition there were a couple of rather interesting and eye-catching

Beetles

ORANGE and BLACK SEXTON BEETLE

and a new Insect altogether for our Recording Area

DOCK SHIELDBUG

'Dock' of the Bay

Checking next Parley Pond there was the usual

commotion and charge of the resident 'ferals' but nothing else,

while at the Irrigation Pond things were even more quiet

with just a single

COOT CHICK

starting to investigate the Big Wide World.

On Merritown Heath, or more particularly at the

NETTED BALANCING POND

and looking West along the tributary

there were a heart-warming

half dozen juvenile

GREY WAGTAIL

but never more than one in the viewfinder at any given moment.
Walking back in that direction we found

a number of
MINER BEE
excavations, usually 'capped' at this time of year, but maybe the
unseasonabley wet weather has prevented that thus far?

Along with a couple of stands of the invasive

ORANGE HAWKWEED

From an identification by Bob Ford we can now tell you that this is a
BELGIAN ARMED FORCES SEA KING

At the other end of our beat of the tributary we took a moment
to look back on ourselves,

before noticing, tucked away in this western corner,

our second

COMMON SNIPE

of the Summer seemingly unphased at our presence.
It has been an EXCELLENT breeding year right across our 'Patch' for

GREEN WOODPECKER

with the Heath being no exception.

We find it impossible not to indulge in a few shots!
and finally, from the
Trail Cameras

we have secured a new Species by way of a

GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER
along with what has now become the ubiquitous

JUVENILE STONECHAT

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