Wednesday, 15 October 2014

It's Just Another Day - Wings

Another day of wall-to-wall rain on Monday with bearly a let up so the Traps remained inactive but much better yesterday. From the traps the
 Year's First
 BLAIR'S SHOULDER-KNOT
 PEARLY UNDERWING
 variations of
BEADED CHESTNUT
 along with a nice example of
DOUBLE-STRIPED PUG
 DARKLING BEETLE
and the
 HOVERFLY
 Syrphus vitripennis
making up the best on offer.
Up at the Pond things are taking their time to happen
which is to be expected with new projects but this
 'cultivar' form of
EVENING PRIMROSE
added just a hint of colour while this
 small Skein of c10
 GREYLAG GEESE
were the first to be recorded there albeit as 'flyovers'.
A couple of slices of Warburtons Seeded Batch
did the trick
attracting more than 30
BLACK-HEADED GULLs
in for a nibble while this
 GOLDCREST
put in a brief appearance among a flock of foraging
Long-tailed Tits.
MALLARD
numbers more than doubled overnight to c8,
 making it look rather like a Duck Pond, while the
 MUTE SWAN
 also remained in-situ revealing not only that it is
 RINGED
but also its identity code
P7E
 Just caught in a nick of time, c2 of its mates also flew over but
seemed totally disinterested in the pond as they continued north.
A second contender to visit the 'Heath Robinson' Bird Table a
MAGPIE
while the odd
 SWALLOW
continues to be seen here daily taking a last 'kiss' of the
water before braving the English Channel.
None of these have stopped to perch hence the images from the archive.
Entry            Pageviews
United Kingdom
                 554
Germany
                 239
United States
                 183
Russia
                   51
France
                   42
Ukraine
                   24
Estonia
                   22
India
                   12
Canada
                   11
China
                     7

Monday, 13 October 2014

Fox On The Run - Sweet

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With rain, wind, lightning, thunder etc continuing throughout the week-end most wildlifeing was done from the comfort of the car and with poor returns from the Moth Traps on Saturday the idea was abandoned altogether last night. All of note was this strangely 'light' looking single
 BROWN-SPOT PINION
which baffled me altogether.
Starting with a visit to the 'Hole in the Ground', all on offer there was this

 FOX
 but there was at least a New Arrival at the Irrigation Pond.
Over the last couple of days the area has been fed with a handful
of corn or so and seems to have attracted this
 MUTE SWAN
It should be pointed out that this small watercourse has been in existence for 15 years or more and according to local 'Wildfowlers' is visited by Mute Swans regularly. So, when it is stated a bird is 'new' to the Pond List
that only relates to my own records since the site was cleared..
 Not only good for the record but also to answer a couple of outstanding questions that might have been tackled in quite a different way had this bird not shown. Firstly, how deep is the pond? Well sat there in the rain for 2 hours it fed across the whole area and didn't have to cock its tail once, making the depth no more than Swan-Neck! The second and final question was answered as a consequence, is there any natural food? It was bringing up great beaks full of greenery so in addition it is thought ideal for 'Diving Ducks'.
There are a good number of resident
 
 JAYs
 on the property which at this time appear to have been augmented
by migrant birds. It is unlikely they will stay as similar to 2012 there is
not an ACORN to be found.
This one, braver than all the others, was feeding from the recently
turned earth.
To continue the Corvid theme at least c17
 MAGPIEs
also took advantage of the new bounty
 along with half a dozen
CARRION CROWs
Quite close to the Ponds and alongside the Eco Recycling works is this small and rapidly diminishing area of 
 HEATHLAND
which was previously a
Rubbish Tip
adjoining to Merritown Heath. This is where, during his last visit, Dave Foot pointed out and identified a wealth of Wildlife for me.
 The whole area is covered by Webs of one description or another
which are best viewed early morning when the Dew is still on them.
 Most unusual of these must surely be the home of
 'millions' of
RED SPIDER MITES
 LARVAE of a species of SAWFLY
 SONG THRUSH
 ANVILS
complete with plenty of Snail Shell evidence,
 and most dramatic of all, good numbers of
 WASP SPIDER
 zealously protecting their
EGG CASES.
Entry            Pageviews
United Kingdom
                 513
Germany
                 255
United States
                 189
Ukraine
                   57
Russia
                   47
France
                   40
China
                   21
Estonia
                   21
Canada
                   11
Indonesia
                   10