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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Upton Warren (18 Viewers)

upton-till-i-die said:
Nice one Craig! I take it that this is a different bird to those seen last Sunday (as per Dave and Chris's photos in posts #6210 and 6212)
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Well the bird had almost completly moulted its Scapulars with just a single grey area, so obviously different in that aspect.
im not sure whether a complete juv med can do that in a week, so im not certain (not having seen the sunday birds).
I would now post the obligory crap record shot, but my camera adaptor has broke, and i wont be able to upload any photo's for another week!!!! :C
MB
 
Just back from doing the Flashes roost.
Spent whole afternoon at Flashes.
Started in the Hen Pool where at least 3 family parties of reed warbler fed close to the hide.
The Flashes were freshened up slightly by the recent rains around the 'central' ditches but the main channels will take day's of torrential down pours before they are reinstated.
Birds today were as follows:-
Teal 3, Green sand 14, Common sand 4, LRP juv. A juv Ringed Plover dropped in at 8.20pm and flew off south at 8.40pm. The 75 Lapwing fed on the north fields that have just been harvested. Curlew 25. BHG 650 On the shore of the 2nd Flash 100 of them indulged in a tight feeding frenzy on some emergent fly species. LBBG 5, Herring gull 2 juvs, Common Tern 7 roosted.
Stock Dove 30+, Little Owl, Chiffchaff 5, willow warbler, Sedge warbler, reed warbler 12, House martin c30, Swallow 2 passed through.
B :)John
 
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3 pics from yesterday
1.BHG feeding frenzy ..on emergent flies in the shallows
2. the dry 'central' area
3. The southern section of the 2nd Flash showing 5 different 'bands' of land from bone dry through to open water. Next to the post on the right end of the pool is a wet area, this could be the salt spring ?
B :)john
 

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Just a quick reminder that the Trust will be continuing their surveys at the Flashes this week - expect some level of disturbance tomoorow and on Thursday between 9:00am and 5:00pm.
 
upstarts1979 said:
3 pics from yesterday
1.BHG feeding frenzy ..on emergent flies in the shallows
2. the dry 'central' area
3. The southern section of the 2nd Flash showing 5 different 'bands' of land from bone dry through to open water. Next to the post on the right end of the pool is a wet area, this could be the salt spring ?B :)john
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Interesting possibility, John. Saline trajectories measured recently would hint that the salts mainly originate from substrates underlying the second flash. Recent divergence between the first flash (21,000 mg/L) and second flash salinity (29,000 mg/L) can be partly explained by differential evaporation rates (now that the two are isolated). However, statistical regression analysis shows higher residual variance for the second flash. It is highly probable that ingress of brine from such springs constitutes one of the 'lurking variables' that would explain depatures from a simple linear prediction model for the second flash. The first flash fits the linear model better, whereby the salinity is a simple function of dilution (water level) - possibly indicating that salt supply from the underlying geology is relatively weaker in this larger water-body.
 
JHDraytonbassettpits said:
Further study the 2 spots on the mid wing are close together which would indicate Brown Argus, the forewing cannot be seen.
So looks like a male Brown Argus.

Regards, John
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Jason K said:
Just to chip in. With regards to JHDraytonbassettpits comment regarding the Brown Argus. Your photo is of a worn male Brown Argus Mike. Only the females tend to have the orange lunes all the way to the edge of the forewing (males dont). Also Brown Argus are members of the 'Blues' and some individuals can still have blueish bodies.

Where possible it is always best to check the pattern on the underwing
to look for the classic Brown Argus twin spot. See attached photo. Also the below link is useful.

http://www.britishbutterflies.co.uk/components/downloads/cb-ba-id-guide-low-res.pdf

Jase
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Thanks for the responses guys, been away for the last couple of days so only just seen all replies.
I was thinking male Brown Argus, but wasn't 100% sure as I've never seen one before. Thought the lack of blue at the base of the wings would rule out female Common Blue, but guess that's a tenuous way of IDing ;) Then I looked at the underwing image (not the best photo I know) but that did seem to suggest Brown Argus due to the double spot, but I was hoping for someone with more knowledge than me to comment - so thanks again.

Mike
 
Curlew

Once again the summer Curlew roost is struggling to attract any significant numbers with a peak of just 33 birds so far this year. This compares very poorly to the flocks of 100+ that were annually encountered for a 13 year period between 1987 and 1999.

2011 therefore looks likely to be only the third year - the others being 1984 and 2008 - where the winter roost (which traditionally peaks in March) will exceed the summer roost (which traditionally peaked in Sept / Oct but in the last 20 years has experienced the highest numbers in July / August).

I attach two charts. The first shows the overall and ongoing decline in the peak annual count of Curlews since the late 1990s. The second tracks the highest counts in winter and suumer; whilst summer numbers continue to fall the winter flock has remained generally static since 2003.
 

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Blimey, I bet it's been a while since this thread went >24hrs without an update. Is this a reflection of a lull before the autumnal migratory storm...?
 
Sy V said:
Blimey, I bet it's been a while since this thread went >24hrs without an update. Is this a reflection of a lull before the autumnal migratory storm...?
Click to expand...

Hopefully Des and the Wednesday crew will have a veritable avalanche of good sightings today.
 

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