Your local Patch/Reserve. (1 Viewer)

[Fozzybear]

Hi Wendy

Love your Marbled White butterfly. We had them close to where I stay and they are very distinctive to look at.

Great report too

Regards
Kathy
x

They really are lovely butterflies, one I've not yet seen but would really like to. Very nice pic Wendy. :t:

Woke up in the middle of the night and never managed to get back to sleep so ended up getting up and after bumbling around the house a bit decided to go out for a pre-dawn walk to Little Baddow. Left about a quarter to five and got back about half 10. Reckon I did at least 8-9 miles and my legs are very sore (and my left foot is aching a bit as my foot sprain hasn't cleared up entirely yet) but was a great walk, especially for Yellowhammers and Green Woodpeckers as they both seem to be doing really well and I saw loads of them!

Lots of people up in hot air balloons too, I saw at least 8 balloons and some flew right overhead, fairly low! Plenty of Swallows around the sewage works as well as various gulls plus Starlings, Magpies, House Martins, Sand Martins and Swifts! Saw one Yellow Wagtail on the fields, same area as I'd seen them before so they're definitely sticking around. On, and when I left home there were bats flying around the foot tunnel that leads under the main road and onto my patch, near a load of old oak trees. From memory I saw...

Kestrel
Buzzard
Sparrowhawk
Greater Spotted Woodpecker
Grey Partridge
Jackdaw
Blackcap
Skylark
Coal Tit
Yellow Wagtail
Lapwing
Swallow
Swift
House Martin
Sand Martin
Pheasant
Red-legged Partridge
Feral Pigeon
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Moorhen
Mallard
Carrion Crow
Magpie
Green Woodpecker
Yellowhammer
Greenfinch
Chaffinch
Reed Bunting
Reed Warbler
Whitethroat
Blue Tit
Robin
Wren
Blackbird
Starling
Song Thrush
Black-headed Gull
Herring Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Rabbit
Hare (one in the same field as the buzzard and some of the red-legged partridges)
Field Mouse (ran across the track near the A12 bypass bridge)
Grey Squirrel
Bats (of some kind!)

 

[pstraughan]

What a lovely long list Paul. I managed to get out to the local reservoir today after a week indoors suffering from a sinus infection. Birdwatching, especially with a scope, is a bit tricky when one eye is permanently watering and your glasses don't sit comfortably on your nose. Enough moaning!

Wader numbers are beginning to build up: Green and Common Sandpipers (mostly Green), Little Egrets, Little Ringed Plovers (bred here for the first time in years), Snipe, flocks of Lapwings. The water isn't as low as in some summers.

Ducks look all much of a muchness in eclipse plumage. They all look like Mallards, but who knows? There are Mandarins on this reservoir and there were Teal and a Greenshank a couple of weeks ago.

Very overcast today and I didn't see any butterflies.

Pat

 

[Fozzybear]

Oh dear Pat, hope you are feeling better now!

Seems like the end of summer is approaching, you seeing more waders must be a sign and today I saw goldfinches starting to gather into flocks and seeing all the swallows, swifts, house martins and sand martins at the sewage works reminded me of seeing the same gatherings at the start of autumn last year.

 

[Peewit]

They really are lovely butterflies, one I've not yet seen but would really like to. Very nice pic Wendy. :t:

Woke up in the middle of the night and never managed to get back to sleep so ended up getting up and after bumbling around the house a bit decided to go out for a pre-dawn walk to Little Baddow. Left about a quarter to five and got back about half 10. Reckon I did at least 8-9 miles and my legs are very sore (and my left foot is aching a bit as my foot sprain hasn't cleared up entirely yet) but was a great walk, especially for Yellowhammers and Green Woodpeckers as they both seem to be doing really well and I saw loads of them!

Lots of people up in hot air balloons too, I saw at least 8 balloons and some flew right overhead, fairly low! Plenty of Swallows around the sewage works as well as various gulls plus Starlings, Magpies, House Martins, Sand Martins and Swifts! Saw one Yellow Wagtail on the fields, same area as I'd seen them before so they're definitely sticking around. On, and when I left home there were bats flying around the foot tunnel that leads under the main road and onto my patch, near a load of old oak trees. From memory I saw...

Kestrel
Buzzard
Sparrowhawk
Greater Spotted Woodpecker
Grey Partridge
Jackdaw
Blackcap
Skylark
Coal Tit
Yellow Wagtail
Lapwing
Swallow
Swift
House Martin
Sand Martin
Pheasant
Red-legged Partridge
Feral Pigeon
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Moorhen
Mallard
Carrion Crow
Magpie
Green Woodpecker
Yellowhammer
Greenfinch
Chaffinch
Reed Bunting
Reed Warbler
Whitethroat
Blue Tit
Robin
Wren
Blackbird
Starling
Song Thrush
Black-headed Gull
Herring Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Rabbit
Hare (one in the same field as the buzzard and some of the red-legged partridges)
Field Mouse (ran across the track near the A12 bypass bridge)
Grey Squirrel
Bats (of some kind!)

Great list there Fozzy. Love the fact you saw a Yellowhammer, Bats, and a Hare. great early morning spots.

Marbled Whites remind me of flapping blankets. They have a different style of flying than most butterflies, and the group I saw stayed together as a group of 3/4 or so. They where both genders due to the amount of white they where showing.

Sorry to hear about your painful foot - Sprains are really sore, and take a while to heal up - hope yours does soon. I have to say that exercise is a way of strengthening up your ankle joint so it would have done you foot the power of good.

An early morning walk is good as you see a lot more than during the day. I think wildlife tends to lay low during the day because it is too hot, or they are easily preyed on. Did you hear the Bats making their 'radar' calls - it depends if you have high pitch hearing or not?

Thank you for sharing and I hope that you are sleeping better now

What a lovely long list Paul. I managed to get out to the local reservoir today after a week indoors suffering from a sinus infection. Birdwatching, especially with a scope, is a bit tricky when one eye is permanently watering and your glasses don't sit comfortably on your nose. Enough moaning!

Wader numbers are beginning to build up: Green and Common Sandpipers (mostly Green), Little Egrets, Little Ringed Plovers (bred here for the first time in years), Snipe, flocks of Lapwings. The water isn't as low as in some summers.

Ducks look all much of a muchness in eclipse plumage. They all look like Mallards, but who knows? There are Mandarins on this reservoir and there were Teal and a Greenshank a couple of weeks ago.

Very overcast today and I didn't see any butterflies.

Pat

hi Pat sorry to hear that you are not well with your sinuses. What a nightmare. :-C

Still you have a nice list there and it is good to see Common and Green Sandpipers. Dave and I saw our first Sandpiper at Rutland Water recently and we where amazed how really small they are and that they love to feed alon ga shoreline amongst the green aige.

When the birds go though their ecilpse they are like another species and hard to ID. So much confusion be had.

There will be another day for your butterflies and they are out in force at the moment. Hope that you get some good photos of them.

Oh dear Pat, hope you are feeling better now!

Seems like the end of summer is approaching, you seeing more waders must be a sign and today I saw goldfinches starting to gather into flocks and seeing all the swallows, swifts, house martins and sand martins at the sewage works reminded me of seeing the same gatherings at the start of autumn last year.

Hi Fozzy

There is a change in the air at the moment. Many species are sticking together a lot. Goldies are in a group big time - and their endless chattering has stopped now recently

I was surprised to be hearing Chiffchaffs singing at Rutland recently, and a few Blackcaps but no other Warblers.

The seasons are changing now,

Regards
Kathy
x

 

[Fozzybear]

Great list there Fozzy. Love the fact you saw a Yellowhammer, Bats, and a Hare. great early morning spots.

Marbled Whites remind me of flapping blankets. They have a different style of flying than most butterflies, and the group I saw stayed together as a group of 3/4 or so. They where both genders due to the amount of white they where showing.

Sorry to hear about your painful foot - Sprains are really sore, and take a while to heal up - hope yours does soon. I have to say that exercise is a way of strengthening up your ankle joint so it would have done you foot the power of good.

An early morning walk is good as you see a lot more than during the day. I think wildlife tends to lay low during the day because it is too hot, or they are easily preyed on. Did you hear the Bats making their 'radar' calls - it depends if you have high pitch hearing or not?

Thank you for sharing and I hope that you are sleeping better now



There is a change in the air at the moment. Many species are sticking together a lot. Goldies are in a group big time - and their endless chattering has stopped now recently

I was surprised to be hearing Chiffchaffs singing at Rutland recently, and a few Blackcaps but no other Warblers.

The seasons are changing now,

Regards
Kathy
x

Foot's getting better slowly thanks, taking a long time to heal but I knew that would be the case. Woke up early again today but am not surprised really as it's been stressful at work because they're dragging their feet over my contract renewal and have been trying to decide whether to apply for another job that will be more stable but will mean a lot of travelling rather than working local as I am now. I think I need to do it though, can't go on as I am now.

Anyway... didn't hear the bats but I have really terrible high frequency hearing, though I have previously heard their lower pitched squeaking calls when they've flown around my head. The Yellowhammers were particularly good to see because from what I could see they appear to be doing very well, quite a number there and I think some youngsters too, though I need to post a fuzzy pic I got of one to confirm it was one!

Seeing a Hare was great, I've not seen them in many places around here and haven't seen one for a while so that was lovely to find. Bizarre that it was sitting in a stubble field not that far from a Buzzard that was also on the ground with some Red-legged Partridges nearby! Maybe they were all having a tea party? :-O

 

[Fozzybear]

I think this is a young Yellowhammer, the streaking and yellowness suggests it is (and since it was perching where the other Yellowhammers were!) but haven't seen a young one before so not 100% sure. Taken at a distance with my compact so rather splodgy!

 

[palval147]

I think it's a young Yellowhammer as well Fozzy, well spotted.

 

[Peewit]

Foot's getting better slowly thanks, taking a long time to heal but I knew that would be the case. Woke up early again today but am not surprised really as it's been stressful at work because they're dragging their feet over my contract renewal and have been trying to decide whether to apply for another job that will be more stable but will mean a lot of travelling rather than working local as I am now. I think I need to do it though, can't go on as I am now.

Anyway... didn't hear the bats but I have really terrible high frequency hearing, though I have previously heard their lower pitched squeaking calls when they've flown around my head. The Yellowhammers were particularly good to see because from what I could see they appear to be doing very well, quite a number there and I think some youngsters too, though I need to post a fuzzy pic I got of one to confirm it was one!

Seeing a Hare was great, I've not seen them in many places around here and haven't seen one for a while so that was lovely to find. Bizarre that it was sitting in a stubble field not that far from a Buzzard that was also on the ground with some Red-legged Partridges nearby! Maybe they were all having a tea party? :-O

Hi Fozzy

Hope that your job remains intact in hid climate. Nothing worse to worry you witless. :eek!:

Yes, bats have a variety of noises, and it pure luck if your hear them or not. They get so close to your eardrums it is a weird feeling. Love Yellow Hammers they are lovely little singers with 'the bread and cheese song'.

Great news about the Hares. Have you ever heard a Red Partridge call at all? What a racket. Really funny call to listen too. Maybe it was an Alice in Wonderland play with all the characters LOL.

Great to hear your news :t:

Regards
Kathy
x

 

[Fozzybear]

Thanks Val and Kathy. The Red-legs were calling away a lot Kathy, plus I saw three flocks of them in the same area - it's always been a good place for partridges. I quite like their call, even if it is a bit of a mess - chukuk-chuckkurrr! chukuk-chuckkurrr! :-O

 

[Peewit]

Thanks Val and Kathy. The Red-legs were calling away a lot Kathy, plus I saw three flocks of them in the same area - it's always been a good place for partridges. I quite like their call, even if it is a bit of a mess - chukuk-chuckkurrr! chukuk-chuckkurrr! :-O

Hi Fozzy

Love your impersonation of a Red Legged Partridge LOL :-O

Superb o

Regards
Kathy
x

 

[Fozzybear]

|| Shamelessly stolen from my brother I'm afraid!

Walked home across my patch yesterday after work and was pleased to get a the first close view of a Common Blue butterfly this year, had only seen a couple and they were very brief views. Also saw what I think was a young Reed Warbler clambering about in the low vegetation under some willows. Highlight though was walking across the mown meadow and finding my very first Grass Snake! About 2 foot long, it lifted its head above the grass and set off at speed for the stream at the south edge of the meadow. I followed it as it went and saw it slither into the safety of the stream and the thick cover there.

Have been wanting to see a snake for a long time but never had managed to find any - really great to have finally found one, and just around the corner from home too! :t:

 

[palval147]

We had a Grass snake in the garden, a while ago, Fozzy, it stayed around for three weeks eating the creatures in our pond, it didn't touch the fish though. I would come across it sunbathing on the path, or slithering either in or out of the pond, it always moved very quickly when it saw me. We had no newts, or tadpoles after it went.:-C

 

[Fozzybear]

That sucks Val. Not good to have one in a small environment like a garden, at least where I am it's a large area with both a river and streams.

Had a very mixed morning today as I saw my first Little Grebe here since the snows last winter but at the same moment saw that we do still have Mink on the river as one crossed the mill stream in front of me right near the Little Grebe. Was torn as I find it very cool whenever I see a mammal, but finding Mink still here made my stomach sink. I'm hoping that the presence of a family of otters along the river might make it more likely the Mink here will meet their end naturally though.

No Skylarks since the cutting of the grass on the Meads but the Linnets are still at their favoured spot at the corner of the horse meadow and lots of dragonflies to be seen along the river, possibly Ruddy Darters and Migrant Hawkers but I struggled to get a clear view and identifying them without a photo is beyond me! I was used as a perch by some hoverflies on the towpath allowing me a wonderfully close view, there were lots and lots of Grasshoppers there leaping up at my feet and walking home I was buzzed by a fair flock of House Martins, a few Swallows and a Swift.

The Starlings are starting to ride the horses on the meadow again, something I saw late last summer too and it was soon after that that the Whinchats and Wheatears arrived here. My eyes are peeled hoping for their return...

 

[palval147]

Enjoyed reading your report, Fozzy. I loved the bit about the Starlings riding the horses. Crows & Rooks do that too.

 

[pstraughan]

I spent a few hours at our local reservoir yesterday. Someone was kind enough to point out Spotted Flycatchers to me. How many times have I been there over the summer and didn't realise that it is one of their breeding sites!

The water level is dropping and so more and more waders are coming in. I went months without seeing a Little Egret but they are now there in force, and being very aggressive with each other too. The Grey Herons were very disdainful, probably knowing that they could throw their own weight about if need be.

Greenshanks, Green Sandpipers and Common Sandpipers in abundance along with the Lapwings.

Just one Lesser Black Backed Gull amongst all of the Black headed variety. I was hoping it was a Yellow legged Gull but I don't think so.

One minute the sky was empty, the next it was full of screeching Swallows, then they were gone again.

I heard a Chiffchaff singing for the first time in a few weeks. They were flitting about in the bushes with Linnets and Goldfinches for company.

I am looking forward to developments on this site as they are building a hide. We have temporarily lost access to part of the site as a result, but I think it will be worth it in the long run.

Pat

 

[palval147]

Nice photo's Pat. A hide is good to have on a reserve.

 

[pstraughan]

Back last winter, I volunteered to deliver the 2011/2012 local RSPB newsletter and programme. On Saturday, they duly arrived and this afternoon I set out.

Although I've lived in this village for nearly 19 years, I don't get involved with local affairs much and my geographical knowledge of the area has mainly been acquired through bird watching. I thought it would be easy to deliver 40 newsletters, all but one within a mile and a half of my house.

I can only say that I would never make a postman or delivery driver. Having set them out in what I thought was a reasonable order, I decided to walk most of the round and maybe do some bird watching on the way. Two hours later I was hot and sticky and the print was wearing off some of the newsletters and making my hands black. There seems to be some sort of S**s law in operation which means that in any given road, the house you want is the one furthest away. Then there is the random numbering system or houses without names or numbers at all.

Taking to the car for the houses outside of the village centre was cooler but no less irritating. Missing names and numbers again and the added bonus of several properties sharing the same postcode (I had the SatNav out by this time).

Forget birdwatching unless your idea of a good list is Pigeons, Starlings and Sparrows.

I came home with one leaflet - even the SatNav didn't recognise the post code. I will try again when I have recovered my sense of humour!

Pat

 

[palval147]

I know the feeling, Pat, having been in a similar situation myself a while ago now. I had to walk, as I don't drive. Needless to say, I never volunteered to do it again.|=)|
I hope you find the missing house.

 

[pstraughan]

A windy day on Saturday resulted in a fairly short list (28 species) at the local reservoir. The highlight was a pair of Avocets which flew in and proceeded to feed energetically. They have apparently been around for a few days but I've never seen them at this location. Three Buzzards and a Kestrel managed to simultaneously upset a flock of Jackdaws and Crows. Still several Green Sandpipers and plenty of Swallows about but the Greenshanks and most of the warblers seem to have moved on. No finches and no Blackbirds.

Pat

 

[pstraughan]

I had a walk around my home patch today, the first time for nearly a month. What a treat, two Wheatears. The first landed just a few feet in front of me on a fence, great camera shot, no camera. It stayed briefly for a minute or so then headed south. Further along on the fence was the local Kestrel - I call this part Kestrel corner because it is nearly always there. Further along still, the second Wheatear. It was even more obliging and kept pace with me about 10 ft away as I walked along the fence. I must have watched it for about 15 minutes before it doubled back on me and started again further down the fence.

Very pleased to see that the field next to this fence has been left weedy. A charm of Goldfinches was taking full advantage of the thistles. The farmer was cutting and scarifying the grass in the next field and the residents of the local Rook colony and their Jackdaw pals were taking full advantage.

The small birds were pretty much silent apart from a few notes of Chiffchaff and a brief squeak from a male Blackcap.

Passing Kestrel corner on the way back there were two airborne.

It was good to be out in the fresh air - I particularly needed de-stressing from work today and this did the trick.

Pat