Summer 2017 - highlights

Well this won't take long!

Summer, it seems, came and went without telling me, I really didn't expect it to be just that one afternoon in August when the bleats off "Oh it's too hot for me" could be heard ringing around the town.

Dragonflies especially seemed to suffer the lack of heat and sun more than most, if I had a "Dragonfly Tick List" it wouldn't need to be any bigger than A5 and could be in BIG WRITING! Whereas the bird tick list (if I had one) could fit easily on the back of a stamp!  Good job I don't do lists then!

Some pics from June 2017 - Amwell (Bee Orchid, Broad-bodied & Scarce Chasers), Hertford Heath (Emerald Damselfly), Back Garden (Toadflax Brocade moth), River Lee Nav (4 Spot), Balls Wood

June highlight - my first ever White Admiral, at Balls Wood

In July, nothing much improved weather-wise, highlights were pretty low, as you can see!  A case of quality rather than quantity.

Panshanger Park (Common Darter), Back Garden (Crab Spider), Danemead (Large Yellow Underwing), RSPB Rye Meads (Sedge Warbler), Sandon

July highlight - Spotted Flycatcher at Sandon (not the Essex one!)

Whereas, August . . . well what can I say!  Not much better that's what I can say! and Insects!

Back Garden (Dock Bug), Front Garden H'bird H'moth), Kings Mead (Migrant Hawker, Orb Spider), Amwell (Red Underwing, Robberfly, KF & Bittern)

But a Bittern at Amwell, in August? I hear you say, "OK I'll give you that one - that's a bonus!", and a Kingfisher too ("Hey Katy, did you get that one? You didn't? Oh well!"), and how about the Hummingbird Hawkmoth? "Ok, ok, August was better, but let's face it, the competition was poor from June & July!"

Here's hoping Autumn will be better (even with the closure of Amwell for much of it!)

Oh and while we're talking about the weather . . .  how wet was it Carol?

This wet, that's how wet! - the floods continued into September! (British Canoeing Open)

"Tight lines!" (for any anglers out there!)

Swallowtails at last! (31/05/2017)

Well one anyway, though I did see two others around the reserve.

This time last year I went to RSPB Strumpshaw Fen in search of the Swallowtail butterflies for what it is renowned.  2016 Spring was crap, cold & wet, even though the day I chose was sunny & warm.  I remember asking at the "visitor centre" only to be told "You're about 2 weeks early mate 'cos the weathers' been crap", at least I think that's what the lady said!

So this year I tried again, bit of a last minute decision to put it mildly.  I knew it's about a 2 hour drive so I left home at 8.00am, drove like a loony for almost 2 hours and arrived at 9.55am - 102 miles from home, not bad at all.

Change of footwear, check camera gear, drink half a bottle of water, and I'm off in search of the Swallowtail.

Info from a friend on Twitter had suggested that the Lackford Walk area would be best, so I went to reception instead! Thought I'd get an update before setting off into the wilds of Norfolk.  From the overflow car park, across the road, over the level crossing I arrived at the "Nectar Garden" just outside reception.  A small crowd had gathered around the "garden", cameras clicking like there would be no tomorrow.  I investigated - WHOA!!! SWALLOWTAIL !!!  Pictures!!! 

10.05am I'd got about 60 Swallowtail shots, well worth the drive!

Then it dawned on me, been here 5 minutes, got what I came for, what to do now?!

Obvious, tea! + Eccles cake.

£2 lighter I sat looking out over the reedbed, checking the images - which looked OK - and enjoying the tea + Eccles cake.

Others were arriving, members & non members.  One couple came in search of Kingfishers, and asked about them, and received good info.  Then the RSPB volunteer volunteered some additional info,
Q: "Have you seen the Swallowtail outside?",
A: "No, we've got loads of them at home", What? Where?
RSPB Vol: "Really, loads of Swallowtails, where do you live?",
Visitor: "North Yorkshire",
RSPB: "and you've loads of Swallowtails?",
Visitor: "Yeah, loads of Swallows"
RSPB: "No you bleedin' idiot not Swallows, 'kin Swallowtail butterflies, Britain's largest butterfly, not the chuffin' birds!" 
Nearly fell off my bench! (NB the final response above may not be word for word exactly!)

10.30 - decided to have a walk around the reserve, via Lackford Walk (past the "Doctors Cottage where the Swallowtails are often seen but today were conspicuous by their absence).  Only saw a couple more "Swallows" both flying and not looking to settle.  Reed Warbler, Drinker Moth caterpillar, Cetti's heard, Norfolk Hawker disturbed and buggered off!

11.45 - arrived at the Tower Hide, overlooking a largish mere, but only "standard" waterfowl, BH Gulls & Greylags, then "Cuckoo", "Cuckoo" nearby, then it landed in a small "tree" directly opposite the hide - could see it through bins but too far away for a photo. Half a sandwich later I'm off again towards the Fen Hide, having learned of 3 Watervoles in the pond on the access to the Meadow (beyond the hide).  Scarce Chaser, Small China-mark moth, no sun, another Drinker Moth caterpillar

Fen hide delivered nothing apart from another distant view of the Cuckoo, and a couple of distant Marsh Harriers. Other half of the sandwich.

Another Drinker Moth caterpillar, Jay

1.15 - arrived at the watervole pond. Half a dozen people watching, "Plop", watervole! Swimming round the edge, not well lit but a couple of OK shots. "Plop" another one but stayed in the vegetation. 

Gave it 10 minutes and headed for the Meadow in search of Dragonflies, the sign at the entrance said "Part of the meadow is closed" - didn't say which part or why? Soon found out why - water logged, it's weird walking on bouncy meadows!  Spotted a few Dragons - Scarce Chaser, Hairy, 4-Spot & Norfolk Hawker, only the Hairy stopped to lay eggs and even then it was pretty well hidden. 

Kept promising myself another tea but the Norfolks kept coming tantalisingly close and threatening to settle but after the best part of an hour I gave up and headed back to the reception.

2.50 - arrived at reception, that crowd were back at the nectar garden, so was the Swallowtail, more pics then ENOUGH!

3.05 - decided to head home, after tea, ice-cream and flapjack - don't talk to me about healthy eating!

Left the carpark at 3.25, arrived home at 5.30.

Long drive, long walk, but worth the effort.  I realise I was pretty fortunate to see the butterflies as soon and as close as I did but it makes up for 2016!

2018? who knows? only if I can find a travelling companion to tell ne jokes and keep me amused on the drive! (Applications should be made directly to me on a £20 note explaining why you should be considered.  I regret that unsuccessful applications cannot be returned - good luck everyone!)

"Venerable Bede? Full of shit" - Lance (Toby Jones), Detectorists

Sore bum, no brakes and warblers . . .

 . . . Saturday 6th May at the HMWT Otter Hide

I signed up to a 4 hour Bittern watch session on Saturday, sounded like a good idea at the time!

Pre-planning meant binoculars were cleaned, camera lens cleaned, batteries charged, scope checked and cleaned, tripod checked.  Bike tyres pumped up from flat to 40psi, bike loaded into car. Sarnies made, coffee made, cakes identified and choc bar sorted.  (The final two items never made the trip and were eliminated by my lousy memory despite pre-pre-pre-planning checks!)

I parked in Rye Road, unloaded the bike, strapped my camera bag to my back and headed off to the Otter Hide.  Not too quick as I realised my front brake was kaput, this will be fun!

Stopped for a quick chat with Allan Meadows - who I was relieving - before arriving at the hide. I haven't been here for probably 15 years or more.  I have a distant memory of coming here once before and seeing a Heron at the far end of the pond / lake / mere.

Allan hadn't had any luck with the Bittern but did say there were plenty of warblers in the reeds and reasonably close, which proved to be the case.

I arrived at 12.20 set-up camera & scope, food & drink (this is when I realised the cakes & choc bar hadn't made the cut!) bins at the ready, note book handy, and we're off!

Previously (from RSPB Rye Meads} I'd noticed a good crop of Pochard on the water, today there was one, a nice male but too far away at the moment.  I could hear the warblers in the reeds opposite but couldn't see any to start with. Fifteen minutes later I'd taken about 10 shots of the male Pochard as he swam by the hide, once with the missus,

and god knows how many Warblers in the reeds.  They just seemed to suddenly appear and then disappear again a few minutes later.

Some shots weren't too bad others were deleted on the spot!  The light wasn't helping, cloud and poor light with no breaks in the cloud visible. Usual shooting conditions then!

I thought at the time that most of the warblers were "Reedies" but discovered bck home that most were "Sedgies"

I kept checking for the Bittern, no joy, there goes that Pochard again, going back the other way.  More warblers, more images, more deleted, a few kept more in hope that expectation.

At 13.00 a Hobby flew over headed for RSPB RM (I know this 'cos I noted it in my note book!).

First sarnie disappears, ham & coleslaw in a Ciabatta roll - nice (a la Jazz Club!), a cup of coffee, nice and strong - shit that's bloody hot! A visitor - and a question I was going to be asked more than once this afternoon "Is this the best place to see the Otters?" Er . . . maybe the Otter Hide name should be changed to "Hide"? (One for you Jenny!).

Pochard going by again and at quite a rate of knots, more pictures which look OK - very similar but OK.  Warblers quiet, Bittern even quieter! (Is there one here?)

Couple of Buzzards overhead, Cetti's singing away to the left but I can't see him, that Pochard again - if he looks at me like that next time  . . .  

A couple of ladies enter the hide, "Good afternoon" I say - No answer, just "a look".  Please yourselves.  They sit and whisper for a few minutes, then move to the right of the hide and open a window which looks out on to very little (which was why I didn't open it). More whispering, two minutes later they've gone.  Did I imagine it?

Jay Ward popped in, took a few pictures, saw a Hobby, had a chat and popped out again on his way round the Stansted Abbott hides then on the Amwell to see the Black Tern.  He had been as successful as me regarding Otter sightings at the Otter Hide.

More warblers and a Grasshopper Warbler reeling but I couldn't see him anywhere despite searching with bins & scope.  More sarnies & coffee at regular intervals, along with that Pochard which is starting to give me a complex.  I'm wondering if it's a "drone" Pochard which Jenny S has launched to make sure the volunteers had turned up as promised. Paranoid? Moi?

The rest of the pm followed the same pattern, sarnies (until they ran out at 13.55), coffee (which lasted longer), warblers, Pochard, warblers, Pochard but no Bittern unfortunately.

So, no Bittern on the Bittern watch and  no Otters at the Otter Hide so next time maybe I'll just watch from the hide!

Oh yes, the sore bum & no brakes bit - relate to the bike which I haven't ridden for some time, that padded saddle needs looking at and I now know how the front brake works and why it "fails" if I take the wheel out!  At least I didn't fall off!