Launde - on 24th September, 2017

I'd decided to have a run out to the east of Leicestershire to see if I could find any Little Owls, as they have been worryingly thin on the ground lately. I didn't see any on my outward run so headed off to Launde Abbey to see if the small pond by the road junction held any dragonflies. 

To my surprise, there were more dragonflies there than I'd ever seen before, although they were all Common Darters. What is more, almost all of them were either engaged in mating or in ovipositing in tandem. 

Here are a couple of males that I found, which were not preoccupied with the mating process!

Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) (male) - Launde Abbey

Here are a couple of shots of mating pairs.

Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) (mating pair) - Launde Abbey

And here are some shots of these dragonflies ovipositing. They fly in tandem and the male positions the female so that she dips the end of her abdomen into the water to oviposit.

Hopefully, the last few images will give some idea of the orgiastic atmosphere of the situation!

Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) (pair ovipositing) - Launde Abbey

There were times when I got four and five pairs in shot, but the focus on some of the pairs was way out.

I had limited time available here but, shortly after departing, I had a pleasant short session with a Red Kite.

Red Kite (Milvus milvus) - near Launde Abbey

Sadly, no owls were seen on the homeward run either.

I returned to Launde Abbey with Lindsay nine days later - we had a most enjoyable lunch there - and a very quick stop by the pond showed that the Common Darters were still at it! I hope this means a strong population next year - I understand that the larvae take just a year to develop.

Thank you for dropping by. I'm currently unsure what my next post will feature.

Fermyn Woods - on 7th July, 2017

I'm still in catchup mode and, like my previous post, this post also features one of the excellent walks led by Sarah Proud, for the benefit of volunteers at Rutland Water, which took place just one week later.

Never having been to Fermyn Woods before, and them being roughly 65 miles (105 km) from my home, I left home rather early, not knowing what sort of traffic I might meet on a Friday morning. In the event, I arrived an hour early and did a little pre-visit investigation.  

Within a very short time I'd found a White Admiral. This was one of the target species for the day, and a 'lifer' for me. Sadly, the specimen I saw had a chunk out of one of its hindwings. I initially thought that this was probably a male because the forewings seemed relatively pointed. However, I now suspect that it was a female, having looked at Richard Lewington's illustration.

White Admiral (Limenitis camilla) - Fermyn Woods

I wandered around for a while, only seeing a Silver-washed Fritillary during my travels - but it was quite early in the day. It was time to head back to meet the rest of the group at the arranged time. However, after around 15 minutes, I realised that I'd taken a wrong turn somewhere! I couldn't relocate the route I'd been on and, eventually, had to resort to heading northwards in the knowledge that I should end up at some time at a tarmac road. I did this at a trot, found the road and, to my relief, found I was only a couple of hundred metres from where I needed to be. I arrived just in time, but rather overheated in mind and body.

With the group assembled, we entered the woods, and were soon having another of our target species pointed out to us - Purple Emperor (Apatura iris). Frustratingly, these were all high up in the canopy and, although readily identifiable, were totally impossible to photograph. This proved to be the situation for the rest of the visit, so I will not return to this subject.

Soon we were looking at White Admiral again. This one was also not in perfect condition. As we were in a group, I had to hold back somewhat from close-up photography. The underside of this species is, to my mind, even more attractive than the upperside, although I failed to get a good image to show this. I think that this was probably also a female.

White Admiral (Limenitis camilla) - Fermyn Woods

In the same area as the White Admiral, there was a Silver-washed Fritillary.

Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia) - Fermyn Woods

There were some of the more common (sorry, but I just can't bring myself to use the word 'commoner' in this context) butterflies around, including Speckled Wood and Comma. Here's one of a Comma conveniently showing how it got both its common and scientific names.

Comma (Polygonia c-album) - Fermyn Woods

At one point, Sarah spent some time looking pensively through her binoculars at something up in a tree. Eventually she announced that she'd found a Purple Hairstreak. There was a debate as to whether or not this was a recently emerged butterfly as its wings appeared to be not fully unfurled. This matter was not resolved at the time, but I can see from my images that, although the wings are deformed, the butterfly looks somewhat battered. I'm suggesting that this was an old butterfly that had wings that had never fully unfurled.

Purple Hairstreak (Favonius quercus) (male) - Fermyn Woods

After this, we headed out of the woods and into agricultural land in the hope of finding Black Hairstreak. We were unsuccessful, but there were several Southern Hawker dragonflies distantly patrolling over the cereal crop in the fields adjacent to the path that we were on. As we returned to the wood, to enter by a different track, we came across several Silver-washed Fritillary, including a pair that were mating.

Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia) - Fermyn Woods

Shortly before the end of the walk I spotted another Purple Hairstreak, but most of the rest of the group had gone on ahead, so not everyone saw it. This one was also in poor condition, but I did manage to get a shot which more clearly shows its underwing markings. I don't like to publish such poor images, but it's an absolute rarity for me to see this species - only once before in my life!

Purple Hairstreak (Favonius quercus) (female) - Fermyn Woods

As we left the woods and returned to our cars, a Red Kite was flying in the distance. These birds are now rather common in this area, after a successful reintroduction programme.

Red Kite (Milvus milvus) - near Fermyn Woods

After the group dispersed, I set off in my car to look at another part of the woods which is accessed from the visitor centre. Unfortunately, they'd had a problem with the parking ticket machines here. This resulted in having to walk the 200 metres from car to cafe to buy a ticket and then the 200 metres back to the car to put the ticket in the window - a bit of an inconvenience.

My main objective here was to locate the ponds that were shown on the site plan that is in the site's brochure, and try and find some dragonflies. Because the site plan didn't bear to much relationship to the actuality, and the signage was minimal it took a while to locate what I now believe to be the only accessible pond.

Whilst searching, I took a shot of a Magpie which I'm quite pleased with. It departed at speed as soon as it saw me!

Magpie (Pica pica) - Fermyn Woods

By the time I found the pond, it was turning cloudy and breezy. There were a few moments of sunshine when a few damselflies and dragonflies appeared, and I took advantage of these as best I could.

Four-spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata) (male) - Fermyn Woods

Ruddy Darter (Sympetrum sanguineum) (male) - Fermyn Woods

Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella) (pair in tandem) - Fermyn Woods

When the cloud looked as if it was going to be continuous, I gave up at the pond and did a little more exploration. In spite of the lack of sun, Gatekeepers were still around.

Gatekeeper (Pyronia tythonus) (male) - Fermyn Woods

Being weary by now, I decided to head homeward. It had brightened up a bit by the time I reached Launde Abbey so I stopped at the very small pond by the road junction here as I'd seen dragonflies on previous visits. 

On arrival I saw Black-tailed Skimmer, Broad-bodied Chaser, and Emperor dragonflies. There were also plenty of Common blue Damselflies around. I didn't do at all well with the photography, and it got dull again ten minutes after my arrival and the dragonflies disappeared over the horizon.

I wish I'd got a closer and better focused image of this next one as it reminds me of an approaching fighter aircraft.

Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) (male) - Launde Abbey

I didn't manage any sensible images of the Emperor, and my attempt to get a record of my first sighting of mating Broad-bodied Chaser resulted in a very poor shot, but I include it here for the record.

Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) (male) - Launde Abbey

Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) (pair mating) - Launde Abbey

After this it was time to head home.

I take this opportunity to thank Sarah Proud once again for yet another splendid Butterfly Walk.

Thank you for dropping by. I suspect that, unless something else crops up, my next post will also feature dragons and butterflies.

Rutland Water - on 4th & 11th August, 2016

At the end of my last post, I said that my next post would probably feature some birds and, possibly, some owls. Wanting to be true to my word, I shall share a couple of visits with you. Unfortunately, in so doing, I will be replicating some of what my pal, John, has already published on his blog as we were both present on both occasions!

Thursday 4th August

Thursday is my regular afternoon out with John. As Great White Egret and Marsh Harrier had both recently been reported at Rutland Water, and I'd not been there to look for dragonflies for some weeks, that is where we agreed to go.

On my way to pick up John, I called at my Little Owl Site No.02. The roof of the barn that houses the owls is now in serious condition, and sighting have been few and far between lately. I was on the verge of drawing a blank this day when I noticed an owl sitting amidst a huge pile of wood from where a tree or two had been cut down.

Little Owl (Athene noctua) - my LO Site No.02

Having picked up John at his home, we set off, taking our usual 'owling route'. No owls were seen until we got to my Site No.34. This is a site where the owls were displaced by Jackdaw and Stock Dove in succession this year, and we'd gone for quite some time without seeing an owl here. We were over the moon, therefore, to see a juvenile LO here a week or so earlier. On this day, we were to be lucky again. An owl was spotted on a distant post at the field edge. We are not sure whether this was an adult or an advanced juvenile (I suspect the latter) as we could not get a good enough view, or photographic image, at this range.

Little Owl (Athene noctua) - my LO Site No.34

We sat watching for a while, and then I noticed a second bird on the far side of the field. This was definitely a juvenile! This shot was taken from the car.

Little Owl (Athene noctua) (juvenile) - my LO Site No.34

Further on, at Site No.42, an owl was spotted on a barn door. It wasn't until I looked at my last few photos that I saw a second owl had been present - does seeing a shadow count?

Little Owls (Athene noctua) (adult plus shadow!) - my LO Site No.42

On arrival at Rutland Water, John treated me to an ice cream and we then set off to see what we could find.

We drew a complete blank at the dipping pond and so set off northwards, first calling in at Redshank Hide. Little of interest was seen here but then someone arrived who said he'd just had good views of a Great White Egret from Grebe Hide - so off we went. 

When we arrived, we quickly found the egret, but it was in the distance and largely obscured by intervening vegetation.

Great White Egret (Egretta alba) - Rutland Water, Egleton Reserve

After a while it moved out of view so we headed off towards Osprey Hide. On the way we saw and photographed several damselflies and dragonflies, but I intend to leave the ones from this day for a future post. 

Little of interest was seen from Osprey hide and the dragons were calling so we headed back towards Grebe Hide. On arrival, we were quickly treated to the sight of a distant Osprey.

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) - Rutland Water, Egleton Reserve

The next thing I knew, I had a female Marsh Harrier in sight. This did some distant passes.

Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus) (female) - Rutland Water, Egleton Reserve

The harrier then did a close pass. I managed to lock on with continuous focus and keep the bird in frame, and the camera kept running - till it went 'clunk'. Sheer joy turned to deep disappointment when I found that every single frame was 'unexposed' black. Once in a while my camera suffers an electrical disconnect from the lens - and this is what had happened. I'm just waiting for the quieter season when I can afford to lose camera and lens for a couple of weeks whilst the problem is solved.

The GWE was showing better this time, although still at a great distance.

Great White Egret (Egretta alba) - Rutland Water, Egleton Reserve

The Egret moved off and we decided it was time to think about heading back. A shower of rain had us hurrying into Redshank Hide, and there we found the GWE again, standing on a roosting box - not very photogenic at all, but at least it was a bit closer!

Great White Egret (Egretta alba) - Rutland Water, Egleton Reserve

The egret was busy preening. Suddenly it flew. John nearly missed it as he was coming to show me photos on the back of his camera. I managed a few shots that I'm quite pleased with - and this time the camera didn't fail!

Great White Egret (Egretta alba) - Rutland Water, Egleton Reserve

After the egret had flown, it really was time to go as the weather didn't look too promising.

We took the usual 'owling route' home again, seeing a juvenile again at Site No.34

Little Owl (Athene noctua) (juvenile) - my LO Site No.34

We also found a juvenile at Site No.47, sitting just outside the nest entrance. 

Little Owl (Athene noctua) (juvenile) - my LO Site No.47

Thus ended an altogether pleasant day.

Thursday 11th August

Today was our turn for a spell of duty on The Rutland Osprey Project. Our shift is from 13h00 to 17h00. John and I have to travel independently as John's domestic arrangements mean that, although he's nearer to Rutland Water than I am, he can't arrive before about 13h15 to 13.h30.

I set off from home at around 10h15. It was raining and very windy when I left and, although the rain soon stopped for the rest of the day, there were high winds all day, until just before I arrived home again. I took the usual route but, given the windy conditions, was not surprised that I didn't see a single owl on the way there. I did, however, see a Red Kite at one of my Little Owl sites. Sadly, I only managed a record shot.

Red Kite (Milvus milvus) - by my LO Site No.41

I arrived somewhat early at Rutland water, mainly due to lack of distractions en-route, so I headed of to Shallow Water Hide.

Surprisingly, in spite of the wind, there were a few dragons and damsels around. This must have been a difficult time for a teneral male Common Blue Damselfly!

Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) (teneral male) - Rutland Water, Lyndon Reserve

The views of the Osprey nest and favoured perches are somewhat closer at Shallow Water Hide than they are at Waderscrape Hide, where we do our duty of monitoring the Ospreys, and looking after the members of the public who come to visit. Here's a couple of images from Shallow Water Hide. The Rutland Water Ospreys are known by their ring numbers. However, for a long while the female breeding here was known as 'the Manton Bay unringed Scottish female'. Later, as a concession to brevity, a competition resulted in her being named 'Maya'.

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) (juvenile) - Rutland Water, Lyndon Reserve

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) (female - 'Maya') - Rutland Water, Lyndon Reserve

I didn't have long at Shallow Water Hide before it was time to head to Waderscrape Hide to start my duty. On the way, I stopped to photograph an obliging Comma.

Comma (Polygonia c-album) - Rutland Water, Lyndon Reserve

I also photographed another Common Blue Damselfly which I'll show here as, for those unfamiliar with these, it shows how these colour up from that shown in the previous image when they've been around for a while.

Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) (male) - Rutland Water, Lyndon Reserve

On arrival at Waderscrape Hide I found that all the windows were closed because of the wind, and people, including several children, were keenly watching a couple of Little Egrets in the water immediately in front of the hide. I went down to the far end of the hide and, to my intense embarrassment, opened one of the hide windows. Although I did this very carefully, I sent the egrets flying!

Banished to the corner, my spirits were soon lifted again when a female Marsh Harrier did a pass in front of the hide. Photography was difficult as, after my last effort, I'd not opened the top window in front of me.

Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus) (female) - Rutland Water, Lyndon Reserve

Fortunately, a Little Egret returned to the water in front of the hide and, by this time, I'd got the top window open. The vegetation in front of the hide has grown quite high and, even with standing on tip-toe, it was difficult to get shots of the bird without the blur of blowing grass heads fouling up the images. In the first image I can imagine the the bird is trying to show that it can look just as tall and impressive as a GWE!

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) - Rutland Water, Lyndon Reserve

I didn't manage to capture the departure of the egret, and the Marsh Harrier did a couple more passes before John arrived at 13h45 - that'll teach you to be late, John!!

The wind was blowing strongly from left to right in front of the hide, and the Egrets were very active - possibly because of the wind. When they were flying with the wind they were jet-propelled, but against the wind they were accommodatingly slow!

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) - Rutland Water, Lyndon Reserve

Juvenile Osprey, T8 put on a bit of a show for us.

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) (juvenile - T8) - Rutland Water, Lyndon Reserve

We had good numbers of people in the hide to watch all this great action, and real enthusiasm was shown by people of all ages, with plenty of questions being asked - and answered to the best of our ability! This was one of those days when it really felt good to be a volunteer.

We had several passes by Little Egrets. This is a different one as you can see by the full set of wing feathers.

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) - Rutland Water, Lyndon Reserve

There was another real bonus when Maya did a lot of leg-dangling followed by a close pass.

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) (female - 'Maya') - Rutland Water, Lyndon Reserve

With a request from my wife to not be back too late for dinner that night, and with John and Barry there to look after the visitors who were thinning out in numbers now, I took my leave at 16h30 and headed homeward. 

On my way home I was pleased to see a Little Owl at my Site No.34, but even more to see on at Site No.41, where we'd not seen one for a long while.

Little Owl (Athene noctua) - my LO Site No.41

Thus ended a day at Rutland water where the expectations had been low, due to the high winds, but the reality was a superb day. It all goes to show that it can be a great place to visit when conditions look less than ideal.

Don't forget Birdfair at Rutland Water this weekend (19th to 21st August, 2016). I'll be on the Leicestershire and Rutland Ornithological Society stand from 09h00 to 11h30 on the Friday. Please call and say hello if you are there.

My next post will probably be back to damsels and dragons, or possibly butterflies.

Thank you for dropping by.