Blog Archive

Thursday 27 August 2015

REGUA at the Bird Fair

After a hectic three days at the Bird Fair, I was looking forward to a relaxing couple of days.  However, the Bird Fair Blues hit hard and I seemed to spend much of my time drifting through other peoples' posts about the BF.   So here's my review and thanks.

It was a brilliant Fair with lots of enthusiastic people visiting the REGUA stand where my fellow volunteers and I discuss paradise every day with anyone silly enough to hesitate as they passed by.


The calm before the storm!

Usually we have a mix of visitors to the stand, some who have already visited, others who are planning to go and a few who haven't got a clue what the project is all about.   this year it felt as if pretty much everyone knew of the project and more people than ever before we either planning a trip or had already booked.   There was a really positive feeling about the whole event.

With two new books published recently; Birds of the Serra dos Orgaõs and Dragonflies and Damselflies of the Serra dos Orgaõs, interest in REGUA publications was high, and we sold out of the Bird books on Saturday, but took orders to be fulfilled when more supplies are available.

We also had the Michael Palin narrated film on hand - watching Verity White's fantastic film of my favourite place did not help the emotion stay in check.

In addition to the usual team of Rachel, Lee, Alan and myself, we had the excellent support of Ken and Andrew - which allowed us a break or two.

So, all in all a great time was had by all.    Thanks to everyone who stopped to talk, you make it all worthwhile.

It will be REGUA's 10th anniversary at the Bird Fair next year, so we have some planning to do!

Wednesday 19 August 2015

A two Hawkmoth Day!

Two Hummingbird Hawkmoth at Dungeness today.  Always a special sighting, although Whinchat, Wheatear, Wood Sandpiper, Clouded Yellow and Migrant Hawker were more highlights.  

See the Hummingbird Hawkmoth here

A Pine Hawkmoth from the trap at the Obs, was a first for me too.

Pine Hawkmoth

Monday 17 August 2015

Reculver

There's nothing quite like a day at the seaside - especially when there are grey skies and showers, but with some positive thinking and a cup of tea in a nearby café anything can be achieved.

. . . . . . or so we hoped . . . . . .

but with a strong breeze coming in off the sea and a high tide, it was not going to be an easy day to find birds - or anything else for that matter!

Reculver Beach
Around Reculver Towers is the spot for Black Redstart, but with lots of holiday visitors, many with dogs, even the feral pigeons were moving away so it wasn't going to show off.

Eventually I found it on the concrete breakwater below the Towers, flitting around and being blown by the wind.   Sally and I had good views, if a little quick, before we called the others.   Unfortunately, it flew off west and despite our best endeavours we could not find it again.

Along the promenade, did catch up with Turnstone, Ringed Plover and a possible Sanderling on the beach just before a roaming dog put them up.

Inland, there were eight Little Egret roosting on the leeward side of a tree - again, they were disturbed by a passing walker.
Looking back to the Towers in the distance

As avian delights were not going to be too obtainable today, we moved to insects and plants.   This was helped by Malcolm's cap blowing off and requiring a rather long detour to retrieve it from below the seawall.

Fleabane was flowering well, and knapweeds and thistles were providing vital food for many insects.  These were enjoying the shelter inside the seawall.   Stonecrop had flowered and made a great architectural study.

What was really interesting were the number of snails we found.  Although some of the shells were empty, the majority had pale inhabitants, many of them clustered around the base of wild carrot.   It was quite a feat not to step on them, the crunch of broken snail shells is not something I like, and luckily the few I did not miss were empty, but I did look as if I was doing some strange dance on occasions.

Apples and sloes were fruiting well, and thoughts turned to apple and blackberry crumble, and lunch!
Not before we noticed a few insects - which are becoming a new interest for me, but I have only managed one identification:
Hoverfly - Syrphus ribseii?

After lunch we set of for Grove Ferry, and the viewpoint from where there were some very distant Black-tailed Godwit, and a sandpiper that may have been the Wood Sandpiper reported.   It was too far for me to be happy, just a 'peep with long-ish legs!   Ringed Plover a little nearer was far less of a challenge.

From the David Feast Hide there were varied ducks in eclipse, but we managed to work out Mallard, Teal, Gadwall, Pochard and Shoveler.
They look so different out of their full plumage.















Sunday 16 August 2015

Blue Butterflies

Blue butterflies are so confusing, but here some to ponder over:





Firstly, I think this is Common Blue, and note how think the wings are - you can see the underwing markings through it.










Next comes, I think, Brown Argus
































Thirdly, I think, Chalk Hill Blue








But I am open to persuasion otherwise!

Saturday 15 August 2015

Lullingstone & Fackenden Down

Nice walk this week with Banded Demoiselle - always good to see - with over a dozen males and at least two females.   Adding to the day was an Odonata tick for me; White-legged Damselfly.  Rubbish photos which will end up in the bin, but it was good to find.   Several males and a female.

Banded Demoiselle
After lots of coastal sites recently, was good to see some different flora species - Dark Mullein, Dwarf Thistle and I love scabious, so seeing fields with lots of wild flower species including many scabious was a delight.

Birds took a bit of a back seat on this walk, although a young Robin was great to see and Treecreeper was found by the visitor centre, feeding on a tree trunk completely oblivious to the crowd gathering below.
Dark Mullein & insect (id required)

A group of House Martins fed over the fields, chattering as they went, and there were a few Swallow higher up.

Several insect photographs will just be adding to my ever-expanding collection of "id required"s

Friday 14 August 2015

Happiness is a day in Derbyshire!

Last weekend saw the second Hen Harrier Day (HHD) take place.   Although there were several events around the Country, as last year I was drawn back to my home county of Derbyshire, this time to the Goyt Valley near Buxton.
Derbyshire hills, with vegetation burned off


Saturday evening was spent listening to Mark Avery, Mike Clarke (CEO RSPB), Finlay Wilde (brilliant young conservationist), Jeremy Deller (Conceptual artist) and Chris Packham (amongst others).   Speaking of the reasons why it is so important for our natural heritage to be restored and preserved, and how the blanket monoculture of grouse shooting is changing our landscape, each speaker brought a different perspective.

Mike Clarke talked of his early birding days in Kent, seeing hen harriers at Cliffe Pools and Capel Fleet Viewpoint - both places I regularly visit and where I have had the pleasure and delight of seeing the same species in the past - my last being a male at Capel Fleet three years ago.      

Finlay showed a "mash-up" - a film showing how he (and his Dad) built the large scale props for this year's HHD - a huge poison bottle, model rifle, gin trap and shooting butt - which was used as the lectern.    He brought great news - Ecotricity are going to sponsor some radio transmitters on hen harriers, adding to those already sponsored by LUSH (producers of some of the best smelling cosmetics ever).   You can purchase a Hen Harrier Bath Bomb in support (while stocks last!).

Jo Smith and team
Chris Packham rounded off the evening with a great speech, factual, emotional, passionate and considered - brilliant as always!

After an overload of emotion, it was time for us all to prepare ourselves for an outing in the Derbyshire hills - not before we had availed ourselves of a Famous Grouse, enjoyed in the foyer of the Palace Hotel!

Driving to this year's venue, huge expanses of moorland stretched in every direction, some covered in bracken and heather, others sadly burned as part of the "land management".   Travelling towards the Goyt Valley, brought back memories of family walks as a child, being dragged along by my parents, mum pointing out plants and insects, dad striding ahead and me moody that I couldn't stay at home with my friends!   How pleased I am that I had those walks now, although rather distant memories, so much of what I learned in those early years came back to me.
Mark Avery sorting out the seating arrangements (Lol)

A short walk from the Car Park to the meeting point could have taken around 10-15 minutes, an hour and a half later we had just arrived, with a few minutes to spare.   The journey was slow and thoroughly enjoyable - taking photographs of all sorts of things that I will probably never be able to fully identify.   People were offering advice and suggestions along the way - from "you'll never get there if you keep taking photos" to "thats Tachina grosso" - happy days, lots of lovely people willing to share.

The meeting itself was great, lots of supportive people who want to bring our uplands and moors back to a thriving biodiverse environment which has room for wildlife as well as people, and with that change from monoculture grouse production where all predators are culled to ensure that the maximum income comes from grouse shooting (particularly driven grouse shooting) will come a return of the Hen Harrier and other top end predators including buzzard, fox, stoat, weasel - even hare are being killed.
Chris Packham listens to Mark Avery

Great speeches from Mark Avery, Charlie Moores (BAWC), Jeff Knott (RSPB),  Jo Smith (Derbyshire Wildlife Trust), and Chris Packham.   A passion for wildlife ran through all their presentations, a desire to change our denudation of habitat and biodiversity back to a thriving community, and most of all a wish to make the area where we met into a safe place where hen harriers and other birds of prey would be breeding and thriving.  

Buoyed up by the stirring talk and the huge crowd it was soon, reluctantly time to leave and our walk back to the car park probably took even longer than before.   Again, helpful locals gave ID - Antler moth and Dark-green Fritillary to name but two.   Bilberry was fruiting well, harebells dipped their heads in the sunlight, ragwort, foxgloves and heather were all flowering well.   On the avian front a stonechat family kept in close contact with each other - the juvenile looking well fed and content, and just to add to our delight, as we neared the end of the walk, a peregrine soared overhead - hopefully one day we will see more than one bird of prey in a day walking in Derbyshire!

Thanks to everyone who organised and attended, and Pete for his entertaining company and whiskey!

More photos of the day can be seen here

Sunday 2 August 2015

Oare

Always a joy to visit - and the nearest I would come to having a "patch" if not exactly 'local' - Oare today was a delight!

Oare Marshes
Beautiful weather, a large group of keen folk, and the prospect of some interesting migrant waders to look for - what could be better?   Well finding those migrants for a start, but you can't have everything in life, so we were just delighted with what we DID see.

Thanks to the generosity of spirit of other birders there we managed to catch up with Spotted Redshank, Curlew Sandpiper, Knot and Little Stint.  The several hundred waders enjoying the safety of the flood including Dunlin, Redshank and Black-tailed Godwit, in all their myriad shades of orangey-red, were a spectacle.

With a list of over 50 species, including Yellow Wagtail, Bearded Tit, Whimbrel, Common Tern, Sedge and Reed Warbler we did not have chance to relax!
"David Bowie" Bee

Added to this avian mix were some rather interesting iridescent beetles, an orange-headed "David Bowie" style Bee and several ladybirds to identify.   One we did manage to name was Adonis Ladybird, also Drinker Moth Caterpillar.

With flying ants providing excellent feeding the sky was at times full of Swallow and the occasional House Martin.

Waders

Saturday 1 August 2015

Least Lettuce

Least Lettuce Lactuca saligna, is an intriguing plant, thought to be extinct in about half of its known sites by 1930.   Native to the UK, but introduced throughout the world, there are reports of its presence in the USA, Australia, and many other regions of the world.

However, it loves the sandy shingle and old sea walls with sparse vegetation.   It used to be on the banks and rivers of East Anglia and occasionally on paths and cliffs in Essex.   It was known to have survived in East Anglia until 1953.

Least Lettuce Plant
The Sussex population was dramatically reduced by the inundation of sea water in the 1990's, but the Essex population continued to thrive.   It seemed to benefit from cattle grazing.

In Kent it was re-found on the Isle of Grain in 1999, and there is a site on the Isle of Sheppey which has been know to hold around 1000 plants.

So with this in mind, we had to go and try to find them!

Sadly, the site has had the 'benefit' of some sluice upgrading which appears to have covered the majority of the site in concrete.   However we did find at least 80 plants holding on, and hopefully they will spread again if left undisturbed.

A plant which is easy to overlook, even when you know it is present - as can be seen from the rather poor photos!