Gary T's Birding Blog: June 2013

Sunday 30th June 2013

Whinchat (Male)

Decided to have another Exmoor trip today. Another try for the Whinchats, and anything else we can find.

Whinchat (Male)

Whinchat (Female)

Saturday 29th June 2013

Downy Emerald (Male)

Priddy pools today, nice, warm, sunny day. Butterflies and Dragonflies…..

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Not too bad, some nice pix too.

We decided to go to the Avon Gorge to see the Peregrines, and get some food while we were waiting. There were 4 juvenile birds flying about with one adult.

Peregrine Falcon (Juvenile)

Wednesday 26th June 2013

Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly

Return to the Scarce Blue-tails after work today. More sightings, 3 possibly more there.

A quick look in at the Red-veined Darter site, from last year, on my way home, produced a really nice find for me!!!! No Darters, but a tiny little pool held some Blue-tailed Damselflies, which just didn't look quite right. A closer look, and i was right, they were Scarce Blue-tailed Damselflies! Wow! How lucky was that…..? I will be back…….

Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly (Male)

Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly (Female)

Sunday 23rd June 2013

Green-winged Teal

Two returns to Slimbridge WWT today, myself and the Green-winged Teal! This time it showed quite well, but similarly to the Phalarope, it stayed a bit too distant for the camera.

Green-winged Teal

Avocet

Also there the 3 pairs of breeding Avocets were showing quite well. Amazing really….

Avocet

Thursday 20th June 2013

Yesterday after work, i had a quick visit to Slimbridge WWT, as a Green-winged Teal had been found on the Rushy pool. But, when i got there the bird had gone!!! So todays news of a Summer plumaged female Red-necked Phalarope was a shock, and a worrying few hours in work, lead to me visiting there again today. With a bit more luck today…it never really came close enough for decent pix, but….. not too bad considering.

Red-necked Phalarope

I actually saw my very first Red-necked Phalarope at Slimbridge many years before, hope the same fate doesn't end this ons life…….Sparrowhawk!

While waiting, hoping for some closer photos a few other bits and bobs came into camera range.

Green Sandpiper

Oystercatcher

Tuesday 18th June 2013

Great-crested Newt (Male)

Met up with a friend, after work, who had found a good site for Great Crested Newt in Bristol. First ones i have seen up close.

Great-crested Newt (Female)

Broad-bodied Chaser

The small pool also had a male Broad-bodied Chaser.

Sunday 16th June 2013

Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly search today, in the New Forest.

Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly (Male)

After a heads up from my friend Adrian Riley, we tried Latchmore Brook, instead of the usual site of Mill Lawns Brook. It proved to be a good choice, although i only found one male, the views were better than the last one i saw!

A search around other sites gave me nothing to report really, shame…..

Sunday 9th June 2013

Rang a friend yesterday and arranged a trip to Woolston Eyes reserve in Cheshire, to photograph breeding Black-necked Grebes. Sadly, when we got into the hides, reality hit home, the water level was really low, and the Grebe numbers were also low, also the birds were always too far from the hides to photograph. Even so, i nice little reserve, which i will visit again one day. Not a complete loss though, as i saw and heard Willow Tit!

After the disappointment, we travelled to Whixhall Moss, to see the White-faced Darters. Last time we struggled to find more than 5 or 6. This time there were lots, but no Large Heath butterflies, yet! Also we had our best views of Raft Spiders.

White-faced Darter (Male)

White-faced Darter (Female)

Raft Spider

Saturday 8th June 2013

The Forest of Dean today, to try to photograph, or even see Wood Warblers (again)!!!!!

This time with a bit of success……

Wood Warbler

At last!!!!!!!! Would have liked him at eye level, but hey…………...

Tuesday 4th June 2013

Common Heath Moth

A Butterfly wander after work. Rodbourough Common, near Stroud, looking for Duke of Burgundy. After searching for a fair while around the top of the slopes, and seeing some Butterflies and Moths.

Dingy Skipper

Forester Moth

Duke of Burgundy

I decided to walk down the very steep slope towards the road at the bottom. Almost straight away i found a male Duke of Burgundy holding territory.
After getting some nice pix of that one, i decided to look for more. Did find another one, but not as co-operative as the first one. Did find a lifer though, a new (to me) Orchid, Narrow-leaved Helleborine, very nice.

Narrow-leaved Helleborine

Sunday 2nd June 2013

Exmoor today, try Hodders Combe and others if possible, for Wood Warbler and anything else. Also have a look around Exmoor for Whinchat maybe.

Common Carpet

Whinchat

Walked along the Combe, and heard Wood Warbler at a couple of places. No sign though. Did find a Spotted Flycatcher along the track, then saw the Wood Warblers , but they were always up the top of the trees, very hard to get photos of there! Only thing i managed to photograph there was a Common Carpet moth!

We left there and drove up onto Exmoor proper. Stonechats and Meadow Pipits seemed to be everywhere. I did manage to find a Tree Pipit there as well. Then an odd scratchy song made me stop, and look for the bird. Glad i stopped too, as it was a male Whinchat. So out came the camera, and a game of hide & seek began. Not sure if i actually won the game, but did get some half decent shots, so probably a winning draw as they say!

Whinchat

Saturday 1st June 2013

A Dragonfly trip today, looking for Club-tailed Dragonfly, at Goring-on-Thames. As with most of our trips before to this area, there were Red Kites knocking about.

Swallow

When we arrived there were also a pair of Egyptian Geese there, first time i had seen them there! The usual Swallows & House Martins were coming down to a sandy/damp area in a garden, with some building work being done.

House Martin

Then off to the river, our other visits here have produced teneral (juvenile) Club-tails, but very few adults. Sadly this trip was to be the same. But, its a heat spot anyway, as you can actually watch the larvae crawl up the wall, harden off, and hatch, then when they are ready fly off. An amazing process. Well worth a trip, just to see this happen.

We then went a couple of miles away to Hartslock nature reserve, for Orchids. Not been here before. Nice, but a bit of a hill. The Orchids there, included the same selection i had seen in Spain last month! Lady and Monkey Orchid, and there were some hybrid Lady x Monkey Orchids too.

Club-tailed Dragonfly

Monkey Orchid

Lady x Monkey Orchid (Hybrid)