Viewing entries tagged
Dragonfly

Babies!

So I know everyone loves to follow the Osprey projects around the Uk because of the live cams ect, but also because the birds are identifiable so people can really track their progress. Thousands of people watch avidly and know them all by name by now, and I know most pragmatic naturalists are probably cringing right about now, but I do think that in giving individuals names, that people start to realise that these birds are unique, and aren’t just carbon copies of each other. We all have individual characteristics and it’s no different with wildlife. An example of this can be seen below, as last year I found a Male Nightjar that would roost on rocks instead of the typical logs, but only when the weather was bad or it was due to rain. I have a few reasons why I think he would prefer a rock in these circumstances. Rocks don’t sway in the wind, the don’t attract Wood Ants, and should any sun make an appearance, the Rock will warm up. There may be no reason what so ever and whatever the reason, this is the only Nightjar in the area that I’ve documented doing this year on year.
As a result, I’ve come to name him Rocky, and his sandy female Pebbles.

I’ve only found two nests so far in this woodland, with another 4 to go but both females have managed to hatch an egg on the same day, so it’ll be interesting to see how they both develop.
The other pair have chosen the burnt habitat and I’ve come to name them Ash and Tinder. I think this pair is a young pair, as the spot she has chosen to lay her eggs is, well, questionable to say the least. I’ll keep you informed of their progress this season but anything could happen with lots of predators in the area.

One thing I am keeping an eye on is the weather as we’ve gone from 30c heatwave to plummeting temps with strong winds and rain. Not so great for breeding birds, but I did take some of the storms as an opportunity to record some rain storms. If you suffer with mental health issues like myself, you might find listening to these before you sleep really helpful. Stick the headphones on and relax.

Whilst we are on sound, on one of my nocturnal monitoring sessions with the Nightjar I come across a displaying Snipe. This sound is worth talking about, as if you didn’t know already, this sound is produced mechanically. It’s referred to as ‘Drumming’ as the sound is produced during a flight display, where the tail feathers are stiffened and spread out in such a way that the outer feathers catch the air and produce this incredible sound. I heard it for the first time this spring on the Gwent Levels, but this was the first time I’ve heard such a long extended performance.

I’ll leave you with a few ‘arty’ shots of Hard Ferns, Large Skipper and an Emperor Dragonfly on a short social distancing walk with Lee Gregory. Lee is such an asset to Gwent, his natural history knowledge is incredible and he’s such a nice guy! Hopefully when this lockdown is behind us we can get out more often.

Dragon's Continued

I know insects aren’t everybody’s cup of tea, but the way I see it, I have all winter to concentrate on Birds and Mammals and these guys aren’t going to be around for much longer. I was reminded how short this period was during my pursuit to increase the dragonfly species count at The Canyon this year. I’ve noticed that there weren’t any Chasers or Skimmers present when there is usually several buzzing around the lake on a hot sunny day like today. I was reminded on Twitter though, that the season for these types of Dragonfly have already passed and most of the adults have reproduced and have since perished during August. It’s such a short life for a Dragonfly and they all have slightly different peak emergence times throughout the year, which makes a lot of sense from a survival perspective, as this way, they aren’t competing for the same food supplies. Black Darters emerge rather late in the year in comparison to other Darter species, so thankfully there are lots around. 10+ Males are 3 females were spotted in the last two days, which is more than I’ve ever seen at the canyon.

Black Darter Pair - Left Male | Right Female

I’ve known of a couple sites in Ebbw Vale for a while now that holds a rarer hawker species called a Brown Hawker. I’ve been meaning to make a visit myself and was given an extra push after a tweet from Lee Gregory who reported 2 Brown Hawkers at Waun-y-Pound ponds. As the weather was good and I had a meeting in Ebbw Vale, I went straight over there and connected with 2 Brown Hawkers almost instantly upon arriving at the middle pond. I didn’t realise they were so big! I watched one catch a mating pair of Common Darters and it actually ate them both! What a monster! I couldn’t get a great pic but the one I did get shows just how camouflaged they are and also the habitat they chose to roost in which is primarily heather patches.

Brown Hawker

Brown Hawker

Here’s a Southern Hawker, Painted Lady Butterfly and some more of a very obliging male Black Darter.

Froglet Log & Banking Dragons

Only a short stay at Llandegfedd today. Was swiftly greeted by another two boys on off-road vehicles thru the wild flower meadows again so that didn't put me in a great mood but this Froglet did save the day followed by a stunning Male Migrant Hawker hunting in the peeping sunshine that was trying so hard to make an appearance today. These weren't my intended subjects for today but sometimes you just have to make the most of what you're given. 

Heather Monitoring with Surprise Bird!

Todays heather monitoring went really well! Only had little showers but for the most part it remained really warm and sunny. Only a few grasshoppers on the uplands now though and plenty of movement with the Meadow Pipits, Skylarks and Swallows so 'term has ended' for this years summer birds. On that note though, a typically 'winter bird' was flushed on our travels and we were shocked to find out it was a Short-eared Owl! This was a first for me so at that point my excitement levels hit the roof. The bird remained on topic for the rest of our trip but we had work todo so couldn't get too distracted. We covered a very large distance today but I won't give away location incase this particular owl was on breeding territory. It's not impossible though that it was just an early winter visitor. 

South Sebastopol Insects

A single Migrant Hawker was the only large Dragonfly on the canal today along with plenty of Common Darters that like to sun themselves on the pathway. Despite them having vibrant colours, they are actually quite difficult to spot when they remain still. 

Golden-ringed Dragonfly

Golden-ringed Dragonfly / South Sebastopol

September so far has been a little mixed, mainly down to how unpredictable the weather has been but overall, not bad at all! It's even been warm enough for the Hawkers, Club-tails and Darters to be on the wing and despite having the heat, I found this Golden-ringed perched up eating a wasp. It was so distracted and subdued that while still eating this wasp it allowed me to pick it up! You can really see the size on these beautifully striking dragonflies and I have to say, I think they may well be a personal favourite of mine. 

Emperor Dragonflies gone?

Despite the sun making an appearance the last two days, there has been no sign of flying or perched Emperor Dragonflies, this is a clear sign of the end of summer but all's not lost on the Dragonfly front just yet because this is where the Hawkers take over the party. On this particular patch, the dominant species has been Emperor's for the most of the year but now they aren't around, Southern Hawkers have moved in. With nothing to chase them off territory, they can carry on getting the last of they're breeding out of the way quick enough before summer really does end and the cooler weather leads them to either die or hibernate. There are sections of the Canal that aren't favourable to Emperors and you'll find in those area's, they will be dominated by Common, Migrant or Southern Hawkers. These areas are usually surrounded by trees or woodland rather than meadows. Emperors will happily perch up in a meadow to roost and also actively hunt over fields but Hawker dragonflies favour woodland areas and can tolerate more shaded areas. It is this reason that (despite their frequent fighting) both species can thrive on a long water system like a canal. Soon however, the open grassland that surrounds this particular section of the canal will soon be lost and we may see a drop in numbers of Emperors as a result. With large houses either side of the canal system, we won't see the same amount of sun getting to the water and that will effect the dragonfly/damselfly activity.

Emperor Dragonflies gone?

Despite the sun making an appearance the last two days, there has been no sign of flying or perched Emperor Dragonflies, this is a clear sign of the end of summer but all's not lost on the Dragonfly front just yet because this is where the Hawkers take over the party. On this particular patch, the dominant species has been Emperor's for the most of the year but now they aren't around, Southern Hawkers have moved in. With nothing to chase them off territory, they can carry on getting the last of they're breeding out of the way quick enough before summer really does end and the cooler weather leads them to either die or hibernate. There are sections of the Canal that aren't favourable to Emperors and you'll find in those area's, they will be dominated by Common, Migrant or Southern Hawkers. These areas are usually surrounded by trees or woodland rather than meadows. Emperors will happily perch up in a meadow to roost and also actively hunt over fields but Hawker dragonflies favour woodland areas and can tolerate more shaded areas. It is this reason that (despite their frequent fighting) both species can thrive on a long water system like a canal. Soon however, the open grassland that surrounds this particular section of the canal will soon be lost and we may see a drop in numbers of Emperors as a result. With large houses either side of the canal system, we won't see the same amount of sun getting to the water and that will effect the dragonfly/damselfly activity. 

Southern Dragonfly 

Emerald Damselfy

Was nice to see an Emerald Damselfly on my local patch on the Canal today! There are such high numbers of Common Blue/Azure's and also Red-eyed Damselflies that anything else in the mix is a nice bonus. Emperors are still on the wing so long as the sun is out but it doesn't look like we're going to be getting much of that this month. 

Odd Weekend Out

If there was one thing I've learned this weekend, it's to stay with what your familiar with this time of year, if you'd like to get better pictures that is. I ventured to a few different sights this weekend, Magor Marsh, Forest Farm, WWT Llanelli and Parc Slip, all in a bid to explore new locations to broaden my species list this year. Although all these locations were beautiful and diverse, I wished I stayed home and worked my local patch. Not only would I have got better photographs but I would have had more time in the field. I really don't think I made the most of the sunlight we had on Saturday and a full rainy/cloudy day on Sunday really made me realise how much that sun makes a difference to our wildlife activity. At WWT Llanelli there wasn't a single Dragonfly in sight! That said, we spent more time exploring the place than digging.