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Butterflies
Yet another Small Copper in Sebastopol: This time in a different meadow altogether. Fred the Terrapin was out on one of his favourite logs and yet another Kingfisher making an appearance on the typical perch on this stretch of water. I'll be setting up a little hide soon behind this perch in the woodland behind. Who knows, I may get lucky!
After yesterdays successful session on the Canal, I had to try it again. No sign of that Grasshopper Warbler but on the Butterfly count, the patch produced yet again! I had 2 sightings at different times and slightly different area's of Small Copper, for which the most part is pretty rare these days in Gwent.. To see 2 in one day is pretty good and an indicator that the sight may be good for that butterfly for whatever reasons..(right temperature, right food plants/habitat etc). All this is in vein however because these fields will be completely extinct and replaced with houses. My Terrapin Friend 'Fred' was out in the Sun again today and actually allowed me to get pretty darn close today! I could reach out and grab him if I wanted to! (perhaps I should have)?...I kind of like his presence now if I'm honest, I know it's sad but I welcome seeing him on the Canal. If only they didn't cause so much damage to our ecosystem. A Kingfisher made a short appearance on the Canal which seemed to be using the wall as a perch, which is all it really has. I'm going to use that lack of perch and put my own there so that it has something to use and who knows, maybe one day i'll be well hidden enough for it to not notice me and I'll get that shot I'm still waiting for. Our local Sparrowhawks and Buzzards both managed to fledge their chicks today also! The Sparrowhawk chicks (2) were flying around the tree tops and making a hell of a racket. The buzzard chick (1) was doing similar things while practising landing on thin branches.
Not for lack of trying! But I failed to get a photograph of a Grasshopper warbler on my patch! It's probably just passing thru so not confirmed breeding record but this general area has been untouched by birders including myself since I've moved here, so you never know! The habitat looked really good for Grasshopper Warbler with the Canal pretty close for water and plenty of scrubland. This so happens to be the only meadow in the area that hasn't been cut yet this year and clearly it is producing the goods. Also had Common Blue, Holly Blue, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Speckled Wood and a couple 5 Spot Burnet Moths. A lot of movement today from the Swifts and House Martins and Swallows which are already starting to move south. I've heard that a few Swallows are already starting their second brood though so I'm sure we'll have a few sticking around right into August, maybe even September for a select late few.
Emperors still on the wing! Had another Golden-ringed flyby. No chance in getting a photograph of one of those.. Their behaviour is completely different to that of an Emperor. An Emperor will fly a relatively small territory, often in circles or 'race track strips': going round and round defending that patch so that females can lay their eggs on his patch. He will chase off any males that enter into that territory, including other dragonflies with the exception of the smaller damselflies that seem to live along side them very well. Even the Golden-ringed will be chased off as I have seen many times this month. If a female flies higher than 1ft, she will also be targeted! The males are very good hunters and can catch and eat on the wing.
You wonder why I spend so much time at Llandegfedd? Well, finding a Dark Green Fritillary is worth the extra visits! They have been reported there in the past but I've never seen them for myself so this visit was extra special. Great White Egret is still present, though very flighty! I haven't managed to get within 100feet of the bird. I guess this is probably down to the amount of photographers that have already tried photographing it. Perhaps some of them getting too close and making the bird more spooked about human activity. I did also get some photographs of a Common Sandpiper but this is being reviewed as the bird seems to have fishing line stuck to its feet. Yet another bird to fall victim to irresponsible fisherman.
So much activity today, I don't know where to start! As a naturalist, it is very hard to document everything this time of year. It all happens so fast and all at the same time. A single Hobby was spotted and as a result, I missed a great opportunity with the Great White Egret.. Just the way it goes sometimes haha. Dragonfly activity today was fantastic! I got a new species (at least for me) at Llandegfedd in the form of an Emerald Damselfly. Not the best photograph of the Emerald though as it is slightly out of focus but good enough ID shot. Single Banded Demoiselle and plenty of Broad-bodied Chasers. Marbled Whites were abundant and the Great White Egret wasn't playing game at all... It is really shy. Altogether, a fabulous day. If you read yesterdays blog, I didn't manage to find that lure so I just hope that it doesn't end up being picked up again.
Spent an hour up Blaenserchan today after work, what a lovely hour it was! Greeted by the Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries and seen out by a pair of Redstarts and a Male Cuckoo that I ALMOST missed lol. Just cut off his wing....
I've spent a lot of time at Llandegfedd this month so far for many reasons. What with the sun being out in the last couple of days, I saw the opportunity to record this years Butterflies and also wanted to check up on the Tawny Owls as I've been worried about their success this year compared to last year where they only managed to raise 1 chick. Well, I can happily report that they managed to raise 2 chicks that have since fledged and are up in a very tall oak tree. Prior to this sun, we actually had some really bad rain which effected many of our breeding birds in the UK. I've had stories of failing Goshawks and lots of flooded Meadow Pipit nests so far so lets hope we have some dry weather for a week or so to get them back on the right track. As I mentioned in my previous post, I had a meeting with Welsh Water on the 5th and I'm so happy to report that the meeting was very positive and though nothing is on paper yet, it looks like Welsh Water will accept the help of Gwent Wildlife Trust and work in partnership so improve/maintain the wildlife requirements onsite. This is exactly what I've been working hard for in the last 2 years since I started 'Llandegfedd Res Wildlife Community' on Facebook. I just hope that things move along smoothly and all the legal/financial are sorted asap so that work can be done ready for next year. I also managed to spend an hour up Blaenserchan in search of the beautiful Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary and within 2 minutes of walking up the path from the main car park I was greeted by 4 PBF escaping the harsh winds. I certainly had luck on my side as for the rest of the trip I didn't see a single butterfly as the winds really took over and most were hunkered down.
Today was a memorable day! Absolutely beautiful weather and plenty of fantastic wildlife showing really well for the camera. Lots of species of Damselfly on the canal already making the most of that warm sun, including this years first Emperor Dragonflies which are the first to emerge out of the larger Dragonflies. Llandegfedd's trip was short but wow! What a time! Some good and bad news however, the good news came in the form a Tawny Owl! She/He was hunting in the day time! Must be making up for the terrible weather we've had in the last couple days as it does have chicks to feed. The female Mandarin with her 4 chicks looked to be doing well until I examined the photos and it looks like she has a fishing hook stuck in her shoulder... Just in time to show Welsh Water at an official meeting with myself and the heads. Wish me luck! I have a full blown presentation ready for this meeting and I'm hoping that I'll have some good news to share with you as a result. There are a few exciting things happening at Llandegfedd, some of which, I can't even tell you!
