Saturday, 16 May 2015

Dawn Chorus and Marsh Fritillary

A great early morning trip to Cotswold Waterpark to listen to Nightingales.
Sedge Warbler


Reed Bunting

Sunday, 10 May 2015

Moth Trapping - May (1)

An attempt at being a little more systematic in my approach to moth recording this year - it was all a bit overwhelming last time with sometimes well over two hundred moths in the trap.

So I started early in the season and set the trap up on Saturday night.


The result may have been only four moths but they were all different - and I had a go at identifying them all.
Garden Carpet

Hebrew Character

Puss Moth

Shuttle-Shaped Dart

Saturday, 14 March 2015

Tadpole Diary - Part 2

I've checked the everyday but it was a while before anything seemed to happen!! The eggs' black centres remained stubbornly round.   Then eventually some two weeks after we got them home - we finally noticed the classic comma shape.


Something is happening


Sunday, 1 March 2015

Tadpole Diary - Part 1

As a bit of an educational experiment to engage the whole family in more nature things, we decided to try and raise some froglets from frogspawn and follow this part of the lifecycle.

I know we're not really encouraged to do this kind of thing anymore and the risk of spreading disease is always there, but we took care to check that the ponds weren't infected.  we also made a promise to ourselves return the froglets to the same place we got them from.

We found some pretty easily in a local pond and took just a few from the carpet of spawn that was present.


Our Frogspawn

Friday, 31 October 2014

In summary


It's been a blast, I've learned loads. Introduced myself to some species I knew nothing about - and taking the photographs forced me to do the identification rather than just idly speculating what something might be.

What's been good is the interactions with the county recorders.  I got in touch four times and got a response every time.  All of them were new records for the area - so that was pretty rewarding.

I would have liked to have done more in the Cemetery where I started but being on crutches for the last half made that impractical.

On the whole I'm pleased with the way it went.   I would have liked to have got more mammals beyond the squirrel.  I had the shots planned for bat, badger and deer all of which were definitely getable.    Voles, mice and hedgehogs are all local too - but I'd need to get really lucky to get those.

Would have been good to get the grass snake I missed by not being able to get the lens cap off quickly enough.

I missed a few butterflies and other cool insects.  Also had lots of other planned shots of articular trees in full greernery - which didn't look as good in autumn

But I can't complain I did get the aftermath of two hurricanes Bertha  and Gonzalo and found shots for the most murky and bland of  days.  Extending beyond the cemetery had its benefits I got fish, crabs and lots of things I would never have got.  I'll take a break for a while and then start a new nature blog and just do it from time to time.


A Kentish Snail from day 98 - one of the many photos I took that I didn't tweet.
 

Day 100: Enduring Lichens

As close as I could make it the same shot as Day 1.   I thought it would be a nice way to finish.

Over the 100 days

The summer birds have all gone
Most of the leaves have gone
Most of the flowers have gone
Most of the insects have died off and are hibernating
Hibernation has begun for many animals

But the lichens are implacable...

Thursday, 30 October 2014

Day 99 More Autumnal colours

Another lunchtime trip to Ruskin Mill - this time some nice riverside vegetation with great autumnal colours.