Bleak In Bowland!

Definitely bleak in Bowland, and not much pen and paper used - non actually - in my latest trip there on Friday. In fact I was almost in despair when I realised I hadn't even taken the little black book out of my pocket for the entire 5 hours....I'm convinced this was a first in my 150 years of birding.

But the visit served it's purpose well, and I now know that Harrisend probably has two wintering pairs of Stonechat. With my 'now you see me, now you don't' theory, a pair seen, and a lone male with which I failed to locate it's mate. Otherwise, 8 Red Grouse seen/heard, and a Cormorant flew over the fell purposefully east....can't imagine what that was all about.

Red Grouse. Pete Woodruff.

After my last two visits to Hawthornthwaite on 15 Oct/10 Nov, I found no Stonechat here again on Friday, but noted up to 10 Red Grouse.

Small Blue.

This signage still stands erected at Fenham Carr in Williamson Park and I took a pik of it again last week, it's been featured on B2B before. It is sheer nonsense and you wonder who commissioned it to illustrate the wildlife to be found in the park. It shows a Small Blue butterfly - top right of centre - which is not to be found anywhere near Williamson Park which couldn't grow the butterfly's food plant of Kidney Vetch if it tried.

Small Blue © Dave Miller

The nearest Small Blue colonies are more likely to be found on the Cumbrian coast around Whitehaven and Maryport.

Tern Attack.

I was quite pleased with the result of this video of the Common Tern attack on an Oystercatcher on Conder Pool in 2019. 

View Full Screen

It's been nominated for an Oscar for musical score!!  😋

Note....If the video doesn't work first time, hopefully it might on your next visit to the page.

The One Hour Affair!

What was only going to be a couple of hours birding on Wednesday, turned out to be just a one hour affair when a phone call had me aborting and heading back to Lancaster.

But the timing to start my hour's birding was spot on, when I arrived at Conder Pool the Great White Egret was showing well, and a bonus to the third sighting for me of this elegant heron, was a sift through 52 Black-headed Gull and a few Common Gull which produced a smart adult Mediterranean Gull and a drake Goosander. In the creeks, a circuit turned up the Spotted Redshank and the Common Sandpiper which was down by the iron bridge.

There was little action of note on the Lune Estuary, though up to 1,750 Golden Plover were over on the Colloway side....But now my mobile is ringing!

Later in the afternoon I took a stroll through the local Williamson Park, to find a Nuthatch, Long-tailed Tits and a Coal Tit which rose just above the more expected Blue Tit and Great Tit, it was good to hear a Song Thrush in song as I left at 3.50pm.

The Small Blue. 

Every time I look at this board on Fenham Carr in Williamson Park, I'm puzzled why the six illustrations of five butterflies and a moth, includes that of a Small Blue butterfly. It isn't clear which of the butterflies is the Small Blue in my shot of the board, but it's the one top right of centre.

Small Blue Marc Heath

The Small Blue is the smallest native British butterfly and is a Priority Species for conservation, its main habitat are dry sheltered areas of grassland where Kidney Vetch grows, but isn't to be found anywhere near this location at Fenham Carr in Lancaster, and I don't understand why it is illustrated on the info board. 

The Hover-Fly.

One day last week I discovered what I eventually learned was a hover-fly on a flower in our garden. Dashing off to get my camera I was fortunate enough to get some pretty good pics - by my standards - of this individual. 

 

Helophilus pendulus  Pete Woodruff

The photograph above was featured at the foot of my previous post The Dunlin and two others with the request for anyone who could help identify it and I was grateful for the correspondent who gave me his answer to the ID. 

Helophilus trivittatus/pendulus 

In the photograph above the two hover-flies are shown as Helophilus trivittatus at the top, and H. pendulus at the bottom. The result of my always liking to get to the bottom of any given ID challenge and some research brought me to discover that following a study of the two images and comparing them with the individual in the garden the hover-fly was in fact the more common of the two the Helophilus pendulus.

The hover-flies include some of our most colourful and spectacular flies. There are about 250 species in the British Isles and, as well as their remarkable ability to hover, most of them display a swift, darting flight. Many hover-flies are excellent mimics of bees and wasps, although they are easily distinguished by the much shorter, drooping antennae. The larvae are extremely varied in both appearance and behaviour and include carnivores, vegetarians and scavengers, whilst the adult feeds on nectar....Learning something new every day.  

As for the butterflies - which we're not seeing many of this summer - here's a couple you won't be seeing anyway if you live in the same area that I do, and both are Priority Species for conservation due to loss of habitat resulting in the fall in population.

  Heath Fritillary Marc Heath 

The Heath Fritillary can be found in the south including Kent, Essex, Cornwall, and Devon where 130 Heath Fritillary butterflies were released in 2007 in order to re-establish a colony lost at a site in the county.

Small Blue Marc Heath

And the Small Blue which has the distinction of being the smallest native British butterfly .

Thanks for the butterflies Marc....Excellent.

Butterflies2blog!

It's been a struggle to find the butterflies so far this summer with no need to go into the reason why. Tomorrow (Thursday) looks good weatherwise so things may change then. Meanwhile, until I have the time to post the second half of my birding experiences for Monday last, here are some excellent images of a trio of butterflies with some brief notes - only one of which you'll find locally if you live in the same area of the world as I do - all of which are taken by one of my men in Kent Marc Heath who I thank very much, which reminds me....I must enquire if my permit needs to be renewed!

White Admiral. Marc Heath.

The White Admiral is a Priority Species for conservation due to the continuation of habitat loss - nothing new there then - it prefers shady woodland and woodland rides in mature woodlands with sunny glades of Bramble, it occurs across southern Britain, spreading rapidly since the 1920's.

Small Blue. Marc Heath.

The Small Blue is the smallest native British butterfly and another Priority Species for conservation, its main habitat are dry sheltered areas of grassland where Kidney Vetch grows. In Scotland it is also in decline though its strongholds remain along the Angus coast and Moray Firth.

Purple Hairstreak. Marc Heath.

The Purple Hairstreak lives in self-contained colonies in woodland where Oak trees occur. In my area of North Lancashire it can/could - for example - be found in Eaves Wood and Gait Barrows NNR the full access of which requires a permit, though it does have public paths. 

I'D SOONER BE BIRDING!