Bring On The Hawkers.

By way of a change, a ride on the bus to Conder Green, and a quick look over the creeks had me find an Avocet still there, with a Common Sandpiper and 2 Black-tailed Godwit. Then on to the canal towpath at The Mill to walk about 3 miles to Galgate to find 58 Migrant Hawker, an excellent count which exceeded the one I made on this stretch of the canal around the same date of 20 September 2021 when I found 47.

Migrant Hawkers. Pete Woodruff.

I had close encounters with some of these dragonflies including this pair, with 4 pairs in aerial mating circles, and a female seen ovipositing in the canal side vegetation. I also observed some interesting behaviour not picked up by me before, when a Migrant Hawker was seen continuously drooping and raising its abdomen in flight. 

Also seen, 10 Common Darter all males, and a stunning black/blue male Common Hawker. Bird notes were, 5 Grey Wagtail seen as two pairs and a singleton, also a mewing Buzzard overhead. Butterflies seen where just 3 Large White and a Green-veined White.

When I got to the canal junction at Galgate, a Grey Heron was preening on the railings....King of the castle lock!

Caddisfly. Pete Woodruff.

With 199 species of Caddisfly in the UK, some difficult to ID. Closely related to Lepidoptera, this individual doesn't go beyond Limnephilus sp in my book....Now I'm catching a bus back to Lancaster.

The winter thrushes are here already, with 6 Redwing reported at Gletsdale, Cumbria, 19 September. 

And Finally....How About This Then

Local Goodies!

Some good news I can't hold on to any longer. 

OK....So the pik is rubbish, but it matters not, as it's another first for the best garden in Lancaster LA1. A Chiffchaff took a liking to our plum tree this morning, briefly but long enough for me to get the grab shot through the kitchen window for evidence.

And a little further afield, Ian Mitchells egret fest continued as he found and photographed the dynamic duo of Great White and Little Egret at the Wenning/Lune confluence this very day.

Watch this space for more to come on B2B....Maybe a Baltimore Oriole next!!

Estuarine Pleasantries.

I count myself fortunate that I can leave home, and within 15 minutes can be enjoying the wildlife of places like the Lune Estuary, or maybe 30 minutes away from a day in the Forest of Bowland, the Yorkshire Dales and beyond.

On my latest visit to the Lune Estuary and surroundings, I made a decent count of 16 Mediterranean Gull, one was with Black-headed Gulls on Conder Pool, 8 in fields at the north end of Jeremy Lane, and 6 in a field north of Crook Cottage. As far as I could see, all these birds were adults except one distant bird on Jeremy Lane, which was a 2nd winter with small amounts of black on primaries, and one on the Lune Estuary at Glasson where there was a vanguard of up to 900 Golden Plover.

On Conder Pool, I made a count of 19 Greenshank which equaled my best count here in August last year, also 16 Little Grebe, 20 Tufted Duck, and 16 Canada Geese. Up to 6 Migrant Hawker and 2 Brown Hawker were over and around the pool. A Snipe and female Goosander were of note in the creeks, and House Martin have young still in the nest at River Winds, with two heads looking out and on the verge of fledging.

 

A Kingfisher came on to the outflow on Conder Pool a couple of times and obliged whilst I got some footage, the bird currently seems guaranteed to put in daily appearances on the outflow.

At Cockersand, decent views of a not very obliging Cattle Egret, which thought it was a wader on the tideline and denied me the chance of a classic pik with cattle. Also 7 Swallow flew purposefully north, 22 Linnet were around the abbey, and on Plover Scar, 6 Wheatear, 75 Dunlin, and 17 Ringed Plover.

Earlier in the week, along a short stretch of the canal in Lancaster between Haverbreaks and Deep Cutting, 15 Migrant Hawker seen, and a brief visit to Birk Bank, became a struggle to find a Common Darter female, a Black Darter male, and a Common Hawker.

Parasitoid Wasp.

Pimpla rufipes Pete Woodruff

I got engaged in a little entomology at Glasson Dock. This wasp on a wall disappeared into a cavity for a moment before reappearing. It is a predator, its main host being - but not limited too - the Large White butterfly. There is a huge amount of info on this insect of which there are vast numbers of species worldwide. Historically, parasitoidism in wasps is claimed to have influenced the thinking of Charles Darwin.

Thanks to Ian for his classic image of the Cattle Egret in the new B2B header.

Tom Wilmer.

I was saddened to hear of the death of Tom Wilmer yesterday. 

Although I hadn't seen Tom for many years now, I used to bump into him occasionally often at a twitch, the one that stands out in my memory the best - though many years ago - was the Great Grey Shrike in the Levens area.

It was always a pleasure to meet Tom on the road whilst out birding, he was a birder who 'knew his stuff' and was modest about it, he was never seen to be above anyone about his knowledge. 

Tom Wilmer will be greatly missed by all who knew him....R.I.P. 

Briefly Around The Estuary.

When I gave Conder Green a look in this week, only the faithful 15 Greenshank and c.10 Little Grebe were on Conder Pool, and a wander on the circuit turned up a Ruff and Common Sandpiper in the creeks, and a Willow Warbler on the coastal path....

Red Admiral. Pete Woodruff.

....where there was the surprise of at least 8 Red Admiral together in the same tree. A bigger surprise came with up to 80 Goldfinch in a flock flighty on and off Glasson Marsh. Surprising because I didn't expect to see this number for another month yet, my last record of this kind of number, was of 120 Goldfinch here on 5 October 2019, although I note 80 Goldfinch here mid-September, per LDBWS Annual Report 2020.

Clouded Yellow. Ian Mitchell.

At Cockersand, the plan was a traditional circuit which fell apart when I decided to walk to Bank End instead, to find 3 Clouded Yellow, 4 Common Blue, and a Red Admiral. Along the path, there was a notable up to three figure number of Swallow >south over the marsh, also a similar 80 Goldfinch to the Glasson flock are early post-breeding movements in my book. 

I'm grateful to Ian for his image of the Clouded Yellow at Bank End, albeit the unfortunate individual has damage to its left wing.

When I got back to Cockersand, 2 Wheatear - guaranteed here in spring and autumn- were on the shingle in front of Bank Houses. But....times up, I'm off back to Lancaster!

There was a little drama on my visit around the area today, one natural, one definitely unnatural....

At the north end of Jeremy Lane, around 200m of hedge has been taken out. The violation of this hedge which included reeds, says goodbye to wildlife and conservation. This act of vandalism poses the question....Why do the so called Guardians of the Countryside need to do this.

An approaching thunderstorm was building up from the south, it took three hours to reach Lancaster. 

As the storm passed through Lancaster, a rainbow appeared over the rooftops viewed from our rear bedroom.

Garden Hovers.

I've been seeing and enjoying some decent hoverflies in our garden recently, including this impressively named Episyrphus balteatus....

....and the Helophilus pendulus. Both on the beautiful Chicory flower. 

I'm grateful to two of our neighbours Muriel and James, for sending me the header image of the Small Copper. An excellent record for their garden recently given the worrying decline in numbers of our butterflies.

Hardly Exciting!

Harrisend Stonechat Records 2022.

24 March 6 birds, 2xpairs, female, male

29 April 6 birds, pair, 4xmale

21 June 3 birds, 2xmale, female

1 Sept  male and female, a pair?

Only my fourth visit to Harrisend this year - too much chasing dragonflies - produced just 2 Stonechat found at the top of the ridge, a male and probably a female as opposed to a juvenile too distant to ID. This was just about as disappointing as it could have been, because a) just four visits is a positively depressing number, b) I have had no hard evidence of breeding here this year, though I would suggest four pairs have done so.

During this visit to Harrisend, I was surrounded by hyrundines the entire time spent there, at least 100 birds at one point, the large majority were House Martins with Swallows in the air hawking. In the end, I reckon 1,000 hyrundines were over Harrisend during the 3 hours there. Up to 10 Meadow Pipit, and similar 10 Linnet. Butterflies seen, 3 Red Admiral, 2 Small Tortoiseshell, and a Small Copper.

I decided to call in at Birk Bank to check for dragonfly left-overs to find a Common Hawker - barely 2mm in total length smaller than the Emperor Dragonfly - patrolling the rear of the bog, also 4 Black Darter males, 2 Red Admiral, and a Small Copper.

Conder Update.

With much thanks to Howard Stockdale, it was a pleasure and most rewarding for me to receive some illustrated news from Conder Green. 

Avocet Conder Green. Howard Stockdale.

The last three of Avocet young fledged earlier this week, some of the birds on Conder Pool have been colour marked again this year.

Juvenile Common Tern Conder Pool. Howard Stockdale.

All the terns had departed the Lune Estuary by the time I got to visit last Tuesday 30 August, but it gave me great pleasure to see this colour marked bird on Conder Pool courtesy of Howard.

I'm expecting a good haul of Migrant Hawkers before September is out....Here's hoping!

Bird's, Butter's, And Dragon's.

Some of the most pleasant and rewarding birding I've had for some time yesterday, not least because at Bank End I met and had the good company of Andrew 'Wagtail' Cornall. 

Walking a short stretch along the sea wall towards Cockersand we found 5 Clouded Yellow flighting and pausing briefly on the marsh, a stunning migratory butterfly. Other butterflies seen along the stretch, 6 Painted Lady, 7 Red Admiral, and conveniently round figure estimates of 50 Small Tortoiseshell, 30 Large White, and 10 Common Blue. 

Along with AC, I also enjoyed the sight of 5 Yellow Wagtail on the marsh amongst the sheep, an adult Mediterranean Gull flying inland from the Cocker Estuary, and 3 Buzzard soaring overhead, seen as two together and a single bird.

I then paid a visit to Conder Pool to count 18 Greenshank, just one short of my all time peak count of 19 on 20 August last year, also an adult Mediterranean Gull was with Black-headed Gulls, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, a Common Sandpiper, 10 Little Grebe, and five sightings in as many minutes of 2 - possibly three - Kingfisher. Also seen, 5 Wigeon were on Conder Pool....Is it really that time of year.

A wander to Saltcote Pond to see a Migrant Hawker, Blue-tailed Damselfly, and Common Darter, then along the canal towpath Glasson-Conder Green, a distance of little more than 1/2 mile to count 21 Migrant Hawker in 45 minutes, 6 Brown Hawker, 2 Emperor Dragonfly, and 2 Common Darter. Butterflies, 5 Speckled Wood and a Red Admiral....And a good time was had by all!

The Clouded Yellow.

The Clouded Yellow is a migrant visitor to the UK, it originates from Africa and Southern Europe, and varies in number year to year. In the extreme, in 1947, an estimated 36,000 of this stunning creature appeared in this country, and in fact in more recent years, there has been evidence of the species successfully over-wintering in the south of England, though the majority of Clouded Yellows perish in the UK winters....The individuals I saw yesterday were the most vibrant yellow I've ever seen. 

Dragons....And Some Other Interest.

I was off to Birk Bank on Friday, to find the barrier down and the traditional notice posted to let us know gunslingers were out and about. 

Ignoring the notice, I went under the barrier and on to the track to the bog to try to establish the state of play on the dragonfly front heading towards the end of August. To be honest, I thought perhaps the Four-spotted Chaser and Golden-ringed Dragonfly would be things of the past for another year, though last year I found one of the latter here on the very same date as this visit on 26 August, quite late for this species.

Keeled Skimmer Male. Pete Woodruff.

Today, I was pleased to find 2 Keeled Skimmer male, one of which I noted as a bright pruinose individual, this brought about the comment from a contact, of a feeling we now have a healthy population established at Birk Bank.

Black Darter Male/Female. Pete Woodruff.

The darters don't make accurate counting easy, they were most obliging coming to rest on the boardwalk during the time spent there, so for the several sightings of the species, my records read 'at least', 4 Black Darter male and a female. Also seen, 8 Common Darter male, and a female.

  

Common Darter Male. Pete Woodruff.

Other Interest.

One of the reliably seen Common Lizard was at rest on the boardwalk at Birk Bank, it barely moved for a couple of hours until it eventually disappeared.

Common Lizard. Pete Woodruff.

Mesembrina meridian. Pete Woodruff.

Easily recognised by its black body and yellow wing bases, I thought the Noon Fly was a cool looking creature basking on the boardwalk.

 
Harmonia axyridis. Pete Woodruff.

In the garden yesterday and initially had me guessing, Harlequin Ladybird larva.

Conder Pool 2022.

I'm not at liberty to publish numbers of breeding at Conder Pool, but I'm aware of excellent results for the Common Tern, by far the best year ever. Also successes for waders, Avocet, Little Ringed Plover, and Redshank.

Kittewake. Howard Stockdale.

There has also recently been some excellent goodies on and around the pool, with this Kittewake juvenile in the creeks 21 August, to follow 3 Black Tern juvenile 19 August, all preceded by the Temminck's Stint just sneaking in at the end of July to keep birders from near and far very happy for a few days during early August....Conder Pool Rules OK!     

Little Success...Big Disappointments.

In a week with perfect weather, I was off to check out Birk Bank bog and surroundings. But, bearing in mind the successes of recent sorties here and there, five hours later I came away from the area with little success and big disappointments.

Dealing with the disappointments first, given the conditions of calm hot sunny weather, I've not seen Four-spotted Chaser over or on the bog since 15 were seen on 16 June. I've also yet to see Black-tailed Skimmer or Black Darter here this year, and that's three species certain to be found around the bog at Birk Bank*

Dragons2blog....But not that many! 

To lift the visit to the bog out of total disappointment, I did see 4 Golden-ringed Dragonfly, 2 Keeled Skimmer male, 8 Common Darter all males, a Common Hawker and a Migrant Hawker. 

The Migrant Hawker was seen as a species that avoids acidic water, but tolerates brackish water. It can be found anywhere on migration which reaches its peak during the first half of September. My records in 2021 show a total of 90 Migrant Hawker seen in two trawls along the canal towpath, 43 Glasson-Conder Green 15 September, 47 Conder Green-Galgate 20 September. Both these records fit in nicely with the peak migration of Migrant Hawker in mid-September.

Keeled Skimmer Ottergear Bridge. Pete Woodruff.

A wander to Ottergear Bridge had me finding 2 Keeled Skimmer male again this year on the west side of the bridge. On the grit track to Cragg Wood, 2 Common Darter female and a Common Blue Damselfly.

Stonechat Birk Bank. Ian Mitchell. 

A pair of Stonechat with a young were east of the car park on Rigg Lane, and a juvenile Robin seen from the footpath as I came away from the bog. Butterflies, 6 Red Admiral, 2 Small Copper, 2 Meadow Brown, and a Speckled Wood.

Sundew Drosera rotundifolia. Pete Woodruff. 

A recent star find goes to the Sundew. A plant which carries the symbol indicating the need for protection, and which Charles Darwen once wrote in a letter in 1860....'at the present moment, I care more about Drosera than the origin of all the species in the world'.

Black Darter bog boardwalk (Archive Image) Pete Woodruff.

* In relation to my lack of sightings this week at Birk Bank in mid-August, some notes on flight periods of three species in Lancashire which may go some way to explain reasons for the disappointment.

Four-spotted Chaser....The first large dragonfly to appear in spring, and the earliest to disappear in autumn, falling rapidly in early August.

Black-tailed Skimmer....Appears mid-June, rapidly declining in mid-August.

Black Darter....A late emerging species, beginning during August and gradually reaching a peak in September.

Looks like I may have been too late for the top two species, and too early for the last one....My next visit might throw up some answers on that.

A Little Nostalgia....With Big Surprises.

A walk east along the route known as Millennium Park, a footpath along the old railway line running alongside the River Lune to Caton, brought about some memories for me, and a surprise....Well three actually! 

Mediterranean Gull. Pete Woodruff. 

At the start of my walk by Sainsbury's, an adult Mediterranean Gull was roosting in the muddy shingle on the River Lune. The store stands on the land where the old Green Ayre railway station and locomotive shed stood, where at the tender age of 16 - not long after T.rex became extinct - I stepped onto the ladder taking me towards the dream of becoming an engine driver when the traction was steam powered....Halcyon days. 

Banded Demoiselle. Pete Woodruff.

About a mile further along the path, a surprise came as a Banded Demoiselle on a Sycamore, the sighting came as my second of the species by the River Lune, the first equally surprising was at Bull Beck 16 June. 

Leucozona glaucia Pete Woodruff.

Lots of insects on the path side vegetation, included this hoverfly, which I noted for its blue'ish bands. I also counted 25 Large White, 3 Small White, 3 Green-veined White, 2 Red Admiral, and a Holly Blue.

Emerald Damselfly Pair. Pete Woodruff.

Now came the biggest and best surprise....Primarily, the purpose of the walk was to find the Emerald Damselfly which I succeeded in doing. Terrible image, but an excellent record of a pair in tandem. Then to follow as a close second best, a female Southern Hawker, followed later by a female Emperor Dragonfly oviposting on three ocassions.

Blue-tailed Damselfly. Pete Woodruff.

 

Also seen, a female Blue-tailed Damselfly form rufescens-obsoleta, 3 Brown Hawker, 6 Common Blue Damselfly, and 4 Common Darter including a pair in tandem.

Returning to Lancaster via the canal, 6 Emperor Dragonfly included a female ovipositing on the opposite side of the canal. Not the most glamorous section of the canal with debris floating, but a good record video. Also 2 Common Darter seen.

Emerald Damselfly.

Emerald Damselfly Male. Marc Heath.

With the exception of the rare Red-eyed Damselfly, the Emerald Damselfly is the least widespread of Lancashire's breeding damselflies, where it is strictly a still and shallow-water species, with extensive emergent and marginal vegetation. 

The Emerald Damselfly is absent from much of the Fylde and North Lancashire, and essentially absent from the whole of Bowland. When you can find the report of a peak count like 310 Emerald Damselflies on in-bye field ponds near Belmont in August 2012, I feel blessed to have seen one at all in our area....The Damselflies of Lancashire and North Merseyside. Steve White and Philip Smith 2015 

Thanks to Howard for his header image of the current local star bird at Conder Green.  

Butterfly Bonanza....

But first....Steve Graham and myself entered the world of twitchers at Conder Green where we went on the circuit and relocated the Temminck's Stint in the creeks below River Winds. A smart little adult stint still wearing some brown, buff and grey mottled breeding plumage.

Med Gulls Conder Pool 1 August. Silent Video

Some other casual records included, at least 8 Mediterranean Gull on Conder Pool, also uncounted Avocet including 4 young seen in the creeks, 12 Greenshank was a good count, as was 11 Little Grebe , both seen as current peak counts. It was also good to see 2 Common Tern juvenile with uncounted adults, 4 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Common Sandpiper, and up to 40 House Martin seen lingering around River Winds.

Butterfly Bonanza.

The butterfly bonanza soon took off when we came to the canal towpath at The Mill at Conder Green to walk the section of the canal to Galgate. The results from the walk, was to log an impressive 51 Gatekeeper, followed at the top of the list by 40 Meadow Brown. Runners up consisted of 13 Green-veined White, the 7 Red Admiral and 5 Painted Lady seen, were all noted to be very fresh. Also 5 Small Tortoiseshell, 4 Small White, 3 Holly Blue, and 2 Peacock.

Large Skipper. Pete Woodruff.

I didn't ask Steve for comments, but personally thought just one Large Skipper, a Large White and Speckled Wood, came as surprising and disappointing low numbers, and included no Ringlet or Small Skipper seen.

Odonata sightings came in fine style, when we stepped on to the towpath at the lock by The Mill we found our first five of 13 Banded Demoiselle at four locations, they were seen as 9 male and 4 female. An excellent count of 13 Emperor Dragonfly and 10 Brown Hawker.

Shaded Broad-bar. Pete Woodruff.

Moths seen, 3 Shaded Broad-bar and 6 Silver Y, also up to 40 Red-tailed Bumblebee were seen along the way. A Buzzard and 2 Raven were all seen a little distance to the north, and a Kingfisher seen briefly as it rounded the corner and lost to view on the canal at Galgate.

Thanks to Ian once again, for the excellent header shot of the equally excellent Small Copper, as one of the species not seen at Mondays Butterfly Bonanza.

Postscript.

Gatekeeper on Regale Lily. Pete Woodruff.

After finding 51 Gatekeeper on Monday, our first one ever in the garden paid a visit this afternoon.