Transect Update

With the butterfly recording season nearly at at end for this year the only species seen during my last three weekly transect walks was the Speckled Wood but typically the highest numbers recorded (30 individuals) throughout the shaded woodland areas.

Speckled Wood.

The other main occurrence has been the emergence of the Parasol fungi in the open woodland pasture. The egg shaped young caps quickly expand and flatten revealing a a large central umbro.

During my most recent walk I was treated to a decent albeit brief view of a female Kestrel perched atop a bare birch tree as she scanned the undergrowth before departing over the woodland canopy.

Wildlife watching and blogging has taken a back seat recently and this will be the case over the next few weeks as we continue to prepare for a fairly major revamp of our heating system at home and I crack on with the ongoing redecoration's.  FAB.

Linking to:
Nature Notes hosted by Michelle.

Autumn.

The season of colour change when the verdant greens give way to yellows and golds.

 Delicate and fragile forms sprout up through the leaf litter.

Elsewhere the varied fruit-bodies have appeared ready to release their spores for the next generation.

A cock Pheasant carries his gorgeous autumnal tones around with him wherever he wanders.

The rut has quietened down so this Red Deer stag finds time to browse and replenish some of its lost reserves.

Temperatures are falling and the overhead canopy slowly allows more light to reach the floor as individual leaves float down to join their comrades and create a colourful carpet on which to tread.  FAB.

Linking to NATURE NOTES hosted by Michelle.

Patchwalk.

Another day with overcast skies with a light breeze but feeling slightly muggy. My visit to Epsom Common for a circuit of the two ponds didn't start until just before midday. A few fishermen had staked out their places around the small pond where Canada Geese and one female Mandarin Duck was logged. A Great Spotted Woodpecker called from within the wood otherwise all seemed very, very quiet.

A Grey Heron was standing motionless at the edge of the Stew Pond and while I tried to creep closer without disturbing its concentration my attention was drawn to a shape floating overhead .....

... a quick shot was taken of a Common Tern doing one of several high circuits of the pond.

When I turned back to the Heron I had obviously missed the important part of the fishing action but just managed one shot of dinner being manipulated before being devoured. Shortly after it decided to fly off to another part of the pond. Typically for this time of day the birds were keeping out of sight but I did log Blue Tit, Jay, Carrion Crow, Blackbird, Green Woodpecker and watched a tiny warbler (probably young Garden Warbler) feeding high above in the leafy oak canopy. Another female Mandarin was seen on the main pond but no evidence of any youngsters.

Alongside the pathways I logged various butterflies including Green-veined White, Silver-washed Fritillary, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Red Admiral, Gatekeeper plus Ringlet and a few are shown below.

 

Large Skipper.

Gatekeeper.

Ringlet.

The recent run of damp weather is obviously helping the growth of fungi.    FAB.


Please check out this link for more of our Winged Friends hosted by NatureFootstep.

Chasing Tails.

I managed to fit in a patch walk stroll around Epsom Common Pond yesterday mid morning. The sky was somewhat overcast plus a fairly strong breeze but that didn't stop the birds singing. In two hours I logged minimum counts of Chiffchaff (7), Blackcap (3), Wren (5), Blackbird, Dunnock (3), Blue Tit (12) [one pair were courtship displaying] Great Tit (5), Robin, Chaffinch (2), Jay, Jackdaw (8), Magpie (3), Carrion Crow [nest building], Kestrel [hunting], Sparrowhawk [fly over], Stock Dove [fly over], Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Canada Geese (3), Mallard (4), Coot (2), Moorhen (2) plus two further year ticks for this site were a male Bullfinch and a female Reed Bunting.

Getting any photographs was a different story .... nearly every time I raised the lens most species turned tail and relocated either out of range or deep into cover. I spotted 6 Mandarin Ducks (5 males and 1 female) on the Stew Pond. I slowly crept ever closer using whatever limited cover was available but the pair swimming together decided to fly off to the Great Pond and the remaining males seemed to sense any presence within 50 yards and constantly swam away in the opposite direction.

 

So playing the waiting game I found a spot with a little more cover and the breeze in my favour and after a while a couple of the Mandarin males eventually came within range.

A young Grey Heron hunting its prey of frogs around the Great Pond also wasn't making life any easier as it carefully stalked through the dried grassy margins only showing its head from time to time. Knowing how alert this species is to human intervention I again used the limited cover of the recently pollared willows to get within range and hid behind one trunk no thicker than a lamp post to break up my profile!

Before leaving the pond I snapped the feather pattern on the rear of a very common goose species and during a detour across the Low Meadow I stopped to admire the various shapes and forms of fungi plus the blossom on the Blackthorn.

Long-tailed Tits seemed to be flitting about everywhere, diving into clumps of bramble to locate insects. Once again when they perched up on the gorse all they continued to offer was a tail end view but not to be beaten by such a diminutive species I persevered and eventually one individual provided a much better view.

Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus)

I have got seriously behind with my blog reading so apologies to those I haven't visited recently but I promise I will drop by over the next few days or so. We have an early start tomorrow morning to pick up my parents and then drive to the coast to meet the rest of my family in order to finally say farewell to PJB by scattering his ashes at a location he loved to visit. I'm hoping it won't be too sombre an event and I may even get to do some birding if it doesn't rain!

Wherever you are I wish you a glorious wildlife watching weekend ..... FAB.

How Time Flies.

Just over a year ago I entered a new phase in my life ... no work and time on my hands. Looking back at 2010 I wondered how time seems to has flown by so quickly ..... so here is a snapshot of my year.

At the beginning of the year the garden visitors were much the same as in previous years (Starlings, House Sparrows, Parakeets, Greenfinch and Blue Tit) except we had the pleasure of a male Blackcap who hung around together with his mate for quite a few weeks during the very cold days from mid January into February. Interestingly some 11 months later the Blackcap reappeared on 26th December for a brief visit .

When Spring arrived the morning chorus slowly increased in crescendo with Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Common Whitethroat adding their voices to the resident Blue Tit and Song Thrush. Quite a few migrant visitors including Nightingale failed to be captured by the lens but with luck I'll get another chance next year.

From mid Spring into late Summer my attention was once again drawn towards the ever increasing array of flutters .... above are just a few of the 30 species that I found within a half hour drive from home.

Dragonflies and a few other insects also found themselves as quarry for the lens. Capturing these endearing creatures demanded a lot of patience and with all the time in the world at my disposal I spent many hours watching these fliers. Unfortunately Santa didn't produce a macro lens so I may have to raid the piggy-bank in time for next season! 

As we moved into Autumn the woodland scene eventually produced glorious tints above our heads plus the diverse colours and shapes from the fruiting bodies errupting from the soil below.

Throughout the year I was fortunate on a few occasions to be able to get close to many of our common bird species and also spending some quality time in the company of the parkland Deer.

At the end of the year the weather made a distinct impression with deep snowfalls followed by a thaw and then freezing mist and fog invaded the local ponds ..... more bird listening than birdwatching!

I have no idea what 2011 will produce .... more of the same will be just fine but with hopefully a few different species appearing in front of the lens.
 

Wishing everyone a HAPPY 'Wildlife Watching' NEW YEAR ........ Cheers FAB.

Around Epsom Common Pond.

I have made a couple of early afternoon visits to Epsom Common this week and trudged through the sticky mud checking to see if there was any new activity.  

Approaching the 'fishing' pond I spied an orange shape slowly drifting beneath the overhanging boughs and quickly resorted to the bins to catch a male Mandarin Duck (first sighting for 2010) just before it was disturbed by another walker. It flew off towards the main pond so I headed in that direction in anticipation of getting a closer look.

Canada Goose climbed the bank to look me over.

A Grey Heron was patrolling the waters edge just as another rain shower passed over and I cowered beneath the leafless branches trying to keep dry.....some hope!

I eventually located the male Mandarin on the island hidden . (Borrowed this digi-scoped shot from last year as I couldn't get a close enough clear view on this occasion). Scanning around I found another male with a female at the other end of the island and as I skirted the pond through the very damp woodland another pair flew out from the trees and disappeared over the far side of the pond. So chances of further breeding this year look fairly favourable with two pairs around but losses through predation were very heavy last year so I'll keep my fingers crossed for them!

Fungi sprouting in the grass.

Fungi colonising felled logs.

No other new sightings for this location just the usual Robins, Jays, Crows, Long-tailed Tits, Blue and Great Tits, Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming, a flyby Kestrel plus Mallard, Moorhen and Coot.

Coot.

Male Mallard resting.

Bullrush waving in the breeze.

Hopefully April will bring in some new migrant visitors.  FAB.

Looking Down.

Another day at home today potting up the last few spring flowering bulbs and a bit of pruning. Attempts to snap the garden visitors was thwarted by their unwillingness to perch out in the open long enough when visiting the topped up feeders so I thought I would share some unpublished 'reflective' images from my recent local patch exploration.

Looking down can be just as rewarding as looking up and it's less strain on the neck!

Above and below taken at a small pond.

Finally two sorts of fungi and I'll be delighted if someone wants to tell me exactly what they are.

Fungi in the wooded area.

This one was growing in the open (arable) field.

Battery Recharge!

A frustrating few days this week with intermitent wet weather plus for the second time in two weeks Anita's car failed to start on Wednesday ....flat battery again! So on Thursday I acted as taxi driver to enable Anita and her delightful 'Irish' friend to do the weekly shop on the understanding that I went for a walk while the housekeeping kitty got used up. A quick look at the map suggested that I should be able to find something to look at on Burgh Heath Common.

As I trod quietly over the rain sodden leaf carpet I heard the scolding call of a Jay and then a small party of Long-tailed Tits twittered to one another as they fed in the nearly leafless canopy very high above me. Blue Tit and Blackbird made brief appearances but them apart it was very, very quiet. I eventually stumbled apon the pond where the main inhabitants were Mallards, a few Moorhen and Black-headed Gulls.

Mallards.

Is there room for another one?

An opportunity to try a few in-flight shots of Black-headed Gulls.

Can you pick your face while flying?

Message on the mobile indicates that the girls have returned to the car so just time to snap some fungi before switching back into taxi-driver mode.

P.S. Battery update - Car jump started and taken for a spin round the local roads but for some reason after switching off and locking the car the radio switches itself on! This is obviously the reason behind the flat battery so more investigation required. Just as well I have time on my hands.  FAB