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  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 14,742
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    A good day for us along the coast with Gannets plunging into the sea, both male and female Eider Ducks and Shellducks close to shore, Cormorants on the rock, Yellowhammers and Skylarks giving it voice above us, and a male Stonechat perched on a fence post. Then this morning Flyte and I crossed paths with a buck Hare, don't know who was the more surprised!😁

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 14,742
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    On our morning walk yesterday, before we left Fife, I spotted a couple of seals close in to the shore, and a Sedge Warbler flew across in front of me. Then this afternoon a female Roe Deer stood for a while watching Flyte and I as we drew close to her on the forest track here at Beecraigs.

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 11,261
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    I can tell you what I haven't seen, or heard, and that is the sight and sound of Swifts buzzing around our local town. It's the first time I can ever remember it not happening. They used arrive in mid May and leave at the end of July. I miss them.

  • RedKite
    RedKite Forum Participant Trusted Posts: 1,846
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    @Wherenext We have had good numbers of Swifts here this year better than the last 3 to 4 years not sure where they are nesting as the village church does have some netting just below the spire around the bell tower part so perhaps there is a gap for them to get in great to see.

    Not had much in the way of Hoopoes around since they have arrived but the last two weeks they are about more and have got young ones flying about with them and at 7am this morning a lot of calling to each other makes a change from the Blackbirds and we have had 4 pairs breeding around our place this year which is good news.

  • Bakers2
    Bakers2 Forum Participant Trusted Posts: 8,520
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    @Wherenext delighted to say meeting lunch with the swifts, quite a lot of them, high above us.wehave lots of swallows over the fields too

    No idea where they nest, we've never been lucky enough to offer them accommodation

    The red kite is doing the lunchtime checkout. The crows have their work cut out to keep it away. Not at the minute though. Seagulls we're on it's case Tuesday. We now don't have as many as we did when we moved in 3 years ago. The lady who used to feed them passed away and their numbers settled down to such that will sustain them.

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 11,261
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    Mullien moth.jpeg

    A Mullien Moth Caterpillar. Sorry, photo not great.

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 11,261
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    Found this Wasp Beetle today. Harmless but quite pretty for a Beetle.

    Wasp Beetle.jpg
  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,195
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    Great news, local paper reported first time in 250 years a breeding pair of ospreys are raising a pair of chicks at Ranworth Broad. Hopefully I will go there one day next week

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 14,742
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    That's very good news @Oneputt hope you get to see the pair. There is news also that an old nest in Fife is occupied and that there are 3 chicks in it, and at Poole a second nest has a breeding pair as well.

    I saw a Hummingbird Hawk moth yesterday but it was too fast for me to get a photo of it.

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 11,261
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    Yippee! There was a small bunch of them flying around it today, screaming as they do.😎

  • RedKite
    RedKite Forum Participant Trusted Posts: 1,846
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    @Wherenext Glad you have seen some Swifts there are quite a lot flying around here this best I have seen for a few years and the other day when in Villefranche at a local DIY store the numbers flying around and screaming was amazing possibly a hundred or more also lots of young ones made my day.

    It has been a very good year for butterflies more Marbled White this year than for about 5 years and 1 shrub covered in them and other species and when we open the door they all fly off in the air then all come back great to see.

    The Cuckoo not about now but still got the Golden Oriole flying about and still singing away.

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 11,261
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    @RedKite. I have seen quite a few Swifts during the year but hadn't seen any over the local town and was worried that it might imply a decline in their breeding locally. We watched some recently when on a CS near Llanberis (Snowdonia) flying over the river and easily avoiding the chasing Hobbies.

    I'm just glad to see and hear them as normality seems to have been restored.

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 11,261
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    edited June 29 #5054

    Nothing spectacular as we haven't been anywhere of note but did we make the acquaintance of this rather pretty Grass Wave (we think) moth that decided to visit us in the kitchen today. It was caught and released unharmed into the grasses in the garden.

    Grass Wave Moth.jpg
  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 14,742
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    Walking along the Leeds-Liverpool canal this morning we were accosted by a pair of Swan's with 4 Cygnets, and further on were another pair this time with 7 Cygnets. There was also a female Mallard with 8 ducklings, which we thought a high number still alive.

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 11,261
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    I was out in the garden today and couldn't help but notice the number and different varieties of Bees on the Lavender. They love it. We've also seen 5 different butterfly species including a Small Heath. We weren't out there for long either.

  • RedKite
    RedKite Forum Participant Trusted Posts: 1,846
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    @Wherenext Same here with the bees on the Lavender and 1 in a flower by the door was a micro bee but very busy with the flowers and the butterflies in good numbers again even a Chequed Skipper not seen that often here and today was cloudy all day only 25C.

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 11,261
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    The garden was very entertaining first thing this morning. Looking out of the bedroom window there was a Blackbird having a real scrub and clean in the bath. There were several Blue Tits waiting to get in but were too scared but typically a male Sparrow just plunged straight in. He didn't mind sharing. In addition there was a family of Chiffchaffs with the 2 adults feeding 2 chicks. Best of all though was a Breakdancing Song Thrush!😂

    He finished eating then hopped onto the path, spread his wings, like they do when anting but this time was attempting to clean under his "wingpits" (same as armpits) but this caused him to turn around as he was doing it, making him look like he was dancing.

    Nice way to start the day.

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 11,261
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    Wow, a morning spent at Burton Nature Reserve produced enough to keep us fully entertained for 3 hours that we were there for.

    Didn't expect a good bird list as it's a quiet month in the main but we saw some beautifully summer plumaged Black Tailed Godwits and Spotted Redshanks, dozens of Avocets, Knots, Marsh Harriers etc. We also found a lot of interesting insect life such as Red Bottomed Bumblebees, Common Garden Bees, Mining Bees, "Footballer" Hoverflies, Alder Leaf Beetle, Hogwood Bonking Beetles (look it up), Nettle Tap Moth, Painted Lady butterflies, Red Admiral and both Small and Large Whites, Small Heath Butterflies.

    So we didn't have time to be bored.

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 14,742
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    A couple of nights ago I saw a hedgehog on the farm track during our last walk out. Last night there was one directly in front of our caravan steps, when we went out around the same time, and a second one was crossing the site, then as we turned off the site on to the farm track there was a third small one in the grass by the path. When we returned around 15 mins later there was a small one on the other end of the farm track well away from the site and finally another, possibly a different one, close to the caravan, making at least 3, and maybe as many as 5, within couple of hundred yards of each other. Could this have been a family I wonder?

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 14,742
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    During our walk down the lane from the site this afternoon we saw many more nutterflies than we have seen for quite a while. Tortoiseshell, Gatekeepers, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood and a few Commas, including this one that stopped long enough for a photo!

    20250707_143114.jpg
  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 11,261
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    Another good day for the flying insects, this time on flowers at a NT house, Dunham Massey.

    Wool Carder Bee, Ivy Bee etc. but best of all was a rather imposing Hoverfly, a Hornet mimicking Hoverfly (official English title).

    1000002886.jpg
  • RedKite
    RedKite Forum Participant Trusted Posts: 1,846
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    @Wherenext we get them here and the wasp ones as well always look like they are videoing you when hovering.

    About 20-25 Swifts wheedling around our church this morning whilst we were looking at Maires noticeboard.

    Still a lot of butterflies about been a good year for Fritillaries even more than I have seen before are the large Cardinals.

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 11,261
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    Sat outside the Van. A group of House Martins saw a Sparrowhawk sitting around the top of a tree so did they hide? No, the brave little tikes charged it causing it to take to the skies and fly off with all of the group giving it hell as it went. Such bravery.

    Second time we've seen them chase a Sparrowhawk plus once yesterday chasing a marauding Kestrel

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 14,742
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    Found this beauty on my wastemaster this morning, but not had a chance to identify it yet.

    20250711_093431.jpg
  • RedKite
    RedKite Forum Participant Trusted Posts: 1,846
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    @nelliethehooker just looked it up in my moth book and it is a Lunar Yellow Underwing moth had to check the patterns on the wings.

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 14,742
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    @RedKite thanks, I have not yet had time to look at any of the British Moths web sites yet. It was too quickly away for me to even be sure of it's wing pattern, unfortunately.

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 14,742
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    There are lots of butterflies on the wild flowers around the shore of Carsington Water, in particular Commas and Peacocks. I paid a visit to the Wildlife hide this afternoon, and although there was nothing special I did see a few Barnacle Geese, a couple of Great Crested Grebes and a Little Grebe, and a few Teal.

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 14,742
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    Yesterday there were lots more butterflies, moths, bees and the odd dragonfly on the flowers along the sides of the old railway track that is now the High Peak Trail.This one managed to stay still enough to get a semi decent photo of it, a Dark Green Fritillary I think.

    20250716_112155.jpg
  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 11,261
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    The photo is a bit blurred Nellie but I'd say you are right. They do tend to prefer Pink flowers.

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 11,261
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    Draining the water from the waste pipe at the rear of the Van today I noticed a very small flying insect on the bumper. It stayed there whilst I took a photo. OH narrowed it down to a Horsefly of the Tabanus genus. It's only about 2mm long so I was a bit surprised to find it was a Horsefly.

    Tabanus.jpg

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