Leaves at The Lodge

photos taken with iPhone and Hipstamatic app

Meanwhile, at The Lodge

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

photo taken with iPhone

Wet weekend

Cape daisy (Osteospermum)

Last week's hot weather has now evaporated.

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995 or Canon Powershot A640

Hayley Wood

Today I did something I'd been meaning to for a long time: I went to Hayley Wood. It's not far from where I live and I've been reading Oliver Rackham's book about it, titled Hayley Wood: Its History and Ecology.

Apparently, Hayley Wood might be a remnant of the prehistoric wildwood which covered much of this area, and its history can be traced through old documents showing how important it was for local villagers - for fuel and building materials, and also for pannage (that's browsing pigs).

I also thought it might be interesting to check out whether there were any of the typical ancient woodland bird species. The Wildlife Trust website mentions Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Lesser Redpoll. Of course, I drew a blank there, I didn't even see a Marsh Tit, and it was too early for flowers, too. It was hard work for not much, to be honest, but perhaps if I got back in a few weeks, I'll be impressed. Must swot up on my flowers and trees...







photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

Autumn's here

Comma

Graphocephala fennahi (rhododendron leaf-hopper)

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995

Raindrops keep falling...

We've had a lot of rain over the past few days...

And now autumn is firmly on its way...

Some tasty-looking blackberries - migrating warbler fodder

Acorns in the making

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995

Wintry leaves

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995

Woodwalton Fen NNR

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995

Saturday morning

*
You can't tell from this rubbish photo, but that's a Wood Sandpiper on the gravel next to the two Little Egrets.

Wow. It's not often that there are two Little Egrets in the PBC area at the same time, let alone two at the same site together. And standing next to a Wood Sand... amazing stuff.

I went to Prior's Fen this morning. It's not something I do very often, but it's been good there for the past week or so. Looking at the weather forecast last night, I decided an early visit would be in order, since a band of rain was due to arrive mid-morning.

I saw one Wood Sandpiper (Brian had two yesterday!), three Greenshanks, one Common and two Green Sandpipers, two Marsh Harriers (one juvenile, one moulting sub-adult male), two Little Egrets, heard a Curlew calling and got some more shots of Common Darters...



After that, I decided that, since I was out and about already, and I was sort of in the general vicinity, I might as well go to Woodwalton Fen before it started raining. So I did.




Common Darter (it's that time of year)

It has to be said that WWF is rubbish for birds at the moment. The place was as quiet as I've ever heard it. Good job there were some nice insects about to make up for lack of bird action.






"...and then I'm going to eat you..."

Female damselfly, Common Blue, I think.


Large Skipper



Like it often seems to when I'm there, the weather took a turn for the worse. Cloud billowed across the sky, the sun went into hiding, it got windier and started raining.


Female Southern Hawker - the Chocolate Lime of the dragonfly world, I think...

I finally got some better pics of Southern Hawker just as it started raining. It, or rather, she, was looking for somewhere to perch. By crawling across the path I managed to get close enough for a few photos.


Ruddy Darter


Spider crocheting a new web


Speckled Wood on a heap of vegetation - perhaps some warmth from the decomposing matter?

*really bad digiscoped photo taken with Nikon Coolpix 995 + Leica Apo Televid 62 with 20-60x eyepiece. The rest just with the mighty Coolpix