Terns and gulls

This evening I've been helping out with some of these cute little fellows

Common Tern chick

Mark is running a project to study the Common Terns at Broom gravel pits. Tonight he made the third visit of the spring to Cocks Island (the 'Pea' prefix has mysteriously fallen off the sign). The tern chicks were fitted with unique combinations of three colour-rings, so Mark will be able to monitor where individual birds end up. We also metal-ringed the Black-headed Gull chicks.

It almost looks like a tropical island...

After we'd finished with the gulls and terns, we tried for some roosting Sand Martins.

It all looked so promising, with hundreds of birds swirling around above the reeds. Eventually they swooped down. As we made our way through the vegetation to the two nets, we didn't know what we'd see - it could have been no birds, or nets full of birds.

It was the former. Never mind.

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

Mosquito hawks and others

Four-spotted Chaser in poor repair

Male Banded Demoiselle, straying to The Lodge from the Ivel

Bees

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

On the line

I used to annoy my Mum by hanging bird feeders on the washing line at home, but here I don't mind if birds want to sit on the line.

Especially if they're Spotted Flycatchers

These young Swallows have been teetering on the skinny washing line this morning. There are swarms of youngsters about at the moment, so I think I might try to find a thicker line so they can perch in comfort...

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM + kitchen window

Pond's progress

The big hole in the garden has made progress since we filled it with water last Friday and it became a pond.

• The pondskater has been joined by another
• Water beetles have arrived, presumably on the wind
  
• Some other beetles have fallen in and been rescued by me
  
• Our local Goldfinches seem to love bathing in the shallow end
• Swallows have swooped over it
• Blue-tailed Damselflies have been seen nearby

The main event this week has been the installation of a load of plants that were donated by some of my kind colleagues - thankyou, Derek, Sarah and Susan. I've got a couple of water soldiers, lots of water mint, some water forget-me-not, some brooklime, some rushy things and other stuff which I can't remember the names of. Some ramshorn snails and lots of water lice hitched a ride with the plants.

Today, while I was fiddling around with bits of hessian, string, aquatic compost and pebbles, a female Broad-bodied Chaser arrived. She flew low over the water before carefully dabbing her rear end into the water and laying eggs. Result!

Now we just need to wait two or three years for dragonflies to emerge...

Poolside

With hot weather and little time to spare, the swimming pool at The Lodge is the place to be...

I love photographing Emperor dragonflies. Above: females ovipositing (egg-laying)

Males are much harder to get a shot of

Azure Damselflies

Blue-tailed Damselfly

Red-eyed Damselflies

Four-spotted Chaser

I was buzzed by another low-flying object, so they got their picture taken

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Pond

I've been talking about getting a garden pond since last year. Yesterday, we finally finished it.


It's a bit hard to tell from the photos, but it measures 3.5m long x 2.5m wide x 0.75m deep. Last Saturday, Darren and I took up the turf. SuperMum came round on Thursday and by the evening we'd got most of the digging done. There was time for a bit more digging after tea and then we packed up for the night.

We got up at 6.15 on Friday morning and recommenced work early (stopping for tea and cake). I then proved myself incapable of even using a spirit level correctly, but we managed to get the edges just about level and put in the underlay and liner (£42 from eBay).

Mum had to leave before it was full of water, but I managed to supervise the hosepipe, trim the liner and tuck it under the turf (I had to stop and lie down on the lawn a couple of times but got there in the end).

All the soil (moved by hand in plastic tubs, without a wheelbarrow!) is in a heap in a corner of the garden, where it should provide hidey-holes for a variety of insects and maybe even some amphibians and reptiles. Indeed, before the pond even had any water in, the spoil heap attracted a male Black-tailed Skimmer.

It does bear a passing resemblance to the Big Brother logo, but this is absolutely unintentional

At one end there's a pebbly 'beach' to permit bird-bathing etc. I have caught Darren dangling his feet in it twice so far, but I think he might stop that when we get some leeches...

Less than 24 hours after the pond was filled, a Pond skater has taken up residence! Quite a few other insects have visited, but by accident...

I have not felt so tired in a long time. Now I need to talk nicely to those kind people who offered to donate pond plants...

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM or Canon Powershot A640

Little 'un

Some shots with the Canon Powershot A640, mostly as the sun was starting to set. Nice light, though

Cranesbill

Honeysuckle

Bumblebee: 'Pollen, give me more pollen!'

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

Big 'un

First, some shots with the big camera

Bees can't get enough of Cranesbill

Spotted Flycatcher in next-door's garden. Closer inspection has revealed this bird is collecting insects, presumably for a brood of chicks somewhere...

Flowers at The Lodge

Red-eyed Damselfly

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Garden list

The garden list has had several additions in recent weeks.

• About a month ago, I saw a Common Tern flying across the field at the back of the house. Not sure where it was going, or indeed, where it had come from
• About a few weeks ago, I was in the garden after work when I heard a Garden Warbler singing distantly. Under our rules, that's permissible - birds don't have to be in the garden to be added to the list, but we do
• On 11 June, Darren heard an Oystercatcher calling as it flew over in the dark
• And this morning, Darren caught sight of a Red Kite as it drifted past a couple of fields away. It didn't quite fly over us, but it was close enough. Perhaps our most-expected garden tick lately. It would be nice to think that we might get Turtle Dove next, but I'm afraid that it just won't happen in this modern day and age...

You can see the whole list here, which stands at 82 species in about 18 months now

Catching flies

This Spotted Flycatcher has been around the garden for three days now. I've seen it occasionally perching on the washing line post (favoured by the woodpeckers), my runner bean poles and the fence (above), from where it swoops down towards the lawn to grab insects.

Hopefully I'll be able to get some better photos before it clears off.

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM + kitchen window

Feed me... feed me now

'Are you there, Dad?'

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM + kitchen window