Coast

Gibraltar Point, early doors

In our usual perverse fashion, we went to Lincolnshire on Friday night because there were lots of good birds turning up in Norfolk and East Yorkshire.

Camping is usually filled with experiences to delight the senses; unsurprisingly, it was bloody cold at night, but we added Little Owl and Barn Owl to our tent list (Bittern is probably still the best bird on it).

The absurdly well-equipped (internet, gas heater, fairy lights) campers in the tent next to ours kindly loaned us their battery-powered airbed inflator, which was nice. Later on, they had a noisy argument, which was not so nice.

A wander round Skegness seafront early on Saturday was next to useless, due to thick fog which persisted until about 1pm. If there were any good birds, they were invisible. Eventually we went to Gibraltar Point (nice cafe) and wandered around the dunes. There weren't many birds around and nothing was moving, but a Yellow-browed Warbler gave itself away by calling from an inaccessible bush.

We'd nearly finished trudging around when a last look along the road revealed another Yellow-browed, flitting around in an Elder bush - briefly.

Sunday morning was less foggy, and sunny briefly before the sun got up behind the clouds. The skies were a bit more lively, with skeins of Pink-footed Geese heading for Norfolk, the odd Redwing, Brambling and plenty of Siskins and Redpolls.

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

Beeston

Kestrel

Meadow Pipit

We went to Del and John's ringing session at Beeston this morning. There were a few nets around the garden and a 'pipit box' out in a stubble field - a triangle of nets with a tape lure in the middle. It succeeded in attracting Meadow Pipits but also a Kestrel which dived helpfully into the nets. It was a bit grumpy and stuck a talon into Del's finger.

Elsewhere around the farm it was great to see hedges bursting with fruit and buzzing with insects.

Small Tortoiseshell

Hedge full of berries

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

Sunny Saturday

This beautiful male Southern Hawker spent a good portion of the day patrolling the pond, but stopped for a rest on the buddleia

Ruddy Darter

Across the road...

Yes, autumn's here

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

Sunny Sunday

Comma on blackberries

Red Admiral

male Southern Hawker basking

Painted Lady on valerian

Rosehips

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D + EF 300mm f/4L IS USM, Extender EF 1.4x II

Fight!Fight!Fight!

Jackdaws fighting on the lawn. The two main combatants were claw-to-claw, while the (apparent) loser's mate occasionally joining in with pecks to the aggressor's wings and tail. Eventually all three flew off when they spotted me peering out of the window at them.

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

Small Coppers

Out in the gardens at lunchtime, Small Coppers were everywhere. I hardly saw any other butterflies. What photogenic little fellows they are.

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

Froglet

The Great Crested Newts seem to have vanished again, so the amphibian content of the pond seems to be down to one Common Frog and one Smooth Newt eft. I love the frog, but I won't be kissing it.

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

Dolphin food

'Marine turtles and some seabirds are particularly at risk, as they feed on prey that floats at the surface. They may mistake floating balloons for their jellyfish prey and swallow them, or become entangled and drown. Once swallowed, a balloon may block the digestive tract and eventually lead to death by starvation. Some whales, dolphins and fish are also known to have died as a result of eating balloons.'

Who would want to be associated with any of this? Stand up, Eastnor Cricket Club.

The pictured card floated into my garden this afternoon. 'I am one of many balloons released at Ledbury Carnival on Monday 25th August', it says. Nearly 100 miles isn't bad, but they obviously haven't read about the Marine Conservation Society's 'Don't Let Go' campaign.

I'll return the card, but they'll also be receiving information about the campaign and why they shouldn't be doing balloon races. Ha!

• Yes, I am aware that dolphins, turtles, whales and seabirds are in short supply in Cambridgeshire, but that's not the point. I presume Eastnor CC wouldn't dream of dumping a load of latex in the middle of a field, so why let loads of balloons go? What do they think will happen to them?

• I won a balloon race about 15 years ago. My balloon, released in Northamptonshire, got as far as Felixstowe, before it could harm any hapless sea-creatures.
  

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

Garden macro

That elusive garden rarity, the Seven-spot Ladybird


Peacock butterfly caterpillar (I think). Several of these hairy beasts were munching their way through a patch of nettles next to the veg patch.




Sunflower buds


Broad-bodied Chaser wing. Picked this up on the pond spoil heap. Did it die of old age or did a Hobby get it?

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

Abandoned village

The site of the abandoned village of Clopton

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

Get orf my land!

Darren alerted me to the presence of this dangerous predator in the garden this evening. While herons are beautiful birds, and I don't really mind them coming to the garden, I DO NOT want them eating our Great Crested Newts! That is unacceptable!

The current newt situation is that the male seems to have left (as is to be expected at this time of year) but another female has arrived to take his place. I'm learning about newts all the time: I can tell they're females from the orangey stripe which goes the length of their tail, on the underside.

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

Crossbill!

Surprise of the month, or even the year, was the juvenile Crossbill which greeted me when I got up this morning. I peered through the kitchen window to see a load of Greenfinches munching on sunflower hearts, and... a streaky grey-green Crossbill perching on an empty peanut feeder! Of course, it flew off before Darren could get downstairs to see it, but that's what you get for staying in bed too long.

#85 for the garden list (since December 2006)

Frog's back

Common Frog

I think this frog had a narrow escape this morning. I was mowing the lawn not far from the pond (though I'm leaving the grass around the edge) when I suddenly spotted a frog in the shallow water. It's a good job it wasn't a newt...

A female Southern Hawker came to lay eggs in the pond this afternoon, and a Ruddy Darter sat on a piece of wood nearby. I think the male Great Crested Newt may have left, but the female is still around and so is the Smooth Newt eft which was a stowaway in the pond plants that Duncan donated last week.

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640

Hedgerow

Bumblebee at take-off, with a shower of pollen grains




Brown Hawker


Common Darter


blackberries


acorns

At lunchtime I went for a walk down to Stratford Road, which runs along the foot of the hill. It's south-facing so tends to be a good place for insects with a good bank of bramble bushes. I couldn't resist helping myself to a few ripe blackberries, and while I did, a squirrel dropped bits of discarded acorn husk on my head.

The blackberries (and blossom) attract butterflies, with dragonflies presumably enticed by the smaller insects on the plants. I had to wade through some nettles to get close to the beautiful Brown Hawker above. The bumblebee was in the garden on my way to the lane.

More photos available on Flickr

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

Sunshine!

Red Admiral


Peacock


Hoverfly Volucella pellucens


Brown Argus


Small Red-eyed Damselfly


Common Darter


Bumblebee on Water Mint

Seven-spot Ladybird on blackberries. I haven't seen a proper ladybird at The Lodge for ages!

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM, Extender EF 1.4x II