Summery Bits and Bobs

 

Having said last time that summer is too tiring to get much birding in, I've rather negated my own argument by getting vaguely hooked again, on the garden moth trapping. After doing a lot of it in 2020 (because lockdown meant not being able to do a lot else), the trap spent the whole of last year in the garage gathering dust. So having complained of fatigue I've decided it would be somehow sensible to enjoy a regular 4.15 am alarm.

But this post isn't really about that, having tweeted frequently with my regular goodies.

Bordered Straw (an immigrant)

Since the last post, other than the moths, it's been a few days not-really-for-birding-but-well-y'know in south Devon, scoring with the main targets of Cirl Bunting

and Dipper 

plus a nice count of ten Balearic Shearwaters, lots of work, and the odd bit of birding (including yet another failure with Honey Buzzards, which always seem to have it in for me).

A little bit of a late start this morning: pretty breezy, so didn't bother with the trap, especially as I'd partaken of a few beverages at the village cricket club yesterday evening, and no real need to rush out. Haven't done patch for a while, but it's hard going in strong winds at any time of year, so this morning I opted for a couple of hours in one of the local New Forest inclosures, looking at other stuff as well as birds and generally keeping out of the wind. Patch can wait a while longer.

A brief Kingfisher sighting aside, it was fairly run-of-the-mill birding, with just 30 species tallied for the latest ebird checklist, but nice enough just to get out with bins and camera.

As expected in midsummer, not a great deal was singing, with Wren and Chiffchaff the main exceptions.

There were plenty of recently fledged juveniles of several species, Siskin included.

And also a few birds still collecting food for nestlings

I never get the time to really learn wildlife other than birds and lepidoptera, but try and enjoy it as much as my ignorance will allow.

Never going to attempt an ID on hoverflies, but a couple of nice encounters.

I've never managed to get on with odonata, but these two allowed pics this morning

Male Beautiful Demoiselle

Female Keeled Skimmer

Also always plants to enjoy, even if, despite my job revolving round them, I struggle to put a name to them more often than not. I think both these orchids are, despite being so different, Common Spotted, but as with everything else I am more than happy to be corrected.

And whilst I know this is an eyebright, that's as far as I can go with any confidence. In any case, it's very attractive and there was a lot of it.

An oil beetle disappeared into the leaf litter before I could focus the camera, and of the three new butterflies for the year for me (out of a total of nine species seen this morning), all the Silver-washed Fritillaries were far too skittish in the blustery conditions. Did still manage to get some nice 'fly pics though.

Ringlet (year tick)

Marbled White (year tick)

Comma

Painted Lady (much smarter than any I had during the spring influx so presumably locally bred)

Meadow Brown

In addition to the fritillaries, Large Skipper, Green-veined White and Small Heath evaded the camera.

It was, however, even after quite a bit of effort, a morning totally devoid of moths, despite this area having been in the past for me a really good source of daytime records.

And to finish, there are, of course, nearly always deer.

Summertime Blues

 It shouldn't be, and I hate to say it, but summer is definitely my least favourite season.

Being self-employed, in a job which is largely seasonal, summer seems to be totally taken up by work, and those times I'm not at work I'm generally too knackered to think about a really early start to go birding before work.

Every year I promise myself that this year I'll devote more time to learning more about different branches of the natural world, to getting out more to my favourite places (and new ones), to enjoying the better weather and long days, and it never happens. Which is all very depressing, but unfortunately unavoidable.

This morning, however, I did allow myself a morning off work to go to one of my most favourite places of all: Martin Down in NW Hants. 

As always there, I wasn't disappointed. Primary target was the alarmingly declining Turtle Dove. Despite their dwindling numbers I actually had probably my best views ever of them in Hampshire.

Skylarks were, as is always the case there, everywhere; constantly in song, chasing each other across the grassland, bickering, flirting and more.

Corn Buntings too were singing all over - it's only in recent years that they've come to match Yellowhammer in numbers. Today the latter were mostly silent, but still gave nice views 

There were plenty of other birds to see of course, including two pairs of Grey Partridge accidentally flushed

 Stonechats

And a pair of Marsh Tits: these in the same area as six species of warbler, five of them in song: Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat (the last one was just calling, but gave nice views; two other "lesserthroats" sang elsewhere on the reserve).

Butterflies were only just getting going by the time I left, but eight species allowed photos (and Orange Tip was seen from the car as I was leaving):

Adonis Blue

Small Blue

And again - I think this is a totally underrated species, a diminutive subtle stunner

Common Blue

Grizzled Skipper

And another

Dingy Skipper

Small Heath

Speckled Wood

By far the tattiest of the two Red Admirals

There were moths too (these plus a couple of uncooperative Burnet Companions)

Five-spot Burnet

Crambus perlella (these were very numerous)

Crambus lathionellus I think, but a dark one

Yellow Shell

Homoeosoma sinuella

Plus other bits and bobs from flowers to beetles. It's certainly somewhere I could never get bored, and just wish I had time to visit more often.

Burnt-tip Orchid

Common (?) Spotted Orchid - the spotted orchids baffle me

Germander Speedwell - common as muck but stunning nonetheless

Common Rock-rose

Goat's-beard - I love this flower, simple but spectacular

Bloody-nosed Beetle

And more of the many hares present