Drive By Birding - Marshside area 23/01/20 and 31/01/20

With walking proving to be a decidedly problematic, for any distance, we had a couple of brief trips bird watching from the car and visiting various stopping points in the Marshside area. Overall it proved to be fairly quiet but both visits were enjoyable.

On the 23rd a Grey Squirrel scolded as I looked up at a Fieldfare (90) perched high above me. It was nice to be able to finally catch up with one for the month. I could hear more Fieldfare calling from the apple orchard. Before moving on a small mushroom caught my eye, tucked away in the undergrowth.

Fieldfare

A little further along a Common Buzzard soared in the distance and I could see a male Marsh Harrier quartering a distant field edge. Blue Tits and Great Tits called away and a Greenfinch (91) was another welcome addition for the month.

I enjoyed watching a pair of Mute Swan down one of the dykes, while down another of the dykes the mirror calm water gave great reflections.

Mute Swans

Dyke - Marshside

On the 31st we had a short drive round Chitty Lane and got lovely, if brief, views of a Merlin (92) flashing through. Well chuffed at seeing that things suddenly got even better when I caught sight of an Egret flying parallel to us and could see that it was a Great White Egret (93). Now that definitely made my day. The only downside was that as I was on my way back from a hospital appointment I did not have my camera, and I would have really loved a photo as it was a super view of a great bird. Still, it did at least mean that I could just enjoy watching it. It was heading in the direction of Stodmarsh, presumably to roost. It made a great end to what had not been one of the better days.

Young Swallows - Marshside 21/06/19

I had a short window for some bird watching so headed to Marshside to see what I could see from the road. A singing Reed Warbler and a Whitethroat greeted me on arrival. A young Swallow was sitting on the wires waiting to be fed and I left him in peace so as to not disturb the parents when they came back.

young Swallow

Overall it appeared to be very quiet for birds. I could hear a Blue Tit family moving through the hedgerow and a couple of Reed Warblers were busy collecting food. A Ring-necked Parakeet called and Song Thrush, Blackcap and Wren were all singing away. A few Azure and Blue-tailed Damselflies were dotted around. I saw 3 Meadow Brown Butterflies but they were decidedly camera shy and I never did manage to get a good shot of one.

Meadow Brown Butterfly

Both Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Green Woodpecker called and a Chiffchaff was chiff chaffing away. A couple of Red Admiral Butterflies and a Speckled Wood were on the wing. A little further on I caught sight of a Banded Demoiselle but unfortunately it kept going without stopping. I love watching them, they are beautiful damselflies. A female Cranefly Tipula lunata was resting up allowing some good views.

female Cranefly Tipula lunata

A Cuckoo was calling frequently but I did not hear a female answer today. A Common Buzzard was spiralling above and Swifts were hawking for insects high above me. I disturbed a small moth that flew a short distance before settling down again. I think that it was a Chrysoteuchia culmella. A Holly Blue butterfly settled briefly allowing a photo.

Chrysoteuchia culmella

Holly Blue Butterfly

A little further on a Reed Warbler peeped out at me as it worked its way through the vegetation. An Ichneumon wasp Amblyteles armatorius paused briefly before moving off, they are striking insects. I kept my eyes open for dragonflies but did not have any success today in seeing any. A few Red-eyed Damselflies were resting on the duck weed in the dyke.

Reed Warbler

Amblyteles armatorius

I caught sight of yellow again and thought I had another Ichneumon wasp but then realised it was a Longhorn Beetle. Luckily for me it flew and landed closer to me and I was able to get a couple of photos before it moved on. It was a Black-and-yellow Longhorn Beetle Rutpela maculata and was fascinating to watch.

Black-and-yellow Longhorn Beetle Rutpela maculata

Black-and-yellow Longhorn Beetle Rutpela maculata

A small family group of Great Tits were calling away and Goldfinch song and calls filled the air as a small group flew over. I had a look in some vegetation that was in the shade and got good views of a Ptychoptera contaminata and also a Pericoma species Moth Fly.

Ptychoptera contaminata

Pericoma species Moth Fly

I caught sight of a small spider with a bright green abdomen and tried for some photos. I did not manage to get much in the photo line but I think that it is either Araniella cucurbitina or opisthographa as apparently they are indistinguishable in the field in general appearance and size.

Araniella cucurbitina or opisthographa

Araniella cucurbitina or opisthographa

A Great Pied Hoverfly Volucella pellucens was busy feeding amongst a flower head and I saw a nymph that I think must be a Speckled Bush-cricket nymph.

Great Pied Hoverfly Volucella pellucens

Speckled Bush-cricket nymph

A female Marsh Harrier was hunting along a field edge and I could see a couple of Common Buzzard one of which was thermalling while the other was hovering before dropping down presumably onto something it had seen. 3 young Swallows were on the wires and Mum/Dad were kept busy feeding them.

Swallow feeding young

I finished off the visit with a Common Green Caspid Bug. I saw some Fringed Water-Lilies out in flower. Alarm calls above from the Swallows alerted me to a Sparrowhawk passing over. It was carrying food presumably back to feed young so hopefully they will do well. I had not been able to spend long but it had been good to be out and had been an enjoyable visit even if a fairly quiet one for birds.

Common Green Caspid Bug

Fringed Water-lily

Sparrowhawk

On the way home I saw a male Marsh Harrier hunting over one of the fields.

Male Marsh Harrier

Birds seen this visit include: 14 Reed Warbler, 4 Whitethroat, 4 Magpie, 9 Blackbird, 8 Chaffinch, 18 Swallow including at least 8 young, 3 Blackcap, 1 Wren, 2 Dunnock, 1 Ring-necked Parakeet, 2 Song Thrush, Wood Pigeons, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 4 Green Woodpecker, 3 Chiffchaff, 7 Swift, 19 Goldfinches, 2 Cuckoo, 2 Greenfinch, 3 Common Buzzard, Crows, Rooks, Jackdaws, 5 Great Tit, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Yellowhammer, House Sparrows, Starlings, 2 Marsh Harrier, 2 Mistle Thrush,

Grasshopper Warbler - Marshside 01/06/19

With very little time available for bird watching coming up for a while I was pleased to be able to pay a late afternoon visit to Marshside and see what I could see. There were good sunny intervals and it was warm but with a lot of high cloud and a cool south easterly wind.

Lots of Azure Damselflies were on the wing when I arrived, they seemed to be everywhere I looked. Some Holly Blue Butterflies were flitting around. Marsh Frogs were very vocal. A smaller number of Blue-tailed were also on the wing. Insects, surprisingly, seemed few and far between and I wondered if it was too warm for them as normally I see more than I could find today. There were some fish near the surface in the dyke. I wonder if these were Rudd as they looked darker with the scales more yellow green than the silver of the fish that I saw at Chambers Wall. There was also a stripey fish that I think is a Perch. The water had a whitish film on it.

? Rudd

? Rudd

Perch

I saw a Hairy Dragonfly fly down the dyke and it stopped a little further up and and appeared to be ovipositing before moving on. A couple of Large White Butterflies flew past. A flash of blue and orange heralded a passing Kingfisher. They are such beautiful birds. I saw my first Emperor Dragonfly of the year patrolling along a dyke. I tried for some flight photos but did very badly with them. By the time I had managed to get it in the frame and tried to focus it was disappearing out of the frame and definitely not in focus. Out of a lot of attempts I only got one that is almost there but still pretty bad. One of the attempts missed the dragonfly and it is disappearing out of the frame but it did pick up a shoal of little fish in the shallows on the opposite side which I only saw when looking back over the photos.

male Emperor Dragonfly

Shoal of fish and Emperor Dragonfly

A Marsh Frog was resting in the water and now and then I came across a Red-eyed Damselfly resting on some duck weed in the dyke.

Marsh Frog

Red-eyed Damselfly

It was proving to be pretty quiet, in general but it was good to be out. The cloud cover was continuing to build and I could feel the drop in temperature. Pairs of Azure Damselflies were busy in the dyke with the females ovipositing. I saw the Emperor Dragonfly go down ahead of me and looked for it as I approached and was pleased to see it was still resting in amongst the vegetation giving a chance to try for some photos.

Azure Damsleflies

male Emperor Dragonfly

male Emperor Dragonfly

A pair of young Moorhen were in the dyke and I caught sight of the female Mallard but she only appeared to have 4 youngster now. I just hope that they can get on well now they are bigger. The predation rate for young Mallard seems to be very high but hopefully reduces the bigger they get.

young Moorhen

While watching the young Moorhen I saw a damselfly flutter past and a male Banded Demoiselle landed briefly before carrying on. I only managed to grab a quick shot before it flew on but I was pleased to be able to get that. They are such beautiful damselflies and this one was my first for the year.

Banded Demoiselle

I was surprised, but very pleased, when a little further on I heard the unmistakable sound of a 'reeling' Grasshopper Warbler. I could not manage to see the bird as the area it was singing from was obscured by bushes but I tried to record it using the voice recorder I always carry. It was a little distant for the recorder but it did pick it up, even if it is not the best of recordings. As I can't transfer audio files to the blog I did the same as I did for the Nightingale and recorded from the voice recorder to the camera as I can import video. As before, the screen is black as I leave the lens hood on when recording the voice recorder. It has not come out great but I am pleased to have it and makes a good memory of the day. It certainly made my day hearing the Grasshopper Warbler. Hopefully, it is stays around, I may get a chance to see it at some point.

Very well chuffed with the Grasshopper Warbler but with walking becoming more problematic I headed for a spot where I could sit and watch the Swallows hawking for insects while trying for some flight photos of them. A Marsh Harrier flew past along a back field and 2 Common Buzzard were in the air together. A Swallow settled on the telegraph wires and looked stunning in the sunshine.

Swallow

I enjoyed sitting and watching the Swallows. I was surrounded by the song of birds and a Small Heath Butterfly fluttered back and fore. I did not have much success with the in flight photos but did end up with a couple that, although they are heavily cropped, they remind me of the afternoon nicely.

Swallow

Swallow

On the way home I saw a gull feeding on what looks like part of a Rabbit. It appeared to have darker grey scapulars and plainer coverts and tertials than I have seen before on Herring Gull and I did wonder about Yellow-legged Gull but I think that it is a Herring Gull. It had a pale eye and appeared to have a pale base to the lower mandible. And though the tertials appear plain, on looking through the photos there is one that shows one is notched. Presumably the others appear plain through wear. I am having trouble aging it and though I have looked through photos on the internet I am still not sure. What I do know is that it is a beautiful bird and one that, by studying it, will help me to get better at immature gull identification as these are a definite weak point for me. The good thing is that I can only get better at them. It made an interesting end to the visit.

Herring Gull

Herring Gull

Herring Gull

Birds seen this visit include: 3 Whitethroat, 6 Blackcap, Chaffinches, 2 Green Woodpecker, 4 Blackbird, 2 Wren, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Goldfinches, 3 Common Buzzard, 5 Swallow, 3 Chiffchaff, 1 Ring-necked Parakeet, 1 Kingfisher, 2 Greenfinch, 1 Grey Heron, 2 Long-tailed Tit, 2 Robin, 2 Song Thrush, 1 Pheasant, 1 Cuckoo, 1 Mistle Thrush, 4 Reed Warbler, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 2 Collared Doves, Wood Pigeons, 1 Marsh Harrier, Herring Gulls

Cuckoo and a Hairy Dragonfly in difficulty - Marshside 27/05/19

I came down to Marshside after work on an overcast but mild afternoon. Lots of Azure Damselflies were on the wing but it seemed pretty quiet for birds. As it was so quiet bird wise it turned out to be an afternoon that I saw a lot more insects than birds. The Marsh Frogs were very vocal.

A small moth settled briefly. I am not sure what it is and will update when I find out. A female Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis was feeding away in a Buttercup flower. I tend to see more males than females of this beetle so it was nice to catch up with a female.

Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis

Chaffinch and Wren were singing away and I could hear a Ring-necked Parakeet calling from the trees but could not manage to see it. Three little balls of baby Garden Spiders were suspended in a fine web, all around the same size as this one.

baby Garden Spiders

An old horse paddock was a sea of buttercups and a beautiful sight. Several Grass Vetchling Lathyrus nissolia flowers showed magenta pink amongst the yellow.

Grass Vetchling Lathyrus nissolia

I saw 2 Common Malachite Beetles, a male and a female. I thought, when I saw them, that they were fighting but the website UK Beetles explained that this was part of the mating ritual. It made fascinating reading.

male and female Common Malachite Beetles

A Chiffchaff was singing away and a Whitethroat and Reed Warbler were also in full song. A Common Earwig was resting up and a pair of Hairy Shieldbugs were mating.

Common Earwig

mating Hairy Shieldbugs

Rooks were back and fore between the rookery and a recently planted field and a male Ichneumon deliratorius gave some good, even if partially obscured views.

Rook

Ichneumon deliratorius

A pair of Great Tit were busily collecting food and made several journeys while I was watching. I was sorry to see that the female Mallard is down to 8 youngsters but those seemed to be doing well.

Great Tit

female Mallard with ducklings

female Mallard with ducklings

I came across a Ptychoptera contaminata amongst the vegetation bordering the dyke and also a beetle that I did not recognise. I haven't been able to identify the beetle and I will update when I can.

Ptychoptera contaminata

The Yellow Iris's were out in flower and are really handsome flowers and always a welcome splash of colour. A Blue-tailed Damselfly colour form rufescens gave a chance to admire that colour form close up.

Yellow Iris

Blue-tailed Damselfly colour form rufescens

I saw a Hairy Dragonfly resting low down in the vegetation at the waters edge. It was only when I saw it from the other side that I realised that its wings were only fully expanded on one side. On the other side one wing was only partially expanded with half of it shrivelled and folded back on itself and the other wing seemed to be missing altogether or else completely unexpanded. It was a sad sight.

Hairy Dragonfly

Hairy Dragonfly

I came across a Red-eyed Damselfly which  was a little too far away for a photo but further on I came across a much more obliging one which I was able to try some photos. They are very attractive damselflies.

Red-eyed Damselfly

Red-eyed Damselfly

I had heard a Cuckoo calling at times throughout the visit and it flew in and landed on the power cables. It sat preening until a nearby Wood Pigeon took exception to its presence and flew straight at it. The Cuckoo dropped off the wires and flew to a nearby tree whereupon the Wood Pigeon followed it and once again flew at it until it moved on. This happened three times before the Cuckoo gave up and flew further away before it began to call again.

Cucckoo and Wood Pigeon

Cuckoo and Wood Pigeon

It was nice to hear the Turtle Dove purring away. It is a lovely sound. I had a couple of different Ladybirds, both quite small. One I think is a 24-spot but I am not sure, at present, on the other one. Once again, I will update when I can identify it.

24-spot Ladybird

A Bee was busy amongst a Bramble flower and I came across a snail shell that was surprisingly translucent.

translucent Snail shell

I saw a very distant Barn Owl hunting which came as a nice surprise. It was too far for a photo but I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. It always makes my day when I see an owl. I haven't seen one here for a while so it was nice to know that they are still around. I finished the visit with a couple of moths, one of which I will have to update when I can identify it.

Small China-mark Cataclysta lemnata

Birds seen this visit include: 2 Ring-necked Parakeet, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Carrion Crows, 8 Wren, 15 Blackbird, 6 Robin, Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Starlings, 4 Chiffchaff, 8 Reed Warblers, 8 Whitethroat, 3 Green Woodpecker, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, Wood Pigeons, 5 Swallow, Great Tit, 5 Sand Martin, 5 Song Thrush, Rooks, Jackdaws, female Mallard with 8 ducklings, 1 Turtle Dove, 1 Cuckoo, 4 Moorhen, Herring Gulls, 1 Common Buzzard, 2 Collared Doves, 5 Blackcap, 2 Dunnock, House Sparrows, 2 Magpie, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 2 Mistle Thrush, 1 Yellowhammer, 2 Long Tailed Tits, Skylarks, 1 Barn Owl