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| Lapwing Chick (c) Jason Coppock |
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| Coot Attack (c) P.Barker |
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| Pochard Drake (c) P.Barker |
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| Blackcap (c) P.Barker |
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| Garden Warbler (c) A. Last |
The weekend offered a brief respite from the summer monsoons with Sunday morning
being the sunniest and calmest that I can remember for over a month. Things have
started to settle into a quieter summer pattern, there are still birds singing
but many are now feeding young and foraging busily. There were still two
Grasshopper Warblers reeling in the carpark field but with the foliage now so
dense it was impossible to spot them. The
Garden Warblers and
Blackcaps in the
Roman Road gave me yet another opportunity to separate their songs and I know
that I will have it fixed by the time that they stop singing, and next season
have to learn it all over again! On Saturday
Quail were calling from both the
Closes and from the field just to the South of the Closes suggesting at least
two birds, however we failed to hear them on Sunday. A
Tawny Owl was seen on
Saturday in the oaks along the Roman Road, an area where they have frequently
been heard calling and where three juveniles were seen last year.
Little Ringed
Plovers were again on the Big Otmoor scrapes, as were two
Dunlin. At least eight
very small Lapwing chicks were around the scrapes and there were calling and
agitated
Redshanks all over Big Otmoor that were clearly monitoring chicks in
the grass.
In the calm sunshine on Sunday there were many damselflies along
the bridle way of several different species, offering an id challenge, certainly
some were
Red eyed Damselflies but there may be other kinds that also have red
eyes.....its time to get the Lewington out again. I can however confirm at least
three
Downy Emerald Dragonflies in the area to the east of the pump house for
the third year running along with a
Hairy and many
Four Spotted Chasers. There
were in fact lots of different and interesting invertebrates to be seen in
amongst the lush vegetation and nectaring on the flowers, it is that time of
year when looking carefully, closely and and on a different scale can provide
fascination, variety and beauty.
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| Honey bee on a Dogrose (c) P. Barker |
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| Large Red Damselflies ??(c) P. Barker |
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| Longhorned Beetle sp. (c) Andy Last |
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| Beauty in miniature. (c) P.Barker |
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