britishwildlife

As most of you know, I'm obsessed with Odonates! Dragonflies and damselflies are my driving force for getting out and about in the Summer months.

Today, hot, dry and with enough of a breeze to make walking enjoyable, rather than a burden. So we headed to Sideway, a pair of pools used by Fenton Angling club, and in the shadow of the Britannia Stadium.

It's never been the most prolific site for odonates, but is often interesting, with the chance of a grass snake always keeping you looking.

Dragonflies are lower in number than damsels, but after 2 really wet summers, numbers seem even lower than I recall. I was still able to spot at least 3 brown hawkers, and a solitary female black-tailed skimmer.

Damselflies were, as mentioned, very prolific!

Ishnura elegans mating wheel

Ishnura elegans (male)

Ceonagrion puella

And to put icing on the cake, on leaving the pools, a rabbit ran across our path in full view!

Last Sunday, with a 5am wake up call, we headed off to the East coast, and Bempton Clffs (near Bridlington).

Arriving just before noon, the heat started to build up, with a slight sea haze, and very little breeze. Thanks to Springwatch earlier that week featuring the reserve, crowd numbers were up, making some of the viewing spots difficult to get to. Patience was a virtue.

Right, couple of things you need to know about seabird colonies. 1) they're loud. Seriously loud. The calls are not melodic, but you'll never forget them. 2) also unforgettable is the smell. Seabirds, by their nature, predate on fish. Fish, when digested...well, you get the idea!

The reserve's emblem is a puffin, but if you head out, expecting them to be sat a couple of feet away, you'll be disappointed. Due to the nature of the place, with 400 foot cliffs, the puffins at rest are best seen through a powerful spotting scope. Some locations, they can be seen in flight, but only briefly. Kittiwakes, guillemots and razorbills are plentiful and great to see. The highlight, though, is England's only mainland Gannet colony. Thousands of these beautiful birds congregate on a natural arch, protruding from the cliff.

Outside of the seabirds that form the main attraction, the heaths atop the cliffs are home to numerous skylarks - heard, rarely seen! Orchids pop up from the grass in parts too, purple heads stopping people in their tracks!

Away from the madding crowd, Amber and I found a bench. A vine weevil decided to explore our hands, while on the bushes around us, my favourite bird of the day bobbed up and down - a Whitethroat!

and

Wednesday, work in the city centre, between two busy main roads.

As you may be aware, we've a pair of peregrine on the exchange. From studying them, the male is a full grown adult, but the female is probably a first year adult, so it's looking unlikely they'll mate this year.

But, apart from them, there is a fair amount of wildlife on the grounds. We've nesting blackbirds, chiding goldfinch, and a great tit that spent several minutes studying me today.

My favourite, however, has to be the family of wrens. No sign of chicks, but the parents have been feeding in a shrub next to the entrance for a couple of weeks now. Pictures below.

Most interesting, is a pipestrelle bat, that against all conventional wisdom (due to ease of predation), prefers daylight flying. Not only did he circle my head, but took rest in a tree, and at one time, was little more than 2 foot above my head!

I've deleted my blog thread, summer (in some variant) is approaching, so will only be updating the group page from now on. Wildlife, wildlife and wildlife.

At least you'll be spared my words of wisdom

Recent shots from Westport Lake

Great Crested Grebe at nest

And a solitary, lonely Pochard

Got a "lifer" yesterday! And the best part is the location. At the end of my street, a friend has feeders in his garden. And this little lady is a regular visitor!

Not the best of shots - very low light, high iso and slow shutter speed.

Bird watchers are tense, competitive, selfish, shifty, dishonest, distrusting, boorish, pedantic, unsentimental, arrogant and - above all - envious.

And I agree. We went with the local birder group to Gibraltar Point, on the Wash, yesterday. Great place, hides positioned perfectly and some great sightings. Never, in my life had I seen so many Little Egrets. Got my first views of Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits, Curlew Sandpiper and best ever views of Snipe. Fantastic viewing and as I say, a great place.

If it wasn't for certain members of the birding brigade. We left the first hide, and were heading to the next when a diminutive blue butterfly flitted past us. It then landed about 4 feet away. Brilliant. My partner reached into her camera bag to pass me her camera (I always have the 500mm for bird trips, she has a 300mm, but with decent macro facilities!). I bend down, pointing my lens at the butterfly. Focus whirs and I hear a noise. Four birders leaving the hide head our way. There's plenty of room behind me on the path. No problem. Except two of the selfish bleeders decide to stomp in front of me and the lens, almost treading on the butterfly. Of course, when I look up, it's gone. Never to be seen again.

It could have been a Holly Blue, and quite common. It could also have been the considerably rare Small Blue. We'll never know, because some arrogant toerags who only care about their bird lists, did not have the common decency to pass behind me on the path. I felt like shoving their spotting scopes where the sun doesn't shine, but I didn't. I'd like to think I'm above that.

For the two that spoiled that moment for me, let me wish you the sighting of a lifetime, a bird never before spotted on British soil. And I hope that before you can identify it, you trip over your tripod and end up covered in cow dung....

A letter in Bird Watching this month condemned the editorial team for including features on both insect walks and wildlife gardening. This is a bird magazine was the message. How shortsighted is that? Birds, indeed any wildlife, cannot exist in a vacuum. That is the basis of ecosystems. It's also how I manage to see as much wildlife as I do.

My reasoning is this. All animals represent food for other species, smaller to larger. Unequivocal fact. So spend time in a place with a lot of birds around water, for example and you can guarantee insect sightings, mammals, occasinally reptiles. Simple, isn't it?

Then again, sometimes you won't need to leave the city centre either. Think of wildlife that has an almost symbiotic relationship with man, and pigeons and rats will top that list. There are a lot more. Hearing lots of chirps as you pass the shops? Look up and you'll probably see hundreds of starlings. Most winters will find you sharing the pedestrian area with pied wagtails. Heck, some places with towering buildings harbour the occasional peregrine falcon.

Funny old world, isn't it?

Carl

It was perfect plotting weather this morning which I spent digging and weeding on the allotment. There were plenty of bees, birds, butterflies and ladybirds to be seen in the warm sunshine.

When I stopped for a break to eat a just picked deliciously juicy apple that my plot neighbour Joe had given me I wondered across to another part of the site.

Over there is a water filled trench running almost the length of one plot. I strolled along the adjacent path looking for Backswimmers and Water Boatmen but couldn't see any.

However there were plenty of Common Darters hovering and sky dancing. When I stood still and watched  they were literally at arms length away.

was a miserable month for bugs as well as people according to this article.

Well, I'm still a beginner - so much I've yet to see out there!

Where to go?

This is the easy bit. Information is so readily available on the internet. Well known bodies such as the RSPB, WWT and county Wildlife Trusts have sites giving details on where to go, what to see there and amenities (A visitor centre with fully equipped tea/coffee facilities is so welcome most of the year!). For local knowledge, RSPB local groups, mammal groups, etc, usually have itineries including trips with knowledgeable organisers. For those who like to strike out alone, I recommend looking at a set of books, "Where to watch birds in...." as these list numerous sites around an area. As birds do not exist in isolation, other wildlife is guaranteed at these places too.

Getting there

Car is obviously the most flexible. But even without one, it's possible to visit many reserves. Bus, rail and bike are good options. Be aware though, that due to their very nature, many reserves are off the beaten track and may be almost impossible to reach without a car or organised coach trip.

What to take

Enthusiasm, and the ability to watch and listen! Practically, I'd say plan for the worst case scenario, weatherwise. Even in Summer I take along a lightweight, water/windproof jacket. Winter expands this to include multi-layering thin clothes, finishing off with a quality fleece. A microfibre compact towel provides comfort too. If you're well off the beaten track, then a survival kit, first aid and preferably a mobile with gps would help. If your mobile lacks gps, but has bluetooth and can support symbian software, a small gps transmitter can be bought for less than £20.

How do I watch?

Tricky one this. I'm an insect buff, and as you can guess, most of these don't require a great deal of effort to see. Other creatures aren't so forthcoming. Even then, you won't need to put in miles of travelling to get views of many creatures. Bats are a great example. Pretty much any summer,dusk walk around water will generate several sightings. Stand by a pond as the sun descends and watch the bats perform almost impossible aerobatics. That same pond hours earlier could be used by numerous dragonflies. Hides tend to be placed over an excellent viewpoint for bird watching, but don't discount the areas around and between. We had a fox watch us for a few minutes on the path to the hide.

High on many peoples list is the exotic looking Kingfisher. How many hours do you need to spend in a hide to see one? Well, err, none actually. Where they're present, you can get many sightings just walking along the river. Usually just a flash of blue, but sometimes a lingering view of one sat on a perch. My favourite was a 20 foot dive to the river, emerging with a fish. Over the last four years, I've become almost blase about sightings, and in winter, expect my first view within 10 minutes of arriving at the river. See if any local river walks have got kingfishers, take a regular stroll and you'll soon get to see this magical bird.

Deer are a staple of Autumnwatch, elusive, hard to see creatures. Unless there's a deerpark nearby. Our Black Roe Deer at Trentham graze on a field next to the A34 and can be seen regularly. Other parks have deer so accustomed to human presence, they barely twitch as a car or walker go by. In Autumn, though, I'd advise no close encounters during the rut. Males and testosterone are not a good mix!

Take a dawn walk in a wood - and these are sometimes group organised. Spring heralds a great increase in the volume levels, as mating season approaches. Don't expect to know every call, but I've got many mp3 tracks of bird call on my phone for identification.

Above all else, get out, get close to nature and enjoy the outdoors!

Carl