Saturday, 27 December 2014
December 2014 - BadgerWatch
Have been trying a few bits of video from the camera trap. Think the results are a wee bit better than the stills taken with the same camera. Both viseos taken in early December.
Friday, 26 December 2014
26 December 2014 - Foxy video for Christmas...
Collected in the camera trap to see what had caught itself on the camera trap. Not quite BBC eh..?
Friday, 12 December 2014
6 December 2014 - Emsworth, Hants - Sea Slaters
Visited the east Hampshire coast - an obvious (?) place to look for Ligia oceanica, the sea slater. Up to 30 millimetres in length, it is one of the largest oniscid isopods - or marine woodlouse, if you prefer!
Never seen these chaps before - huge (ish) - and certainly worth the whole effort of turning one rock over.
Never seen these chaps before - huge (ish) - and certainly worth the whole effort of turning one rock over.
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| Sea Slater, 6/12/14, Emsworth, Hants |
Saturday, 15 November 2014
15 Nov 2914 - Tree climbing badger...
I'd have expected some scent marking from a badger, which would result in other males having a good wiff - but this chap (or chap-ess) seems to be really going for it. Is there another explanation?
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| Badger |
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| Tree climbing badger |
Thursday, 13 November 2014
13 Nov 2013 - camera trap results
2nd set of results from camera trap revealed Badgers, Fox, Grey Squirrel and Blackbirds - how come Simon King always comes up trumps with a flippin Tiger or some previously unknown species of rodent-marsupial-bat?
Of the 10+ badger pictures I got, this is the only one head on - but I do have an extensive photographic collection of Badgers' arses!
Of the 10+ badger pictures I got, this is the only one head on - but I do have an extensive photographic collection of Badgers' arses!
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| Fox |
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| Fox again |
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| and again... |
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| And a badger |
Monday, 10 November 2014
10 Nov 2014 - Camera trap
Tried out Adrian Harris' camera trap over the past two evenings near a badger set. First night (Saturday) was wet and the camera set too high - the result was two pictures of grey squirrels investigating the badger sets.
Following a repositioning of the trap - lower and pointing down an animal track - bingo! A nice badger trying to show us his best side.
The system needs a little further refinement, but I think there's a start of something interesting.
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| Grey Squirrel - well, a bit of one |
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| Badger |
Sunday, 9 November 2014
9 Nov 2014 - Reculver Towers, Kent
Popped up to north Kent this afternoon to pay homage to the male Desert Wheatear.
A later than hoped-for arrival (me, not the bird) helped 'warm' our quarry in the fading light. Still, the Wheatear was ultra-confiding for the first two minutes of my stay - then it moved from its favoured rock and never returned!
A Black Redstart with newly replaced tertials on the right wing was an interesting start to the visit.
A later than hoped-for arrival (me, not the bird) helped 'warm' our quarry in the fading light. Still, the Wheatear was ultra-confiding for the first two minutes of my stay - then it moved from its favoured rock and never returned!
A Black Redstart with newly replaced tertials on the right wing was an interesting start to the visit.
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| Black Redstart with asymetric moult in the tertials |
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| Desert Wheatear |
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| Desert Wheatear |
Sunday, 2 November 2014
1 Nov 2014 - Brotton, Cleveland
On 23 October 2009, I was on a pelagic off the Queensland coast of Australia, enjoying a few shearwaters, turtles and Humpback Whales - little did I know that back home my fellow crew were enjoying a First for Great Britain & Ireland in the form of an Eastern-crowned Warbler. The comments from Adam Whitehouse, on my blog post for that day (see here), were amusing at the time and even more amusing today.
That six month trip to Australia and New Zealand, cost me Sandhill Crane and Eastern-crowned Warbler - though I only live and work 20 minutes from the Tufted Puffin, I'm (nearly) certain I wouldn't have got to it in time... I unblocked the Sandhill Crane on 23 Sept 2011 in Aberdeenshire, but still the Warbler niggled me...
Fast forward to Thursday and news broke of an Eastern-crowned Warbler at Brotton, Cleveland - I wanted to see it, but... The 'But' was that it had been Max's 6th birthday on the 29 Oct - and we'd arranged for a woodland camping party for him on 31st - so no Thursday night travelling. With further family events planned for the weekend and a busy few days at work, I wasn't going to be able to travel north - until one very sickly sounding sister phoned to apologise, most profusely, that she'd have to cancel her visit - bloody marvellous!! Ten minutes later and I was on the M20 and on my way.
The drive to Cleveland was thankfully uneventful, but with clear skies I must admit I was feeling less than positive about my chances... Dossing in the car, I was on site and up at first light, trying to get the gen and working out where best to stand. Two groups formed - I positioned myself between them. I saw some movement in the further group so decided to head that way. Sure enough, they'd got the bird - sat there quietly in a Sycamore, snapping at the occasional insect. Clean white underparts, no tertial markings, single wingbar, pale underside to the lower mandible, it then tilted its head forward to reveal a central crown stripe. Nice! Job done.
Given such excellent first views, I kicked myself for not even thinking about the camera on my shoulder - but possibly that's the best way to do things. When later I did try and fire a shot, I realised that there was a fault somewhere with my camera. Particular thanks then to Tony Dixon for allowing me to reproduce his excellent images of today's gem - though quite how he manages to achieve such images by digi-binning, I have no idea!
What next? Tufted Puffin?
That six month trip to Australia and New Zealand, cost me Sandhill Crane and Eastern-crowned Warbler - though I only live and work 20 minutes from the Tufted Puffin, I'm (nearly) certain I wouldn't have got to it in time... I unblocked the Sandhill Crane on 23 Sept 2011 in Aberdeenshire, but still the Warbler niggled me...
Fast forward to Thursday and news broke of an Eastern-crowned Warbler at Brotton, Cleveland - I wanted to see it, but... The 'But' was that it had been Max's 6th birthday on the 29 Oct - and we'd arranged for a woodland camping party for him on 31st - so no Thursday night travelling. With further family events planned for the weekend and a busy few days at work, I wasn't going to be able to travel north - until one very sickly sounding sister phoned to apologise, most profusely, that she'd have to cancel her visit - bloody marvellous!! Ten minutes later and I was on the M20 and on my way.
The drive to Cleveland was thankfully uneventful, but with clear skies I must admit I was feeling less than positive about my chances... Dossing in the car, I was on site and up at first light, trying to get the gen and working out where best to stand. Two groups formed - I positioned myself between them. I saw some movement in the further group so decided to head that way. Sure enough, they'd got the bird - sat there quietly in a Sycamore, snapping at the occasional insect. Clean white underparts, no tertial markings, single wingbar, pale underside to the lower mandible, it then tilted its head forward to reveal a central crown stripe. Nice! Job done.
Given such excellent first views, I kicked myself for not even thinking about the camera on my shoulder - but possibly that's the best way to do things. When later I did try and fire a shot, I realised that there was a fault somewhere with my camera. Particular thanks then to Tony Dixon for allowing me to reproduce his excellent images of today's gem - though quite how he manages to achieve such images by digi-binning, I have no idea!
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| Eastern-crowned Warbler, copyright Tony Dixon |
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| Eastern-crowned Warbler, copyright Tony Dixon |
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| Eastern-crowned Warbler, copyright Tony Dixon |
Wednesday, 8 October 2014
5 October 2014 - Dungeness
Joined Marc at Dungeness for a spot of very cold, moon-lit moffin. The original decision to trap down there was based on a Friday afternoon waether forecast - alas, this changed (alot!) in the 48 hours between then and arrival on site...
A painfully slow session did at least produce half a dozen Feathered Brindle and a fun looking micro - which looked much better in the photographs than it did in the scale...
A painfully slow session did at least produce half a dozen Feathered Brindle and a fun looking micro - which looked much better in the photographs than it did in the scale...
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| Feathered Brindle |
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| Feathered Brindle |
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| mini-moff |
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| mini-moff |
Thursday, 2 October 2014
1 Oct 2014 - Cliffe Marshes RSPB
Popped 'up norff' to Cliffe for a spot of moffin. The mix of moths was strange for October - but perhaps that's to be expected given the length of the season and the number of second generation species appearing.
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| Fern |
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| Shoulder-striped Wainscot |
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| Square-spot Rustic - I t hink (I had thought Six-striped....) |
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| Buff Footman |
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| Grey Pine Carpet - I think |
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| Green-brindled Crescent |
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| Barred Sallow |
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| Red-green Carpet |
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| Beaded Chestnut |
Saturday, 27 September 2014
26 Sept 2014 - Holborough Marshes
Did a wee spot of actinic moffin last night. 23 spp was OK - ish.
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| Agriphila tristella |
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| Deep-brown Dart |
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| Large Wainscot |
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| Green Brindled Crescent |
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| Burnished Brass - just brilliant eh? |
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| Eudonia pallida - I think... |
Monday, 22 September 2014
Clifden Nonpareil
Took a few pictures of Friday's Ye Olde Blue Underwing when I took it back to Orlestone
Forest. I gave it a drop of red wine as a small token of my appreciation...
Forest. I gave it a drop of red wine as a small token of my appreciation...
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| Clifden Nonpareil |
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| Clifden Nonpareil |
.JPG) |
| Clifden Nonpareil |
Sunday, 21 September 2014
20 Sept 2014 - Holborough Marshes KWT
Put an actinic out whilst returning yesterday's moths to Orlestone - first Mottled Umber of the year being the er....highlight.
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| Mottled Umber |
Saturday, 20 September 2014
19 Sept 2014 - Orlestone Forest, Kent
Visited Orlestone Forest last night for some early autumn trapping. With plenty of sugar out and then four lights, my hopes for an interesting night were lessened when looking at the amazing lightening display happening somewhere over the south-eastern horizon (later Bernard told me it was just east of Calais, so why was I worrying?!?).
At 11.50pm Bernard called a Clifden Nonpareil flapping gently down to the ground where the sugar container had been left near the trap - on a quick naff view I confess I thought we'd secured a Red Underwing...that was, until I saw the blue!!
After potting the underwing we returned to the trap 2 metres away, only to find a White-line Snout asking to be seen! Two new moths in two minutes!
And a soon as these two treasures had been found, it started spotting with rain - and then it poured! Moving sharpishly, we threw the unemptied traps in the car - only to spend the journey home being landed on by caddis flies and Oak Lutestrings. All in a night's miffin.
Particular thanks to Bernard for helping me out this night - very much appreciated.
At 11.50pm Bernard called a Clifden Nonpareil flapping gently down to the ground where the sugar container had been left near the trap - on a quick naff view I confess I thought we'd secured a Red Underwing...that was, until I saw the blue!!
After potting the underwing we returned to the trap 2 metres away, only to find a White-line Snout asking to be seen! Two new moths in two minutes!
And a soon as these two treasures had been found, it started spotting with rain - and then it poured! Moving sharpishly, we threw the unemptied traps in the car - only to spend the journey home being landed on by caddis flies and Oak Lutestrings. All in a night's miffin.
Particular thanks to Bernard for helping me out this night - very much appreciated.
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| Clifden Nonpareil - a slightly bald one... |
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| Clifden Nonpareil |
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| Ahh...blue underwing indeed. |
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| White-line Snout |
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| White-line Snout |
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| Anania crocealis |
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| Apotomis turbidana |
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| Marbled White Spot |
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| Beetle spp! |
Monday, 15 September 2014
15 Sept 2014 - Cliffe Marshes RSPB, Kent
Had a few hours at Cliffe tonight - highlights included Peach Blossom, Old Lady, Burnished Brass, Pretty Chalk Carpet, Dark Spectacle and loads of L-album Wainscot.
And tiny wee micro...
And tiny wee micro...
Monday, 8 September 2014
4 Sept 2014 - Orlestone Forest, Kent
Had an interesting few hours trapping in less than ideal condition (clear skies). A few nice bits and bobs - Pale Eggar probably being most interesting from a Kent perspective (I think Orlestone is the stronghold for the species).
Dark Sword-grass and Red Underwing are always pleasant to catch. Oak Lutestring is a personal favourite of that group.
And then there's a few micros to attempt to name later...!
Can't decide which background I prefer: completely artificial or staged??
Dark Sword-grass and Red Underwing are always pleasant to catch. Oak Lutestring is a personal favourite of that group.
And then there's a few micros to attempt to name later...!
Can't decide which background I prefer: completely artificial or staged??
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| Pale Eggar |
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| Pale Eggar |
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| Dark Sword-grass |
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| Red Underwing |
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| The red underwing on a Red Underwing |
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| Oak Lutestring |
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| Oak Hooktip |
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| Tawny-barred Angle |
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| Grey Pine Carpet |
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| Maiden's Blush |
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| Dark(?) Marbled Carpet |
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| Micro 1 |
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| Micro 2 |
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| Micro 3 |
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| Micro 4 |
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| Micro 5 |
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| Micro 6 |
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