6 June 2008 Work...

Weevil spp

Pond Skater

Oedemera nobilis

Scorpion Fly

Lesser House-fly (may be!)

Green Shield-bug

Gall thing on Lime

7-spot Ladybird

4 June 2008 Bed Ticks, Kent

Common Tern seen from the bed this morning - not a bed tick, but good to see two of these alreday since moving in. On way to the car both the Tern and a juvy Great-creasted Grebe put in a little performance.

A walk at lunchtime round the lake produced a little array of avian surprises in the form of the male Mandarin Duck, which has been with us a while now, and a Whooper Swan. Both being a rather plastic element to birding, at least they have feathers - something the Bearded One was beginning to complain about on these pages.

4 June 2008 Work

Banded Demoiselle, male. A nice lunchtime tick for 2008.

A dam fine sheild bug of unknown species - it was a good un though.

Speckled Bush-cricket nymph. All of about 3mm from head to toe - excluding whiskers.

4 June 2008 Wye

After work the Bearded One and I headed for Wye to see late Spider Orchids. A better showing than a few days earlier when we'd stomped all over the place getting nothing but nettle stings on my sensitive legs.

A few interesting bits reminded us both of days gone by, when boys stared in to pools to look for Common backswimmers.

I can only assume this is a Common Earwing (Forficula auricularia) but quite why it's rear pincers are all dark is a mystery - in all my books these should be fairly pale... It's a male, whatever the species.

Straw Dot - not the most exciting perhaps.

A flat click beetle - Agrypnus murina

Agapeta hamana

3 June 2008 Holly Hill, Kent

A lunchtime ramble on Holly Hill in the drizzle was perhaps not the most inspiring trip - the view, however, was a little more inspiring than my desk. In a bid to educate myself just a little a few snaps of stuff we all pass by and we all ignore...

First in the lens was a wee Dark Bush-cricket, all of about 6mm head-to-toe. It's going to be a little longer before I can take a few better snaps to enter the competition with Mr Shoelace.

Next up was a hairy hover-fly called Volucella bombylans (I think). This beastie exists in two forms - this one mimicking the White-tailed Bumble-bee. A true fly - I regret to inform that it seems Diptera our now on my radar...

Finally a possible sawfly species - my new Collins guide shows many similar, but not the right combination of white markings, red markings and all that.

3 June 2008 The Lakes, Kent

I phoned Jasper Carrot this evening.
"It's only a matter of time and you'll be 'doing' spiders!", he proudly mocked. "Yeh right, " I replied, "I'm a birder and a bald birder at that!".

Shortly afterwards I was viewing a spid through the viewfinder and getting more confused than ever. And then another, and more confusion.

Still, on this damp June evening a few mollusca could slide in to photographic range. With my new-found 'put a name to it' philosophy, some of them seemed easy. Take Arion ater for starters - Large Black Slug.
Then there was the snails - on this topic, I definately need a new book.

For some of the odd stuff there was a few new names this evening; on the wild rose was Robin's Pincushion Gall (also known as Bedeguar Gall) - caused by Diplolepis rosae, and on the ground ivy was a gall caused by Liposthenus glechomae.

Dragonflies put in a good performance in the rain with a nice Black-tailed Skimmer and many Azure Damselflies (two years ticks on the old 2008 Odonata list). The Azures having a distinctive 'U' on segment two.

Further looking produced Spotted Crane-fly and a couple of other bits which will have to wait until another day before being named with any degree of uncertainty.

Enjoy!

1 June 2008 Pegwell Bay & other places, Kent

A late start saw me eventually heading out after breakfast (about 13.30 to be slightly more precise) - destination Pegwell bay for the adult American Golden Plover. Passing by Manston Airport it dawned on me that my bins were in The Good Lady's car - what with that and the drizzle beginning, I was starting to write the day off. Actually I shouldn't have been overly pessimistic at this stage as it would be another 15 minutes before I realised I hadn't got my camera adapter for the telescope - they say 'information is everything', I'd say that equipment counts for quite a lot when you're trying to see and photograph things!

The AGP duly showed well as did a Red Kite in wing moult as I headed off through Wingham in a bid to see avian stuff at Stodmarsh.

Arriving at Stodmarsh, the Whiskered Tern was showing, just about. A mere half mile distant and through the mist is wasn't perhaps the best. A female Red-footed Falcon was similarly distant and without the Hubble Telescope in my motor, the beauty of these indivuals escaped being captured - by me, at least. At least Bob Knight 'showed well' - see, every cloud's got a silver lining!

And then on to somewhere else for Monkey Orchids.

Just a few Monkey Orchids left in reasonable condition - the Common Twayblades put in a slightly better performance, though they are hardly show stoppers.

31 May 2008 Queendown Warren, Kent

With news of Terek Sand at Rye, Whiskered Tern and Red-footed Falcon at Stodmarsh, the choice of trip this morning was easy - avoid both sites and head for Queendown Warren!

Lots of stuff around - orchids, beetles, plants, reptiles, but alas, no Terek Sands, Red-footed Falcons or Whiskered Terns.

31 May 2008 Queendown Warren - Beetles

A couple of stonking males Stag Beetles. First one located in flight as it flew towards a Hawthorn tree, nearly knocking it over in the process.

Thought that one of the beetles uncovered was a female Lesser Stag Beetle - but now not so sure. Comments appreciated. As for the other two beasties - guess I'll just have to wait till Lee Gregory has a view of these pages and can send some identification suggestions through.