21 June 2008 - Corsica Day 7 - Just chilling out

Reptiles from Corsica

Moorish Gecko - judging by the foot pattern, body markings and 'bits' in its back.

Italian Wall Lizards

Tyrrhenian Wall Lizards

This one was called 'Paul', bit like all the other reptiles on the island!

14 June 2008 - The lakes

Today's news is that there isn't going to be any news until 22 June, owing to a well deserved rest. The Good Lady Wiff and I are heading for Corsica to look for Corsican Nuthatch and Corsican Fair-Isle Finch.

Did manage to fit in a short walk around the country park - many bits recorded in glorious pixels, but in all honesty with the dreaded pant ironing session in front of me, I haven't got time to sort the images out.

One press of the shutter did result in my usual, favoured, blurred image being cast to one side and a fairly sharp (well, very sharp if your name is Paul) snap of a Common Blue Damselfly taken instead. Full screen this wee chap is definately having a bad hair day - but at least it's got hair, which is more than I have!

13 June 2008 - Letter from Mr A Teapot of Essex

Just wanted to thank Mr A Teapot of Essex, for his kind letter raising a possible wrong identification on a picture of a Four-spotted Chaser. Clearly an excusable and perfectly reasonable human error had occurred resulting in the incorrect labelling. Git!

And now, something completely different.

Nuffin actually seen today... Common Pipistrelle bat, 'Barry', detected in back garden again this evening. It (I won't assume that 'Barry' is a 'he'), can be picked echo-locating at 45 kHz from just before dusk until about 11pm on most calm evenings.

One Soprano Pipistrelle found on evening of 9th June in back garden but was picked up (at 55 kHz) when observer/listener to too tired to update blog (or too busy quaffing a tin of Fosters, more like). Either way it was a new species for the house.

12 June 2008 Work

A lunchtime walk produced this confiding japser. I haven't seen masses this year - and I do probably look just as much as the next bald nutter. Think it is just a Common Wasp, though some of the head markings on the front do seem a little at odds with this assumption (close up views of the front 'mask' are available on request!).

OK, OK, I admit it - I don't know what this is. I am assuming that with long antenna and a thin abdomen (that then gets wider), this is some sort of Ichneumon. But sometimes, you just got to hold your hand up and say "I don't know" - and I don't know.

Helophilus spp - and I dare you to argue with that vague identification.

Volucella pellucens - quite what this little blighter has done to have a name like an Italian pasta dish I don't know (Note - Identification based on black body hair not brown).

Eupeodes nitens - A surely one of the smartest hoverflies I've seen. Was hoping it was a rare, but the old book shows it to be common as muck across the whole world (well, UK anyway).

Emphis tessellata (I suspect)

11 June 2008 - Work and Holborough Marshes

Herb Robert on the bridge.

Holly Blue coming down to mud to take minerals.

Hairy Dragonfly found in a very torpid state - but then went for the tripod (me, not the Hairy) only to find that the little blighter had departed by the time I returned. The little B*****r!

Early Marsh Orchid - and a late flowering one at that.

This is a 'thing' - I dunno what sort of of a thing it is. answers on a postcard please.

A nice sedge spp for The Good Lady Wiff to identify.

Yellow Rattle

10 June 2008 Work...

A slight change in route round the grounds produced some nice bits and bobs. Pride of place went to this very wasp-like sawfly.
Tenthredo arcuata or 'Very Wasp-like Sawfly' to give it its new common name.

Brown Trout in the stream. According to my ancient Observer Book of British Trout, this has the latin name of Salmo trutta fario, which means it is a sub-species of Trout. Press your nose up against the monitor and you should be able to see small red circles on the lower half of the fish which mean it is a Brown Trout (now turn round and try and convince the person watching you that you're not going potty!).

This was quite a large spid - the sort of size that you could make a Sunday roast out of. As for its ID? I'll have to wait for the Puttenham's answer to Spiderman to help out.

White Ermine - almost virginal

9 June 2008 Work

My lunchtime wanderings produced a few new latin names for me to forget.

Coreus marginatus - feeds on dock, which it did.

Red-eyed Dmselflies - a new species at work. There was about 7 adults including two mates pairs.

Garden Pebble - found on an Elderflower flower

Speckled Wood

8 June 2008 Operation 'Otter' - Norfolk

A surf of the RSPB Strumpshaw website provided me with welcome news on the Otter front - "Be in the Fen Hide before 8am and you're in with a chance". After persuading The Good Lady that Norfolk was a good option for an overnight camp, I happen to wake up at 04.34am. No time like the present - I left the campsite and headed for Strumpshaw. On arrival, I then left the car park and headed for the Fen Hide. Walking to the Fen Hide at 05.27, I knew I was in the right place at the right time.....
Opening the hide door, I met 'Knobby' (his name was probably Fred, Phil, Terrance or even Guy - but as I didn't ask, I'll never know). "Seen anything?", I enquired. His reply left me speechless, "Oh, just an Otter, Marsh Harriers, Bittern, Water Rail, Barn Owl, Cetti's Warbler, blah, blah, blah". For teh next two and a half hours I waited... and waited.

One crap Barn Owl picture - scant reward for getting up at such an hour.

A few hours spent with The Good Lady admiring the Swallowtail butterflies.

Few beasties are quite as smart as these - not even an adult male Citril Finch...

Green Hairstreak in the Doctor's garden

Marsh Cinquefoil

Agapanthia villosoviridescens - One can only hope that it's got an easier English name





Four-spotted Chaser

Yellow iris

Poppies!

This is one of my few Small Tortoiseshell this year - the only others were on the Isles of Scilly in April.

A final visit to Dunwich Heath provided us with the opportunity to miss Thrush Nightingale and a Bee-eater.... - and to turn down the opportunity of spending £410 to fly from Inverness to Fair Isle in the morning, having driven to Inverness through the night! I don't think so.
The sand Martins seemed undistracted by the Citril Finch news.