Nature thread- must be time for another one

[burnhal]

Hows it going out there? Getting on to the quiet time of the year bird wise with lots of skulking and moulting about to start.
Was on the reserve on Saturday- a busy day. Small mammal trapping course to get my trapping licence- catch, study and release!
Then survey for Black Hairstreak butterflies. Odd life cycle. 12 weeks as a caterpillar, two weeks as a pupae then three weeks on the wing- mid June to early July. So 35 weeks as an egg! Not much of a life!! Unfortunately the weather was totally unsuitable so sightings pretty minimal.
Rest of the day wardening- good bunch of raptors- Marsh Harrier, Red Kite, Hobbies and Sparrowhawk. Few redshank, cuckoo, Little Egrets and splendid views of a grasshopper warbler singing its heart out.
Was pleased during the week- took a bunch of cubs to do tent pitching and by chance we ended up doing it fairly close to a Greater Spotted Woodpeckers nest. The kids were able to get terrific views of mum feeding the young at the hole.
Whats happening in your neck of the woods?

[raysparx1]

Hi burnhal, can't believe you have just put this on, I have just done exactly the same, sorry about that, clicked submit and saw your question. will reply later, Ray

[bensmum]

Hi burnhal and ray. There seems to be a lot of feeding going on here. If I can keep the squirrels away from the feeders I have all the usual subjects., blue and great tits, long tailed tits, goldfinches, nuthatches as well as several robins, dunnocks and sparrows. The crow family have 2 young and the magpies have 3 young to feed so between them they make a lot of noise. I have seen quite a few jays this year and green woodpeckers where usually I am lucky to get a fleeting glance. I still haven't the sparrowhawk but the buzzards are back. I want to get out into the New Forest to try to hear the nightjars if I can soon and also pop along and have a look at the webcam on the hobby and goshawk nests beore they disappear.

[Jules001]

A lot of 'my' birds seemed to go awol, but have started to get them coming back to feed, lots of fledglings too, can't always decide whether they are young coal tits or great tits. Have also had an unwelcome visitor in the garden namely a ginger cat, he keeps hanging around at the bottom of the feeders and I have shooed him away a couple of times now. Came home the other day to find lots of feathers on the lawn with the cat looking very guilty, however on inspection there were too many feathers for him to have just startled a bird, the feathers lost were small white ones with a few much larger black and white feathers so think it was a young magpie that got taken, had a sparrowhawk land on the top of the feeder today so think we have found the culprit (I will still keep shooing the cat away though). Am planning to turn a small part of the garden over to a wildlife garden and put up a ladybird and lacewing shelter for overwintering. I would like to build a hedgehog home too, but haven't seen a hedgehog around here for years, that's not to say they aren't around though. I am thinking a small logpile might be good too - has any one got any other ideas fror my wildlife garden. It will be fairly small, but hope every little will help.

Burnhal your sightings sound great.
Bensmum, your sightings sound great too, my long tailed tits and goldfinches have abandoned me - never been lucky enough to see a nuthatch. Listening to the nightjars sounds wonderful - again I can't say I have had the pleasure.

[bensmum]

Morning.
Jules - if you ever get the chance to go and listen or even try to see nightjars do try. They have a totally unique sound and I love to hear them. I have been lucky enough to see them too - there are several place in the New Forest where they can be found.
I just heard a strange noise which I thought was in my kitchen but it was 2 young magpies sat on the window sill pecking at the glass and the wood. I managed to watch them for a while before they flew off - they are beautiful, if noisy birds.

[Rosetta]

I've never heard of a Black Hairstreak butterfly, I'll just go and look it up.
The blackbirds in our conifer have fledged despite the cat keeping her beady eye on them.
A ladybird nest is a good idea. will have a look in RSPB catalogue, they are bound to have them.
Ilove this time of year, there so much colour in the gardens and the hedgerows are so luxuriant

[yogasun]

Hi all!
First chance I've had to post properly for a while.
Had a stint on our Conservation Group's stand at local show on Sunday. One of our members had trapped lots of moths just to show people over the two days (they will have been released unharmed by now):-
Gorgeous Poplar Hawk moth, Elephant Hawk and one that looked like a twig (Buff-tip?) amongst ten other interesting species - the children were fascinated! We gained 17 new members so it was worth doing.
My son went off to Weymouth to see a not so common damselfly today. Burnhal will know it, no doubt - a Scarce Blue tailed Damselfly I think. Saw it and photographed it.
Yes Nightjars are fantastic to see and hear with their 'churrr'
We have had a couple of Red Kites over the last week.
Love to all you nature lovers xxx

[raysparx1]

Hi all, burnhal you have such a brilliant time, I envy you, good to see some other names on here, hope you all keep coming back every week.

Not a great deal been happening, the barn owl was perched on the ridge just outside my bedroom, it was such a clear night,almost hauntingly so, dark but so light by the moonlight and an eerie silence, the owl was surveying all around only the head going from side to side then down and then side to side, I watched him for what seemed ages, then I must have made a movement as he turned looked straight at me as if to say, be quiet, he then disappeared from sight. buzzards are still about but vey quiet, the river is in quite a good flow at the moment but I haven't had time to fish much lately, soon i hope after some rain the trout will rise and even if I come home, "Fishless" I will be happy, sitting in my little dell, watching and listening I am in heaven, what I have done to deserve to be surrounded by such beauty is beyond me, but I will enjoy for as long as I can, we had a sycamore tree fall down yesterday, the wind was so powerfull, nature so gentle yet so strong, nobody can stop her doing what she does. hope you are all well and happy,. please keep posting, take care all, speak soon, Ray xx

[burnhal]

Nice to hear about the moths yogasun. I think anyone who is an expert on moths must have one helluva memeory- some 3000 odd species. Have to admit that the moth book is the one that gets used more than others! Saw a blood vein and an orange tailed clearwing this weekend- pleased with the orange tail as it seems to be not so common....... think its time I tried hanging some moth strings up in the garden again! I do know of the scarce blue-tailed damselfly but must confess I havent identified one!! They are so similar to the common blue and they dont stay still very long! Had a good study of a female broad-bodied chaser dragonfly this weekend- vivid yellow body- magnificent!

[Kleiber]

Another lovely post, guys! Yogasun, perhaps you could answer this - last weekend, there was an enormous moth fluttering under my patio roof (I've got a sort of lean-to, with clematis & honeysuckle growing inside). It was some sort of hawk moth, I'm sure, winspan about 2 inches and it was bright pink!! What sort was it? It was during the day, by the way. I wondered if it was a hummingbird hawk moth, but don't know about the colour?
My newts are all doing well in the pond and we've had some really interesting (and huge!) dragonflies emarge over the last week, also the lovely damsel flies, who are now all busily mating and laying their eggs for the next generation. K xxx

[yogasun]

Kleiber not an expert but I would think it was an Elephant Hawkmoth which are mainly pink with some olive markings. Not Hummingbird as they are brown with a little orange each side. I may be wrong however (frequently am!) Have a google of it.
Good to hear of newts and damselflies. xx

[Kleiber]

Thanks, yogasun!!! (Sorry, burnhal, seem to have hi-jacked your thread a bit, but you should've seen that moth!! It was beautiful!!!) K xx