Blog

30 July 2018

Dawlish Warren

After all the windy and wet weather I thought a early morning visit to Dawlish Warren might be worth a trip. I got there at 7.30 am which was a hour and half before high tide, it was grey and miserable which had been a change to the hot weather we had been having.

To my surprise there wasn't that many birds there but a wide spread of species with Little Egret, Redshank, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper, Oystercatcher, Carrion Crow, Pied Wagtail, Linnet, Swallows, Cormorants, Herring Gulls, Black-headed Gulls, Great-black Backed Gulls, Sandwich and Common Terns of all ages and a large number of Canada Geese.

Good to see Phil but not many other people about the reserve but the Warren looked busy, the rain not putting people off the beach!

30 July 2018

Hacked off!

After my computer being hacked and the hacker trying to get money out of me its been a trying week, the police tell me that some people pay up even if there is no truth behind the threat because of embarrassment.

I couldnt understand how he got hold of a password to get into my computer because I thought I had protection, he had the password into the computer but not emails and thankfully not my bank details. I did a scan with the protection I had and showed no issues, so a good friend sent me a link for a Malware program and to my horror it found over 6570 threats, 8 were Generic Malware!!

So I would say to everybody make sure your security is up to scratch and dont get caught out like me.

24 July 2018

Dawlish Warren

Spent a bit of time at Dawlish Warren this last couple of days looking for the reported Roesel's Bush Cricket that has been seen on the back meadow but I have been unable to locate it, its probably still there, but I was unable to locate it.

Did see lots of other Crickets, Grasshoppers, Bees and other great insects. Plenty of Butterflies with Speckled Wood, Small Cooper, Meadow Brown, Green Veined White, Small White, Peacock, Common Blue, Brown

Argos and plenty of gatekeepers.

On the bird front, House Sparrow, Swallow, Starling, Coot, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Grey Heron, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Summer plumaged Knot, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Herring, Black-headed and Great-black Backed Gulls of all ages. Also saw 20+ Mediterranean Gulls of all ages in front of the hide this evening at high tide. Common and Sandwich Terns, Cormorant, Pied Wagtail, Linnet and Blackbird.

Good to see everybody around the place.

22 July 2018

Got a new camera

Got myself a new Camera body, a Nikon D500 to add to my Nikon D90. The D500 is far more technical and been having some issues. Its not the camera its me trying to over complicate matters.

Been out today at Bowling Green taking pics of anything trying out a few settings.

Starting to get the hang of it but still some work to do, the D90 I have on a smaller lens so I don't have to keep changing lens when Iam out and about.

While at BGM saw a few Green Sandpipers which shows birds are on the move!

19 July 2018

Dorset

Spent a couple of days in Dorset looking for Butterflies, after 3 species. Two I've seen before but not this year, Brown Hairstreak and Chalk Hill Blue, the third is a new one for me a Essex Skipper.

I visited Alners Gorse and Bradbury Rings on Wednesday, stayed overnight in Poole then Corfe Castle and Maiden Castle today. Three of these sites are also historical sites, Iron age Forts surrounded with grassland and wildflowers. I have a big interest in history so these visits are enjoyable on many levels.

At Alners Gorse I saw a Brown Hairstreak among many other Butterflies but unfortunately it wouldn't settle until it went to the top of the tree. At Bradbury rings it took me some time to find a Chalkhill Blue but then like busses there was three!!

Corfe was quiet but the ground was burnt brown from the sun and very few flowers let alone Butterflies, Maiden Castle was full on the other hand of Butterflies especially Marbled Whites, also Skippers, it took some patience but found a couple of Essex Skippers which was great, trying to find ones with black antennae's was interesting, frustrating and funny in a perverse sort of way. Must have looked funny for anybody watching??

One of the Essex Skippers had Red Mites which didn't look to good, sadly the pic was too over exposed but you can see the mites.

Saw lots of other Butterflies with Large and Small Skippers, Large and Small White, Common Blue, Marbled White, Peacock, Red and White Admiral, Silver Washed Fritillary, Purple Hairstreak, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper, Ringlet, Small Copper and Brown Argos.

Met so many nice people on my travels but also met a couple of "Experts" who where a couple of Twats! I've met these types before as Iam sure we all have, you get them in every walk of life, you seem to get more in Bird Watching but no matter what you have done they have done more, seen more and are perfect in very way, in the old days I used to argue but now I just role my eyes! as did a few others at Alners while looking for Brown Hairstreak, funny really!

Finishing on a positive note that's 48 species of Butterflies so far this year.

15 July 2018

Lyme Bay Boat Trip

Had a excellent trip out on the boat with the rest of the group, the "Optimist" as always skippered by Nigel l. and the trip organised by Nigel S.

We went straight out and looking for a Basking Shark which had been seen in the bay but unfortunately not by us today, we did though see several pods of Harbour Porpoise, 11 animals seen in total. On the way back in we saw a pod of 25 adult Common Dolphin plus at least 3 Calves, several breaching as they chased fish across the bay.

We got about 6 miles out and we chummed for about a hour and at one point had over 200 birds at the back of the boat, these where Herring, Black-headed, Mediterranean, Great and Lesser-black Backed Gulls, there was Gulls of all ages. Also Kittiwake, Fulmar and Gannets.

We also saw 20+ sightings of Manx Shearwaters but these might have been repeated as they could have been flying around the boat.

Also saw a Razor Bill and several Guillemots.

While we was chumming we saw several Jelly Fish, Moon and Compass close to the boat and Purple Jelly Fish in the harbour.

Great trip out in glorious conditions except for the smell of the chum-awful!!! Nigel had some grim stuff in the bucket today, no wonder he was well suited up today!

14 July 2018

out and about

Not really done much this last fortnight in the way of bird watching or chasing Butterflies and other stuff.

Meeting friends, job Interview and a planned day in Hospital has taken a higher priority.

Did have my camera with me most of the time if not used, did go into Goosemoor to see the Summer Plumaged Spotted Redshank and caught a glimpse of the Snow Goose at Powderham Marshes, which I presume is a Escapee?

I have got myself a new camera which is a Nikon D500 which I have put onto my large lens and my old camera for the close ups, insects etc.

Haven't really tested it yet and lots to learn on it.

01 July 2018

Green-eyed Flower Bee

While walking around Dawlish Warren I saw this little treasure, a Green-eyed Flower Bee, I've seen so many bees this summer while looking for Butterflies and not paid enough attention to what's about. But this Bee with its green eyes stood out.

Its an area I want to look into when I get a new Camera.

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