Peter Jones Wildlife blog

A windy but sunny day, so I headed off to Longham Lakes in search of Dragonflies. No joy with Lesser Emperor which seems regular, but plenty of Brown Hawkers, Then onto an area famed for Heath Grasshopper, the Bat detector was excellent in finding them singing, and it didn't take long to find a couple, nice.  Photos

It's been a long few months, but the latest Covid19 relaxation allowed overnight stops in my campervan. Taking advantage, I stocked up on food locally, and planned a round trip to Norfolk for Creeping Ladies Tresses, via some Chiltern Orchid sites, and Fowlmere for a shot at Water Shrew. All went well logistically, the Britstops weren't bothered that I just took advantage of the car park for overnight sleeping and not going into the pub (a 14 day track and trace lock down, or worse, wouldn't be ideal!). First stop was the A343 south West of Newbury for Green flowered Helleborine. Found about 10 eventully in what is a pretty grim venue, cars flying past. What looked like the best specimen, I actually saw from the van on my way out of the area, but decided against going back for another look. Then onto Norfolk. Burnham Overy to Holkham is a good walk with some good plants, and 2 Cattle Egrets a good find. No joy with the Creeping Ladies Tresses, I was in the right area, just ...

A second week of enforced annual leave. This gave me lots of opportunities for going out looking for wildlife, but for some reason it was really tough going. First up was a trip to New Forest in search of Wild Gladiolus. I can only assume the location I have chosen hasn't got any in flower at the moment, I get that they are elusive under the bracken but I walked 10 miles! surely I'd have seen one, especially as I was picking out moths, and Lesser Butterfly Orchids. Next was a trip to Hurst in search of Dew Moth, this was no easier, although I did see plenty of coastal flower species, and always good to see Little Tern and Med Gull. I didn't even see Cinnabar, which may suggest the heat was too much for day flying moths on this occasion? Anyway, another one for next year! My LED moth trap failed, in the back garden fortunately, and was just a failed piece of soldering. I'm no expert, so will get the odd malfunction. Just relieved I hadn't blown a LED! I'm not eve...

Decided on another trip to Kent. Orchids would take a back seat on this occasion, as I was hoping to see Norfolk Hawker and a few moths. First stop was Grove Ferry, and as soon as the sun came out, so too did the Norfolk Hawkers along the windy ditch next to the viewing mound. Fairly distant, but smart Dragonflies, I tore myself away when I realized there was no blue sky for the foreseeable. Quite lucky as it turned out. Also saw Variable Damsel, Emperor, and Black tailed Skimmer. On to  Wye  Downs. Went on a pretty long walk, and didn’t find any Black veined Moths, but saw some other species… Clouded Buff probably the highlight. Gallery

An enforced week off work isn't the end of the world in June, but I decided to limit my travels, and start a couple of projects. The moth trap(s) are going well, so in addition, I bought an Audiomoth. Have known about Audiomoths for a couple of years now, but was put off due to the time needed previously to analyse results. However, these days time is not such an issue! Fast forward a couple of days, and I am very pleased. The above screenshot shows Blackbird (#90) and a Soprano Pipistrelle (#91). Previous remote recording has always been either Birds with the Zoom recorder, or Bats with a Bat Detector. (Not sure if the Zoom was capable of picking up Bats?).  The ability to monitor both on the same wav file is pretty awesome. Going thru the files this morning, I had the usual mix of our local birdsong, including goldcrest, which I haven't noticed for a while, then after dusk Common Pipistrelle, Soprano Pipistrelle, and Noctule, on a night when there didn't look to be much b...

An afternoon trip to Lulworth was a gamble in many respects. The weather forecast was sunny, but it seemed quite cloudy overhead, and I would need sunshine to see my main target, Lulworth Skipper. Also, the Lulworth area was seemingly overrun with idiots over the bank holiday weekend, I was keen to avoid any crowds. As it happened, it was ok. The car park fairly empty, and the sun came out after I had climbed the hill overlooking the cove. Helps to know what Viper's Bugloss looks like, and once I had found a patch of about 10 plants, I waited for the clouds to move on. It was quite spectacular, as the sun appeared, and the plants were suddenly inundated with Lulworth Skippers, a couple of Large Skippers, Burnet Moths, and Bees. Nearby, Adonis Blue, another species I have little experience with, was looking stunning in the sunlight, and a Roesel's Bushcricket was an overdue first for me also. Gallery Video

An ambitious day out, one probably better suited to an overnight in the campervan, but rules are rules and I got up early and drove to Kent for a long day.  The well known Bonsai bank was my first stop, a little late in the season for my target, Lady Orchid, and it took a while before I eventually found some last remaining examples of the year. Very smart flowers, and the mood for the day lifted after getting some pics. Also present were Common Spotted Orchid, Twayblade, Greater Butterfly Orchid and White Heleborine. Then onto a site for Late Spider Orchid which was tricky to locate on the map despite some detailed instructions on the web. Luckily I revisited the instructions the evening before and stumbled across the right area, or I'd have never seen the flowers,  all in cages, some just in flower, so rare! By mid morning, the day took a slight nosedive, my next stop was Devils kneadingtrough for some butterfly and moth hunting. The wind was howling by now, which made it tri...

Decided to make the extra effort and place my battery LED moth trap out in the countryside. A fairly wild looking field near Baddesley Common looked ideal, and I managed to get the trap into position without being seen, although I did get some strange looks on the way to the field. Wasn't sure what to expect, as the trap doesn't do particularly well in the garden. However, I needn't have worried, in the morning it had a good selection of moths, about 8 lifers for me including Eyed Hawkmoth and a couple of Fox Moths and Light Brocade. So the trap stayed out there, and I returned with just the battery pack to recharge for another night. My plan is to vary the location and habitat if possible. It should get me some good sightings. As I type this, Saturday night, the batteries have been charged and the trap will turn on after dusk in a sheltered corner of the field. Also, the MV trap, in my garden got a couple of new micros, plus the tiny Least black arches Photo Gallery

My daily dog walk doesn't tend to throw up much in the way of surprises, mostly along pavements along the edge of the village, the occasional Red Kite, Buzzard or Sparrowhawk, the odd flower. One section along an alleyway, does have an extensive stretch of undisturbed dense weeds / bushes. I do see the odd surprise along this stretch.. Earthstar, Fungi, Annual Honesty, and today, my first 14-Spot Ladybird! It was a hurried affair as two ladies who walk their cat, were rapidly approaching. my dog and cats spell disaster, so I grabbed a quick picture then walked round the block returning to have another look. No joy, but did photo another Ladybird nearby, which was a 10-Spot, a species that I've only seen previously in France.

After many weeks in lockdown, I was pretty quick out of the blocks once the restrictions were lifted slightly allowing unlimited drives for exercise. My chosen exercise was a decent walk across Prescombe Down, West of Salisbury. First surprise was how quiet the roads are despite the partial lifting of the lockdown. Salisbury looked to be starting to get busier, but the countryside roads are still owned by cyclists at the moment. The downs, I saw just one distant pair of walkers. Superb place, I'd hoped to see Adonis Blue and Marsh Fritillary, both of which I haven't seen for many years, but neither were showing in the mostly sunny late morning. did see Green Hairstreak and Small Blue which was always a treat. Also Dingy Skipper and Grizzled Skipper. Did see 5-Spot Burnet moth which was a first for me, and luckily a couple of the pics I took confirmed the i.d. from the commoner Narrow-bordered 5-Spot burnet. (The flight seasons also pointed to 5-Spot.) Best ...

My regular Moth trap has a MV bulb which lights up the whole street! Last night, I was unable to run this one due to a few locals having post VE day parties in the area. So I switched to my battery LED Moth trap, which was designed to take out into the countryside. Due to COVID19, it has never made it beyond the house. One of the battery packs had a faulty wire, so it was just a single set of UV LEDs running. It works, but is not as effective as the MV I don't think. I got a handful of Maybugs, plus three moths: Little Thorn the best, also Treble Lines and Green Carpet. Very lucky, as Little Thorn wasn't on my radar, and I assumed with the resting position it was a Dingy Shell and left it free to fly off! Half out of boredom, I later brought it in to double-check and then realised things weren't right for Dingy Shell. Also, the illustration in the Waring guide wasn't helpful. It looked like a Thorn but was much too small. As soon as I saw "Little Thorn",...

Well, the Covid19 pandemic has put paid to all my plans for 2020, as it has for most people. The moth trap, in the back garden, is about the only activity I can regularly do at the moment! So it has gone on pretty much every other night throughout April. No completely blank nights, there has always been something to identify the following morning, and 12 lifers so far has been a surprise. Hornets and Maybugs have made regular appearances, the maybugs peaking into double figures recently, but worth it for the regular surprises I'm getting. Album below has some highlights.. https://photos.app.goo.gl/fCj6ZUNeXDMmRLkm7 Pine Beauty, Spruce Carpet, Chocolate Tip, Shoulder Stripe, Iron Prominent, Waved Umber, Small Seraphim, Great Prominent, Sharp Angled Peacock, Coxcomb Prominent, Flame Carpet, Green Carpet.

Always wanted to see one of these, and on today's dog walk, the route I have taken for several years, I noticed a small group whilst picking up after the dog! Pretty sure it is Collared Earthstar, despite the lack of a collar, due to the fairly big size, and the fact some of the other Earthstar species are as good as extinct in the UK. Still finding Fungi a real nightmare to get to grips with.. This my 22nd species! I suspect I've seen the same number again which I haven't been able to put a name to.

Experimenting a bit with my torch. Works a treat, and may come in handy a couple of evenings later this year ;) .

I don't upgrade my Binoculars or Scope very often, and tend to go several years with the same pair. My main binoculars are Leica Duovids, which weigh a tonne, but give a nice sharp view, and have the bonus of both 8x and 12x. The 12x come in handy when seawatching or on Marinelife ferry surveys. Insects and Reptile surveys, however, the Duovids really aren't practical as the closest focusing is about 4 metres, causing me to step back from many interesting animals. This has led to me using an old pair of Opticrons for such surveys which have a very close focus, but must be 20 years old now! My search for an upgrade took me far and wide. I'd have preferred an 8x42 or even 10x42 with close focus, to replace both my current binoculars, but after many searches, I found myself trying a pair of Zeiss Victory 8x25 pockets. Other compact binoculars I had tried were awful for me, a pair of Leica 8x20s I couldn't even line them up against my eyes without weird double barr...

A nice end to 2019 as I flicked through an insect field guide and solved a mystery from the summer family holiday.. a Grasshopper sp. in France, finally identified as a Large Conehead. A species I didn't know about until today.  (I was only familiar with Long Winged and Short Winged, neither quite fitting this one, which I first notice in the campsite shower block) Then driving home after dark this evening, I saw a Barn Owl on a roadside post, about 100yards from where I suspected hearing nesting Barn Owls 18 months ago when I was finishing a Bat survey! This is the first time I have actually seen one in this area. I occasionally see one closer to home on the other edge of the village.

Decided to break a long journey with a morning in Rutland Water. Reserve seems to have quadrupled in the 15 years or so since I last visited, and like so many lakes in England is now colonised by Great White Egrets. Up to 6 seen from a hide near the reserve centre. Also 2, possibly 3 Smew was a nice surprise. 31 hides! that must be a record in the UK

After last week's "Pom in the storm"! at Keyhaven, I could have expected to drift back to quieter birding, but I had an even better afternoon finding two nice birds at Pagham Harbour. First up was a Short-eared Owl being mobbed in broad daylight. It later settled on the marsh and showed well. Then on my return journey.. (implying I'd walked past this one), a Wryneck flew across the path and fed in the long grass for a few minutes. Managed to get the scope on it, and a photo too.. must get into the habit of taking my camera out, the phone-scoping is terrifyingly tense! Met another birder on the way back and shared the news, so hopefully he got to see it too. Sunday morning, I headed to MedMerry. Lots about including 2 Ring Ouzels, amongst the more routine Corn Bunting, Stonechats, Yellowhammers etc. I did miss a Yellow-browed Warbler, but wasn't complaining. Bumped into yesterday's birder, who did indeed see the Wryneck which is always go...

I've had a few local trips in the Campervan recently, all to the Hampshire coast, which I reckon is my best chance to find rarer birds. So far, I've walked over 30 miles, and had two extreme soakings! but finally today my luck seemed to improve along the coast at Keyhaven. I was actually thinking, "birding has got harder over the years, I never seem to find anything these days, are my expectations too high etc". Passing the spot where I did once find a Grey Phalarope, in similar crappy weather. I'm not unrealistic, I don't expect firsts for Hampshire on my walks, but a Scarce or two would be nice. Then I resigned myself to the fact that at least these walks are good for the mind, and ridding myself of all that work throws at me through the week. No sooner had I had these thoughts, a Great Skua passed just off the saltmarsh, and landed out of sight. More like it! Seawatching in Hampshire is not the easiest of choices with the Isle Of Wight placing most o...

My Oregon 450 GPS was about 10 years old, and starting to look it's age. A shame as it had OS maps for GB, and still worked pretty well. The battery life wasn't too good though, and I was having difficulty seeing the screen as my eyesight isn't as good as it was 10 years ago. I was contemplating replacing with the Montana, which is a huge GPS, and expensive too, but fortunately settled on an Oregon 700, with decent battery life, and a very sharp clear screen. This model came without maps, (apart from the basemap which is not very good at all). But I am downloading compatible Open Street maps free from  http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/ , which are absolutely fine, and the reason I insist on Garmin devices. most other brands charge a lot of money for detailed maps. All works fine. a very accurate GPS, weather info, Barometer, and custom profiles for different activities, which is handy. Birding, Bat surveys and Snake surveys all need different data, and this can...