Day and Night - bats, butterflies and a mini moth

On Tuesday 19th July 2011 - a bat survey along a short section of the river at dusk, 21.15 to 21.40.

(using a bat detector and by sight)

First survey - a sudden emergence of numerous common pipistrelle bats probably from a nearby roost and a few soprano pipistrelles all along the trees (mainly old oaks). On the river itself - numerous Daubenton's bats flying very low over the surface of the water catching insects. Further along, in a gap between the trees, just before it started to rain, lots of Noctule activity - high flyers dashing down, possibly returning to a roost in a split dead oak to shelter from the deluge.

the bat flyway from the pond to the river at dusk (second survey area)

On Friday 22nd July 2011 - a second survey, this time in the area of the long bat flyway: 21.30 to 22.15.

Huge continuous activity of common pipistrelle bats, flying down the long hedge flyway to the old riverside oaks and then along the riverside trees and thickets and back, with some soprano pipistrelles. In a gap with visible sky, Noctules were detected, high level hunting, well above the pipistrelles. Down on the river Daubenton's were again insect hunting close to the surface. Other bats were also detected, possibly Natterers and Brown long-eared bats, not easy to detect amongst the pipistrelle crowds.

Today

A fine day becoming very warm. This has been a very good summer for Holly Blue butterflies.

Here is a second brood (early!) female Holly Blue showing dark borders to upper wings

The Holly Blue in characteristic perch with closed wings

and last but not least, a MINI MOTH, not yet identified but very small and beautiful:

Day flying MINI MOTH about 10mm wing tip to wing tip

Hover-flies

Today thistles and brambles were buzzing with bees and hover-flies in the sun. A huge variety of hover-flies were active - too active to photograph, except this large and beautiful one on a thistle. Unfortunately it has no common English name but deserves one - look at the patterned wings.

Hover-fly  VOLUCELLA  PELLUCENS

Meadowsweet is at its best now along the river banks - a wonderful mixture of scents

Seven-spot ladybird trying to hide on a thistle, one of many hundreds out today

.......together with many Speckled Woods under the trees and about 45 Gatekeeper

 butterflies patrolling along the bramble and thistle fence - out in numbers again after the rain.

There were also good numbers of Holly Blue butterflies chasing high and low amongst

the riverside trees and thickets.

A quick look at birds - lots of juvenile house sparrows in the rosa canina and brambles still 

being fed by adults performing their 'flycatcher' act along the fence, darting out to catch

insects on the wing. Overhead above the river a few swifts were feeding, together with

a small group of about 15 house martins

The bounty of brambles

In sunny intervals this morning, riverside brambles were instantly full of life, with numerous bees, flies and butterflies. These insects included a dangerous-looking Giant Wood Wasp (uraceras gigas) -  really quite harmless -  Speckled Wood, Skippers, Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Large and Small White butterflies.

LARGE SKIPPER (male) butterfly on bramble flower today

Flowering and fruiting riverside BRAMBLE

Birds seen this morning: singing wrens, singing blackbirds, singing songthrush, with BRAMBLES full of silent blackcaps, more than I've every seen before, juveniles, adult males and females, all busy feeding on insects and trying out the ripening fruits which are early this year. Other silent warblers were also attracted to the brambles and insects in the willows and thickets - a great view of two garden warblers foraging, juvenile chiffchaffs and juvenile willow warblers. Only two whitethroats today, silent. Even the young house sparrows, fifteen or more, were almost silent as were blue tits, great tits and three juvenile robins feeding on the damp riverbank. Two goldcrests were busy in a conifer and five goldfinches were seen flying into a poplar. Skylarks could be heard singing strongly as usual whilst swifts fed on the wing and a slow, low-flying grey heron was seen several times close-up following the river downstream. 

Gatekeepers on guard

This morning along the river - a very warm, fine morning with wrens singing - each in its own territory - the only birds competing were goldfinches in a willow and two skylarks over the field, their songs carrying far in the breeze. A distant hobby was hunting over the river and a kestrel hovering overhead. Suddenly a grey wagtail appeared flying close and low over the river, down into its nest site under an overhanging tree. A beautiful view of the male bird in flight with strong yellow, grey and black plumage.

GATEKEEPER butterfly

Gatekeeper butterflies were out in force this morning for the first time - at least 40 along the field margin, feeding on flowering brambles and chasing, hardly ever still. Other butterflies about included Holly Blue,  Common Blue, Comma, Red Admiral, Meadow Brown, Small Heath, Small Copper, Green-veined White and Large White. Beautiful Demoiselle and Banded Demoiselle damselflies were out on the river bank nettles and brambles together with hundreds of hover flies and bees, including many honeybees.

Walk along the river to Warnham LNR

Another fine day - walked from our stretch of the river north to Warnham Local Nature Reserve. A good start with a fine view of a Hobby hunting directly above, within a group of seven or eight feeding swifts. The group very gradually disappeared to the south downstream along the river course.
At Warnham, the sun had brought out the butterflies along the ride where they clustered on the flowering brambles - large numbers of Ringlet, some Comma, Meadow Brown, Large Skipper, and the largest of all - Silver-Washed Fritillary.

                                                        RINGLET butterfly basking

RINGLET butterfly showing outer wing pattern

Birds included a good view of a family of blackcaps with adult male and female feeding fledged young with caterpillars and other insects, just above the butterfly brambles! A singing whitethroat and juveniles were seen in a willow and there was a fine view of a nesting reed warbler sliding down a reed to its hidden nest (brood patch indicated it was still nesting) where it remained, whilst another reed warbler was visible nearby. A chiffchaff was singing over the almost-dried out swamp and a reed bunting was seen briefly on the reeds close to the water where two great crested grebes were resting. Common terns were by far the most active birds on the Millpond. Leaving the Reserve I noticed a splendid grey wagtail carrying food, sitting on the sluice gates;  after posing for a while it flew off downstream.