The Day of the Water Snake Natrix natrix

Much warmer today with continuing fine weather, so returned for another study of the damselfly emergence along the river - but as soon as I looked into the water, there, swimming leisurely along downstream in Boldings Brook, was a very fine large Grass Snake. If it had not been swimming it would have been very well camouflaged amongst fallen twigs and pieces of branch on the river bed. Its beautiful markings also gave it away - raising its head it showed a smart light yellow collar and the dark bands along the whole length of its body were clearly visible under water in the sun. It was well over one meter long, probably a female. Click on the photo below and scroll to the bottom of the page for a larger view. You can count the dark bands along its length.

Grass Snake (Natrix natrix) 

It then swam out of the deeper river into a pile of twigs in the shallows and seemed to look at me with a bright beady eye, the round iris clearly visible. It turned and swam across to the other bank and started to wind its way up the bank taking a zigzag route and pausing now and then to soak up the sun, its tongue flicking continuously. It then quickly moved downstream, through the bank vegetation about a meter above the water and disappeared under overhanging nettles and dry grasses, still muddy from the high water.

 Grass Snake takes the Zigzag route up the steep river bank. 

If its a female it may well be searching for a nice dark warm spot in which to lay its eggs.

 Above - probably a freshly emerged Large Red Damselfly,

its vivid colours not yet evident, perching on a blade of grass whilst it transforms.

There were many Beautiful Demoiselle damselflies and Large Red damselflies again on the river but surveying along the Arun upstream there were fewer than on Boldings Brook, the nature of the river being different in character. 

The Day of the Damselflies

Today, warm sunshine at last, with a slight breeze, perfect for the emergence of Damselflies on the river which is now running lower and less swiftly than of late.

Damselfly emergence is an important occasion on the river, it can tell us more about water quality and the all encompassing health of the river than observance and sample testing.

It is so good to see them emerge as they are very sensitive to pollution and would not be found here if the river water quality and ecology was poor.

A fine male Beautiful Demoiselle damselfly (Calopteryx virgo)

on river bank nettles, its metallic blue-green body shining in the sun. 

The dark brown wings have iridescent blue-green wing-veins.

(click on the photos and scroll down to the bottom of the page for a larger view)

 Another Beautiful Demoiselle damselfly about to fly - there were so many males flying over the river (Boldings Brook) and perching on nettles - will they all find mates?

Above is a female Beautiful Demoiselle damselfly - it has lighter brown wings and a metallic green body, not as easy to see as the male - it's perching on a bramble leaf, all the others choose nettles.

Another very hansom damselfly is the Banded Demoiselle - (Calopteryx splendens). Above is a male

showing its truly blue wing-veins and 'kingfisher blue' body but the characteristic dark 'thumb print' on the wing is not visible here - will have to find one perched side on.

Here again, its presence is a sign of well-managed unpolluted riverine ecology.

Here is a Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) which prefers ponds and slow moving water - it could be the first to colonise the new ponds very close to the river banks where these were seen although today the Beautiful Demoiselle species were by far the most numerous.

May on the Riverside after the rain

Sunday 13th May brought some bright sunshine with small clouds increasing in size as the morning advanced, becoming breezy, the rivers flowing fast and still high through banks full of Cow parsley and  wild garlic in flower and buttercups on the grass.

Hawthorn flowering in profusion on the river bank, a great attraction for insects and birds seeking insects to feed to their young.

Hawthorn flowers - May

and Willow catkins now blowing away like snow in the breeze

On this Sunday, 13th, there was plenty of spring activity with many fledgling starlings noisily taking their first flights together to and from the oaks, hawthorn thickets and hedgerows (69) and large numbers of blackbirds, mainly adults collecting food for their young from the damp grass (26). Blue tits were also intent on foraging, some adults accompanied by fledglings still being fed in the safety of oaks and willows (32). A crow made a clumsy landing near them but they were not frightened off by its noisy flapping. Large numbers of wrens (20) were singing all along the river bank, perhaps making a second start on nesting after losing nests when the rivers were in flood. Many had built nests quite low on the river banks after many months of low water levels during the 'drought', only to have them washed away in the unseasonable heavy rains.

House sparrows had obviously been successful with early broods as there were numerous juveniles and singing adult males in hedgerows and brambles (79) with adult chaffinches (10) singing loudly, somewhat later in raising young. Just a single male greenfinch could be heard. Goldfinches (10) were seen in ones and twos, some singing. Great tits (15) were foraging in the Hawthorn blossom, some with large juveniles still asking to be fed. Just one dunnock was seen low on the river bank, well hidden whilst a treecreeper, also well camouflaged was busy foraging for insects on a willow trunk in the sun. Three more treecreepers were seen in other river trees, two of them juveniles.

Robins were probably quietly busy raising young but 6 were seen, with 3 singing. Carrion crows (9) and rooks ((3) could also be seen carrying food for their young across the fields whilst swifts (2) flew overhead after insects and 2 skylarks could be seen, both singing over their territory.  A group of herring gulls (9) sailed high above the trees and woodpigeons (25) were flying over, searching for some dry grass on which to forage whilst two green woodpeckers called loudly from different grass areas. A third was yaffling loudly from its nest site in an old tree, no doubt fending off a prospecting magpie; several large magpie juveniles were hopping around in the trees with adults nearby. Glimpsed through a gap in a hedge - an unusual sight of a red fox foraging in the middle of a field for earthworms in the short grass, surrounded quite closely by 7 magpies hoping for a share of its find. Two pied wagtails bounced around on some bare earth, catching insects.

Warblers were now more numerous, with 7 chiffchaffs, all singing, in trees along the river, a willow warbler singing and 4 smart male blackcaps all singing in different thickets. A whitethroat could be heard but was invisible in brambles on the river bank. 

Further along a pheasant could be heard calling in the background whilst a song thrush sang loudly under the tree canopy.  

The spring scene would not be complete without butterflies - 11 Orange-tip butterflies over the river bank nettles, Holly Blue high amongst the hawthorn branches, Speckled Wood amongst the oak leaves,  Bumblebees and Ladybirds, many Mayflies over the river and best of all, Beautiful Demoiselle damselflies over the river undergrowth and some higher in overhanging branches.