Mature caterpillars of the Peacock butterfly feeding
on the riverbank nettles - the next generation!
(not to be confused with the caterpillars of the Small Tortoiseshell butterfly - also found on nettles and are usually black, with spines - but generally smaller, with yellow markings)
A sudden burst of activity and song along the river:
The morning of Friday 26th June 2015 was bright but overcast and dry, a morning survey to record wildlife more likely to be active before midday. The rivers were quite shallow but flowing clear, with banks covered with flowering plants and new berries, green Hawthorn berries and green sloes, looking more like small olives at present. Elder trees are flowering well this year too with the promise of a good crop of berries in late summer. Most flowers are attracting a large variety of insects from tiny beetles to Bumblebees.
Brambles are doing well, promising a good harvest of blackberries for wildlife this autumn.
Chiffchaffs were singing strongly (15), foraging restlessly in the trees with the most insects and five juveniles were seen together in the company of an adult in one dense tree
House sparrows, which thrive in warm dry weather are doing well this year and at least 70 were present in several locations along the river banks, amongst brambles and hawthorn hedges or just foraging under the nettle stalks and grasses. Chaffinches (4) were calling from oaks whilst 2 greenfinches attempted song. Goldfinches were enjoying the dry weather too, with at least 40 seen - two very old oaks were suddenly filled with their song with more goldfinches flying fast across to occupy a third oak. Singing and foraging blackbirds (32) dominated the landscape this morning, some foraging in the shady grass, others preening in the sun with most singing birds choosing shaded woody areas where their voices carried across the river.
Numbers of blue tits (55) have now increased, with newly fledged yellow-faced juveniles joining the adults feeding on aphids on high-climbing Rosa canina shoots, chasing and bickering. All give themselves away by their erratic flight patterns, with sudden changes in direction just before landing (for a good reason - to confuse predators such as the ever-present sparrowhawk lurking on the river bank).
Great tits may be fledging later as there were just 25 seen, with a few juveniles still being fed by adults.
Only two long-tailed tits were seen, disappearing into a thicket. One coal tit with one juvenile were seen in a conifer - good views of usually elusive birds which often remain hidden here. Robins, usually one of the most common birds, were remaining hidden, most silent and probably moulting. Five were seen, only one singing and others tic-ticking or collecting food for young.
Song thrushes have been doing well, with resident numbers gradually increasing on the riverside - this morning 7 were seen, some foraging together with blackbirds and others singing from the Blackthorn.
Other strong singers, the wrens, were vocal today (18) with loud songs given from shady damp areas. Others were seen diving into their various nest sites low down on the banks. Three dunnocks were seen, one singing from an open branch, easy to locate and identify this time.
Chiffchaffs were the most numerous warblers today but blackcaps (8) were singing too, often giving loud outbursts of song from close by in the riverbank willows. Just one garden warbler was heard singing and 3 whitethroats, in the willows and brambles.
Three nuthatches were seen and heard calling in different locations in the oaks but the most interesting today were probably 5 goldcrests, all looked like juveniles, foraging in a conifer. As I was watching them, an adult treecreeper flew across from a willow onto the conifer trunk, moving up and around foraging and following it was a juvenile treecreeper. Still watching, a second juvenile appeared briefly before dropping down to the base of the tree - so probably 3 together.
No raptors were seen today but 3 magpies, 2 herring gulls, 5 starlings, about 30 woodpigeons and 3 carrion crows up from the 'scrape'.
Another look at the 'scrape' now in late June, still a good amount of water and more vegetation along the banks, with mud at the shallow (north) end. It is now established as a watering hole for birds and mammals!
At first this morning there were no butterflies or dragonflies expected or seen but as soon as the river and grasses warmed up, they began to appear:
Banded Demoiselle damselflies and Beautiful Demoiselle Damselflies were the most numerous, with a few
Large Red damselflies present too. A single
female Broad-bodied Chaser Dragonfly was seen flying strongly, like a large wasp. Almost all were seen flying over or perched on riverbank nettles:
This is a male Banded Demoiselle Damselfly clinging onto a nettle in a stiff breeze today on the river bank. Although one of the larger damselflies it is still very fragile compared with dragonflies.
Butterflies today appeared with the heat:
Very good numbers of Meadow Browns were seen over the long meadow grasses with Ringlets in the damper areas- and in the sun, Red Admiral and good numbers of Small Tortoiseshell butterflies basked on bare ground and flattened molehills.
The first photo shows that the next generation of Peacock butterflies (see April) is thriving - the eggs are laid on young nettles and quickly hatch into caterpillars which remain feeding on the nettle leaves for several days, increasing greatly in size. There is a flight 'lull' at this time of the year, then more will be seen on the wing later in July.
