Orange Tip butterflies on river patrol

This spring has seen good conditions for Orange Tip  butterflies (Anthocharis cardamines) here on along the river, and Holly Blues (Celastrina argiolus) are doing well too.

On 23rd May (see previous post for the bird species record) , males (with orange-tipped wings) were seen flying over river bank vegetation, brambles, nettles and cow-parsley and females - similar to males but without the bright orange wing-tips were ranging the riverside grasses and bank vegetation in search of Cuckooflower plants and Garlic Mustard plants with flower buds on which they will lay their eggs. They are very restless butterflies and seldom perch to bask in the sun. 

Cuckoo flower - one of the foodplants of their caterpillars has spread along the river this year and Garlic Mustard, another food plant, is also spreading, so the new generation of Orange Tips should

do well this year.

Garlic mustard in flower - buds are used by Orange tips to lay their eggs

Holly Blue butterflies are hedgerow butterflies and at this time of the year the females are searching high and low for choice Holly flower buds on which to lay their eggs. Unlike the single generation Orange tips, the Holly Blues have two generations, and can be seen from March until October, the autumn generation seeking out Ivy flower buds on which to lay eggs. There's plenty of both Holly and Ivy plants along the riverside and Holly Blues are a common sight. 

On the wild field an early Common Blue was seen where in summer a good diversity of wild flowers will appear, and along the river today a few Brimstone butterflies together with Large White butterflies, both strong flyers. 

The two species of early damselflies, Beautiful Demoiselle and Banded Demoiselle were seen,  both males and females, most freshly emerged from the river in warm undisturbed regions where reeds and grasses are growing.

Food for Fledgelings on the Riverside

May has been a perfect month for growth with enough rainfall alternating with sunlight causing a sudden increase in invertebrates and vegetation. Birds are doing well too. After a mild winter when survival was simple for our resident birds, they faced a cold and windy early spring which caused some birds to delay nesting. Fortunately here insects began to emerge and the oaks came into leaf, with abundant caterpillars - food for nestlings.

Once fledged the young will still be fed on protein-rich insects by the parents - the riverside being a prime habitat and source of food - insects and spiders - dragonflies and damselflies included.

This immature male Beautiful Demoiselle damselfly has just emerged and has chosen a perfect place to warm up and become flight-worthy, perching on a Dock leaf.  Its wings were still wet and glistening and its body almost colourless. It would not be able to move fast in this condition and could be easy prey for a bird feeding young.

Here is a Full Report for Monday 23rd May:

The morning was fine, with a slight breeze which strengthened later bringing clouds. The river was low but flowing well through a landscape of brilliant wild spring green, and Hawthorn blossom now weighing down the branches indicating a plentiful berry autumn. The young oak on the bank is at last clad in new green leaves after a long autumn, winter and early spring still carrying its old leaves from

last year. The trees we planted are also blossoming well now.

House sparrows were the first to be heard and seen with fledged young adding to the numbers - more than 80 were seen in total in various colonies along the river, most favouring the Hawthorn as a safe place to perch. Recently-fledged sparrows were seen wedged together amongst the blossom on a Hawthorn branch, waiting to be fed whilst the adults were busy hovering and darting over the nettles on the bank, flycatching. With such a profusion of insects, many species of small bird adopt a fly catching habit at this time of the year - a sure way to gather the most food in the shortest possible time.

Four chaffinches were present amongst the trees, singing loudly, accompanied by two greenfinches high up in the canopy.

Blue tits were demonstrating their fast-flying food gathering skills, their actions so fast that only 12 were seen along the river today, darting out of their nest holes unseen and darting back with food for nestlings so quickly that their young were enjoying a constant supply of insects, no long hungry 

hours of waiting. Only 8 great tits were seen, three of them singing, as most were nesting too.

Long-tailed tits start nesting very early in order to choose nest sites which will be easy to build on, with bare twigs and thorny stems such as brambles which, by the time the nest is finished and occupied, will be completely hidden from predators by new leaf growth. Three birds were seen today, two juveniles and one foraging adult. The juveniles were quite vocal, attempting to keep in touch with each other and their siblings nearby. 

Starlings (40) were also early nesters this year,  keeping close together, juveniles and adults, foraging and roosting, the young keeping up a constant calling - easily distinguished from the songs of the adults.

Hawthorn blossom on a branch - gaps between old trees are often filled by Hawthorn.

Wrens (30) were singing loudly on the banks. I came across a new territory being defended every few meters, some quite low down in mossy areas and roots close to the water and others amongst higher undergrowth, almost all nests were invisible. There are always many more wrens on the riverside than are heard and seen at any one time as they only choose to sing or call in alarm when they need to advertise their presence. Their nesting season is a long one as they often have two broods in a season.  Blackbirds (30) were mostly foraging on damp shady grassed areas silently - or giving an alarm call but some were singing this morning. Males were more numerous, collecting food for their young, still easy work at present as the ground is damp.

They often have 2nd broods and even three broods in a season if conditions are good, finishing late in the summer. They do not observe the 'Nesting Season' extents set out by misguided or ignorant humans! Who is to say that they cannot nest in February or still be feeding young in the nest during October? Song thrushes too can have three broods or even four, given a favourable season. It's the prevailing natural conditions that dictate their actions, not mankind…

Today, six song thrushes were observed, all keeping to their local territories, three were singing loudly whilst three others were foraging silently in other places under hedgerows and on grass, probably collecting food for their young.

Goldfinches are numerous here all year round having been pushed into retreat from their original farmland habitat as it was/is taken for development. Here they feed on the seeds of plants such as dock and populate old trees and thickets anywhere nearby, providing a background of song.

Like the song thrushes, they can raise several broods throughout the summer. Today about 35 were seen and heard along the tree margin.  Robins were less visible and audible today (16), as most are  nesting, some for the second time already this year, with several young seen foraging in the dense undergrowth, well camouflaged in their speckled brown plumage.

A sudden loud alarm call from a robin very close by alerted other birds which dived for cover. I looked around for the cause, and caught sight of a sparrowhawk flying low over the canopy of leaves, heading south down the river. The highly observant robin had caught sight of it through the dense canopy - or perhaps had seen the hawk's reflection in the river. The alarm was over in a second. Other predators were more easily seen and heard: the magpies (5), gathered today in a Maple tree were noisily flapping and could not take anything by surprise whilst carrion crows (4) were seen flying over, apart from one which was perched, swaying on a Hawthorn branch, looking out for activity below. It flew off several times nd returned to the same spot, empty-beaked. In the distance, two high-flying rooks headed out and later two calling jackdaws were also seen flying across, with just a single herring gull drifting high.

Woodpigeons (18) were also seen flying over, or sitting in trees doing nothing much - is there another bird which does nothing for so much of the day? Wait - they are watching you even when they appear to be asleep - one false move and they will be off instantly, sending other birds to cover. 

One was seen pecking at new leaves on a blackthorn and two more were seen bathing in a sheltered area. Two collared doves were heard calling in the distance - much lighter and busier birds, their nests get predated quite frequently by mammals or corvids.

From the largest to the smallest - goldcrests, were fast moving, joining the warblers in the sheltered river bank Willows today as their usual conifers were becoming windswept as the breeze increased (3).   

Warblers were more difficult to spot now that the trees were in leaf but their songs usually gave them away. Blackcaps (9) were still singing loudly and beautifully from various thorn thickets and Willows, with one female giving a short burst of subsong over the river, the rest were males. 

Three garden warblers were singing too - with singing goldfinches in the background. The warblers were usually perched quite low down, easier to see once heard. The unmistakable song of the willow warbler (3) rang out - from different places in Willows along the river and it was good to see that common whitethroats (3) had returned to the Bramble patches. They usually raise two broods, like the blackcaps, using the prime areas of low tangled vegetation under clumps and on banks.

Chiffchaffs (10) seemed to be everywhere, their calls could be heard all along the river and it was still quite easy to see them as they were constantly moving from branch to branch foraging amongst the foliage, flicking the soft new leaves and twigs as they went. A dunnock was seen singing from a Maple with another seen lower down (2) and elusive treecreepers gave their presence away by calling from an old oak (2). Another woodland bird,  the nuthatch, does not call when nesting, except in alarm and there was no familiar calls from them today but a good view of one collecting food for nestlings.

Likewise the great spotted woodpecker remains quiet but one was heard drumming loudly the day before and on many previous days, so we know of its presence here.

Hawthorn on the River Bank 23rd May 2016

Under cover on a shady sheltered part of the river three young male mallard ducks were seen quietly feeding whilst overhead three more were seen flying downstream.

Last but not least: SWIFTS!

Very special and welcome birds, the last to arrive here on their long migration north, were a total of 29 swifts, seen today in the air, catching insects over the river course, and a single swallow,  an arrival from southern Africa flying low over the water to feed.

NB the record for Butterflies and damselflies for 23rd May will be on the next post.

  

Damselflies emerge in the warmth

After several days of warm weather, the river water has warmed up. The first good sign is an increase in insects flying above the surface of the water, attracting warblers and other birds hunting for food to feed their young in the nest.

Friday 13th May 2016 - after a dull start the sky soon cleared to give a warm and very sunny day. That afternoon, walking along the river bank, hoping to see butterflies, Damselflies appeared instead.

Obviously freshly emerged during the late morning, they were seen perched on the riverbank vegetation in the sun, drying out their wings. Attempts at flight were brief, just enabling them to move from one leaf to another nearby, wings glistening.

The first seen were Beautiful Demoiselle females, then a Banded Demoiselle males and a

Large Red Damselfly. Others seen briefly were so freshly emerged it was difficult to see at a distance what they were, as immature damselflies can resemble females until they acquire their adult colouring, defining the species.

A fine young male Banded Demoiselle Damselfly, warm and about to fly off the fresh Bramble leaf on the river bank

On a nearby Bramble leaf, an immature female Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly catches the sun.

A larger species, also warming up on a Bramble leaf, a female Large Red Damselfly watches out for passing insects

A long-tailed tit was foraging in the branches overhanging the river, a blackcap sang  in chorus with blackbirds, song thrush and a garden warbler.

Orange Tip butterflies were again the most numerous but a Peacock butterfly was seen in the adjacent wild field basking on a natural footpath through the growing grasses and wild plants. 

A Peacock butterfly warming on the trodden path. 

   

May brings fine days to the riverside

Sunday 1st May started with very light wispy cloud then full sun - fine weather at last and no cold wind.

Good numbers of Orange Tip butterflies, males and females were ranging over the wild field visiting clump after clump of Cuckooflower, doing very well now. The first Cuckooflowers were seen on the field in February but are now prolific, not just in the field but in places all along the river banks, attracting Orange Tip butterflies everywhere, far more than last year. This year most butterflies have been scarce so far due to the cold, wet and windy weather. A single, rather battered Comma butterfly was seen on nettles, Blackcaps were singing in the Blackthorn, a great-spotted woodpecker was seen flying across and heard calling. Wrens, robins, song thrush were busy foraging along the base of the hedgerows.

Comma butterfly warming up on nettles on the river bank

DAWN CHORUS!

At 5am on the MayDay (2nd) bank holiday, it was just becoming lighter, although uniformly overcast. The night had been warmer than of late, with no wind and a superb dawn chorus was heard echoing along the river.

Blackbirds dominated the singing at times but song thrushes, blackcaps, robins, wrens, dunnocks chiffchaffs and other warblers were all singing together in a wave of sound, the only sound audible in the landscape with no background noise - the dawn belonged to the birds.

The day itself became breezy, with rain but a hobby was seen flying fast over the river course under the  cloud.

A week later on Monday 7th May, after a few days of warm weather, the river water was heating up - and the first Damselfly of the year was seen flying low over the nettles. It was a female Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly, freshly emerged. It stopped and perched several times in order to dry out its wings and body in order to be able to fly any distance from the water where it had emerged.

Another first for the riverside were two Speckled Wood butterflies perched on brambles close to the damselfly. More Orange Tip butterflies were investigating the Cuckooflowers and several Holly Blue butterflies were seen flying strongly along with a bright male Brimstone, high and low. A male song thrush was singing in its usually thicket whilst another foraged below. Chiffchaffs, goldfinches and chaffinches were all singing nearby.

The first Speckled Wood butterfly of the summer on fresh bramble leaves on the river bank