Red Kite Day - the end of July

Today, Sunday 31st July 2016 was remarkable, being a fine day, all day, although with more cloud moving in later. Knowing that most birds are still moulting and staying quiet, under cover until they are equipped with new flight feathers, it was a good time, around mid morning, to concentrate on butterflies again. However, whilst surveying the butterflies amongst the grasses, I looked up to see a magnificent Red Kite flying directly overhead, not very high up, its distinct markings and wing shape easily seen.

It glided leisurely around, circling over the river for some time, then slowly entered a glide that took it downstream along the river course until it was out of sight.

This was one of very few birds seen today - so back to butterflies:

Gatekeepers were out in force, they have an advantage over the earlier butterflies as have not been vulnerable to the torrential rain and lack of sun.

A male Gatekeeper butterfly on one of its favourite plants, the Bramble

Today they were to be seen almost everywhere in the sun, amongst the grasses on the field, along the river banks amongst the nettles and brambles and low along hedgerows. The males are quite territorial and will chase any other insect flying along their section of a hedgerow or bank. They are easily distinguishable from other butterflies such as the Meadow Brown (see previous post) when perched showing their distinct brown and orange markings and clear double eye spot. Their flight is rapid and erratic and they seldom perch for long. 

They are however vulnerable whilst in the caterpillar stage as they overwinter in this form low down amongst grasses.

The larger Meadow Brown butterflies were about today too but in fewer numbers, and Speckled Woods were more numerous today but keeping cool in areas with dappled shade. The only other 'orange' butterfly seen today was a Comma butterfly.

 Brambles were attracting many types of bees and Large and Small White butterflies which were ranging the riverside, some being chased by aggressive Gatekeepers.  Green-Veined Whites were numerous - these being the Summer Brood individuals which fly from July to September.  Other butterflies seen were Common Blue and Red Admiral together with strong flying Brown Hawker dragonflies and heavyweight Southern Hawker dragonflies.

A bee almost completely covered in pollen on a Musk Mallow flower

at the river bank

This is the quietest time of the year for birds - but knowing that they are still present although not seen or heard makes one look forward tremendously to the arrival of early autumn when they will 'reappear' as the leaves start to fall - and will be joined later by winter migrants.

Three blackbirds were seen, two giving alarm calls and a single male foraging on the grass. Twenty blue-tits were counted, mostly vocal young, and only six young great tits also calling, amongst the thistles on the bank. House sparrow numbers were reduced  (- a few adults with young fledgelings calling (47) - with continuing good conditions many more will fledge later in the summer, joining already large colonies or starting new colonies close by. They prefer to stay close to their original home territory and are tolerated by older birds rather than being chased out to find new territories.

Just a single wren was heard - an alarm call from a bird well out of sight, low on the river bank. For the first time this year there were more dunnocks (3) heard and seen than wrens, with two young dunnocks heard and one adult seen collecting food under the base of a hedge.  Very high thin calls came from at least two young treecreepers in an oak whilst a very loud jay was calling

nearby, hidden in the dense canopy. Whitethroats (summer migrants) were still very present  along the river bushes but only one was seen, whilst the other more common migrant warbler - the chiffchaff, was showing well in a Hazel giving contact calls (hweeeet) which were answered by a second bird with a third heard calling in the distance. Four migrant warblers favouring the Willow and Blackthorn along the river, blackcaps, one adult male and at least two juveniles bordering an area of richly-fruiting brambles were seen and heard, with another - alarm-calling in a river bank willow.  

It was at least good to hear and see more than 30 goldfinches, many singing from favourite old Field Maples on the banks with easy access to plentiful supplies of seeds from wild grasses and flowers.

Sightings of our resident birds were scarce - they do not have spend time feeding up in preparation for a long journey - only three robins were seen, one singing a very short snatch of song from a Blackthorn, the other two silently collecting food on the edge of a wooded path whilst a song thrush flew low across a shady bank. Just one vocal magpie was seen today, the rest hiding in the shade.
Out beyond the trees, three carrion crows were watching from a fence, flying down onto a grassy slope to join wood pigeons (24) drinking in the scrape and river nearby - and others keeping watch from old oaks (24 total). Herring gulls (14) were flying lazily across when a  common buzzard (2) appeared, sailing quite fast out of the crowd. Calls were then heard directly above - another buzzard, warning off the gulls.

Summer wild meadow warmed by the sun - splendid foraging for all, a mixture of all the scents to attract bees, shelter for nesting warblers, a myriad of insects, patrolled by dragonflies, butterflies,  hoverflies, grasshoppers and crickets….

A great spotted woodpecker called out a warning from the oak canopy over the river,  triggering  very noisy calls from three juvenile green woodpeckers, not quite a full 'yaffle'  yet but doing well!
The young remain for some time near their nest area in the old trees close to their source of food - ants.
Ants' nests soon appear as soon as the earth dries out in the wild fields, pushing mounds of bare earth up through the wild flowers, easily spotted by the green woodpeckers. Alternatively they can forage on ants in the shorter grasses.
It was also good to hear a nuthatch calling further along the river downstream after a long quiet spell
whilst the young are raised and fledge to fend for themselves.