The Wind and Rain of August

Early August started as it meant to go on, with strong winds and heavy rain showers. Sunday 6th August 2017 was very damp after heavy rain and thunderstorms the previous day, with dew on the grass and the river running higher and more swiftly. An early start to this short survey - but the sunshine didn't last before fair-weather cumulus clouds moved in. Fruits and berries were ripening fast however. The wind direction unusual, blowing straight into usually most sheltered areas. The rain had brought a spurt of growth along the banks and hedgerows which helped to form low shelter however - and tall grasses were teeming with grass moths, spiders and grasshoppers again. During sunny intervals butterflies suddenly appeared too:

 Common Blue butterfly (Polyommatus icarus)  basking after very wet weather. The white edges of its wings have been worn away but it was a strong flyer over the vegetation.

A Garden spider, one of many seen today, was making its way along the

strong web strand secured to dry Dock stems towards the centre of the web which held

a pre-wrapped unidentifiable insect prey. 

Woodpigeons (about 30) were cooing lazily from trees or sitting along the fences and two collared doves flew off from the top of a Blackthorn thicket. Six magpies were present at various locations along the river together with three carrion crows.  

Ideal terrain conditions for Blackbirds (16) this morning meant that most were visible foraging on the wet grass, with a single Song thrush, whilst a few were sampling ripe Sloes on the Blackthorn. Most robins were still in hiding with only five seen, some giving short songs. Wrens were also scarce, only 6 seen - but all of them singing, joined by two silent dunnocks amongst the river bank roots.

Eventually, as the day warmed up, house sparrows (about 50) woke up too and started to sing in their hedges. Two juvenile greenfinches were seen and only one chaffinch, all silent.

Walking further along the riverbank, reaching an area with a large old maple next to an old oak, the trees suddenly revealed large numbers of very active small birds, about 40 blue tits,  twenty great tits and more than 30 Goldfinches - these singing. The blue tits (total seen today about 70) and great tits (total seen today about 30) were in a roaming flock and within a few minutes had moved on.

These birds were quiet, but calls heard high in the canopy revealed 4 long-tailed tits. 

The area these birds were moving through contained Hazels, Oaks, Maples, Ash, Blackthorn, Hawthorn, Rosa canina, Elder, with nettles and brambles growing on the opposite banks. It also contained a sparrowhawk seen a few minutes later circling over the wild field and river, the sun shining through its translucent wing feathers - no shortage of prey today as many of the small birds were juveniles.

These birds are resident here but a few migrant warblers were still present, two blackcaps and three calling chiffchaffs were seen.

The best sighting was of a pair of bullfinches sat together on low bramble stems on the bank, the male very bright. 

One pied wagtail and two herring gulls were seen in flight over the river and a nuthatch was heard calling from an oak.

Dragonflies:

Male Common Darter Dragonfly on the warm and sheltered stony path.

It was watching a small fly  zipping back and forth - only its head moved, its eyes following the fly.

Although very windy, dragonflies were flying in most places, with strong-flying Southern Hawkers, Migrant Hawkers, Common Darters, and Banded Demoiselle Damselflies under the shelter of river banks.

Butterflies:

as with the dragonflies, most butterflies were keeping to sheltered areas - Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns, large numbers of Speckled Woods (about 45) in wooded places and tall hedgerows, a few Common Blues on the tall field grasses, Commas, Red Admiral, Silver-washed Frittilary and last but not least, Brown Hairstreak butterflies - four or five on the high canopy of a mature Ash tree  amongst other trees on the more sheltered morning sunny side, flying erratically fast-disappearing into the foliage then reappearing.

This was intended just to observe butterflies and dragonflies - but large numbers of moths were seen too.

See future August post.