Small Copper, North Bank

One of my favourite butterflies and in cracking condition. There were also Small Tortoiseshell, Migrant Hawker and Common Darter out in the mild conditions.

Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas

Canon Powershot A640

A Week in Cornwall

My autumn pilgrimage to West Penwith was as enjoyable as ever with the added bonus of two planet earth ticks for me. On arrival at the cottage my phone went to inform me of a Blyth's Pipit not more than half a mile from where I was standing. I was straight there and immediately saw everyone watching a large pipit with a flock of Meadows. That was it but I couldn't tick that. It then showed several more times in flight, calling before a Richard's Pipit started putting in an appearance too.

The calls were pretty easy to distinguish and I was surprised how different they looked in flight too. The Blyth's lacked the really long-tailed hefty look of the Richard's and proportioned more like a Meadow Pipit.

Later in the week I tried several times, unsuccessfully, to see an incredibly ellusive Pallas' Warbler in Kenidjack Valley when there might have been up to three present at times. Eventually one started performing well with a Yellow-browed Warbler near the top of the valley and I was able to enjoy superb scope views of both birds.

These were the only birds I twiched but in the course of the week I came across a couple of Woodlarks flying over near Gwynver, an assortment of Mediterranean Gulls at Sennen Cove, Black Redstarts in a few places, a hybrid Hooded Crow a few times past Carn Towan, a Short-eared Owl, fly-over Bramblings, Arctic, Pomarine and Great Skuas offshore, 2 Choughs at Nanjizal, a Little Egret on Cowloe and a couple of Wheatears.

Cetaceans were confined to a single Common Porpoise off Cowloe on 21st.

The seals shown below put on an amazing show at Nanjizal. The two at the top were wrestling together for ages. There were five in all, often coming very close to the beach.

Grey Seals Halichoerus grypus, Nanjizal





Stonechats Saxicola torquata
Gribba Point


Cape Cornwall


Common Buzzard Buteo buteo, Nanquidno


Digiscoped with Canon Powershot A640 and Leica APO77 x20

Migrant Hawkers, Tanholt

Masses of insects around here again today but rather few birds.

Migrant Hawker Aeshna mixta

Canon Powershot A640

A weekend in Sheringham

Started at West Runton on Saturday; seawatching while eating cheese toasties: Gannets, a few Little Gulls, 1 juv Arctic Tern and a few Razorbills were all going east; 4-5 Red-throated Divers passed in both directions; Brent Goose parties heading west. On land a Goldcrest was on the slipway having just arrived; an adult Mediterranean Gull at the carpark and an unseen Snow or Lapland Bunting went over but unfortunately call rather faint.

A bit later walking the beach west from Sheringham a couple of Shags on the sea with 5 Razorbills, 2 Guillemots and a Common Seal lingering close in.

Sunday morning was beautiful. 3 Turnstones were on the beach and a Purple Sandpiper was feeding around the beach huts. This spent most of the time behind the huts but was amazingly tame and ran inches past me at one point. Another recently arrived Goldcrest was on the seafront before finding it's way to the nearest vegetation.

Beeston Bump provided a nice Snow Bunting, a Wheatear, a few Redwings and a couple of Stonechats. There were more Redwings and Goldcrests at Priory Gardens along with Common Darters, Migrant Hawkers, Comma butterfly, Silver Y and Vapourer moths.

Finally lunch at Weybourne beach produced much the same as the previous day on the sea but more Little Gulls with about 16 passing.

Goldcrest Regulus regulus, West Runton


Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus, West Runton


Turnstone Arenaria interpres, Sheringham


Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima, Sheringham


Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo, Sheringham


Comma Polygonia c-album, Beeston Bump


Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum, Priory Gardens



Digiscoped with Canon A640 and Leica APO77 x20 (final shot with camera only)

Tanholt GP

These gravel pits were swarming with insects in today's warm sunshine. Most abundant were caddisflies but there were many others. Here are some studies of cooperative insects.

Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum





Canon Powershot A640

Comma Polygonia c-album


Digiscoped with Canon A640 and Leica APO77 x20

Meadow Pipit

At Maxey GP (where else?). Nice light this morning. Worth clicking on this one.

Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis

Digiscoped with Canon A640 and Leica APO77 x20

Raptors at Dogsthorpe Star Pit

Not much of a photo but it is digiscoped in flight from the other side of a huge reedbed. This bird joined 3 Common Buzzards and 3 Sparrowhawks overhead at one point.

Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus

Digiscoped with Canon A640 and Leica APO77 x20

Harlequins

Not the duck, the ladybird. Two different forms made their way into my office today. There was another succinea here back on 13 Sep.

Check out the Harlequin Survey Website.

Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis
f. spectabilis


f. succinea


Canon Powershot A640

Stonechat, Maxey GP

Stonechat Saxicola torquata


Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum


Both Digiscoped with Canon A640 and Leica APO77 x20