That Shrike Again

Well frankly I didn't even expect it to stay overnight let alone 8 days. But here it is still favouring bushes on the north side of the second pit along the footpath from Stonebridge Corner. A Marsh Harrier, 3 Hobbies, 2 Greenshank, a Common Sandpiper and a Wheatear were the supporting cast on this beautiful morning.

The warm early light helps to enhance the rather reddish tail.

Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio), first winter.


Digiscoped with the Nikon CP995, Leica APO77 and 32x eyepiece.

Snail Killer!

This Sciomyzid fly is one of a group whose larvae feed on snails. Possibly a female Euthycera fumigata or similar.



Nikon CP995

Garden Birds

After an erratic performance at the Red-backed Shrike I thought I could do with some digiscoping practice so the birds in the garden got some attention.

Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)


Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)


House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Digiscoped with the Nikon CP995, Leica APO77 and 20x eyepiece.

Butcher Bird at Prior's

About time we had a confiding Red-backed Shrike in the Peterborough area and it almost goes without saying that it was Kevin Du Rose who located it. That was on the Friday evening, when there was also a Spotted Redshank flying about. These pictures were taken the following morning in beautiful sunshine. 3 Dunlin, 3 Ruff, 20 Golden Plover, c.1000 Lapwing, 5 Wigeon, Sparrowhawk, Hobby, Marsh Harrier, at least 7 Yellow Wagtails and a Whinchat were also present.

Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio)





Digiscoped with the Nikon CP995, Leica APO77 and 20x and 32x eyepieces.

Prior's Fen

A return to an old haunt and some good birds including my first Golden Plover of the autumn, 8 Snipe, 3 juvenile Shelduck and c.250 Lapwing. The female or immature Garganey was with a good selection of duck including a Wigeon.

Garganey (Anas querquedula)




Lapwings (Vanellus vanellus)

Digiscoped with the Nikon CP995, Leica APO77 and 32x eyepiece.

Redstart, Ferry Meadows

Don Gardener struck again with yet another Redstart for the Peterborough area. This one is much more showy than other recent ones and, as an adult male, was much more photogenic. I managed a few hurried digiscope pics before trains and trainspotters caused it to retreat from where it fed along the railway line near the bridge over the Nene.

Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)

Digiscoped with the Nikon CP995, Leica APO77 and 20x eyepiece.

Along the Railway

Another largely bird-free walk, this time from Castor Mill to Wansford Station and back following the Nene Valley Railway for a lot of the time.

Forest Shieldbug (Pentatoma rufipes) at Water Newton Lock


This young Rat at the picnic area at Wansford Station was extremely bold. One group of diners had barely left before it was out hoovering up the remains.
Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus)


Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum), female


A popular target for many of the large number of rail enthusiasts along the route: the recently restored steam engine, Mayflower.
"Mayflower", Class 'B1', No 1306


Nikon CP995

Old Sulehay Fungi

A good long walk around Old Sulehay forest looked like being practically bird-free before we came across a huge mixed flock of small birds. Most of the small birds in the wood must have been among the 60 or 70 Blue, Great, Long-tailed, Marsh and Coal Tits, Treecreepers and Nuthatches. Before that the main interest had been the plants.

Common Stinkhorn (Phallus impudicus)



Common Puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum)


Many Zoned Bracket/Polypore (Trametes versicolor or Coriolus versicolor)




Clustered Tough-shank (Collybia confluens) (Thanks to Alan Silverside for ID)


Ants-eye view of a fungus


The fruit of the Arum Lilly (Zantedeschia Aethiopica), AKA Lord's & Ladies or Cuckoo Pint. I photographed one of the flowers back in April.


A busy Badger sett

Nikon CP995.

Otter or Loch Ness Monster?

This was quite remarkable. I had only called in at Ferry Meadows (near Peterborough) on the way home from work just in case any terns had dropped in during the storms. There were few birds but just over half way across Gunwade Lake I noticed something in the water swimming west. There were a couple of people on the bank and it briefly crossed my mind that their dog was rather a long way out. However it was quickly obvious this was no dog.

As it swam further on I was sure it was an Otter. As it passed the other side of the pedaloes a few Black-headed Gulls started to circle around near it and it stopped for a while raising itself out of the water a bit to fend them off. At no point did it dive under the water.

Then it moved on towards the little bridge and I saw a more familiar bit of Ferry Meadows wildlife approaching: unmistakable through the scope, it was Don Gardener on the far bank cycling home. Surely he would stop and scan the water. It was agonising. I couldn't contact him so just willed him to look and sure enough he soon stopped, lifted his bins and then I watched the look of realisation on his face. Yes! He had it too!

Finally it swam into the vegetation in the bank near the bridge and was gone but it must have taken nearly ten minutes to cross the lake and was watched for a good proportion of that time. It was good to go over the events again with Don in the evening on the phone. We are both absolutely thrilled to bits.

That makes it three Otters I have seen this year after one on the west coast of Scotland and another on the Norfolk Broads!

European Otter (Lutra lutra) - honest!

Digiscoped with the Nikon CP995, Leica APO77 and 32x eyepiece.

Figwort Sawfly

The latest addition to our garden fauna is this wasp-sized sawfly. The larvae feed on Mullein (Verbascum) and other scrophulariaceae.

Figwort Sawfly (Tenthredo scrophulariae)


Nikon CP995.

Many thanks to Bioimages and Steve Covey for helping to confirm the identification.

Wow! A sunny day!

A brief respite from the dreadful summer's weather during the weekend provided the opportunity for walking and canoeing around Elton and helped to bring out a few more insects.

Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) on Prickly Sow-thistle (Sonchus asper), an excellent food source for insects.


Dark Bush-cricket(Pholidoptera griseoaptera). Female.


This butterfly was feeding on our "Great Orme": a hebe and possibly the finest plant in the garden for attracting insects.
Peacock (Inachis io)

Nikon CP995.

Shield-bugs

A couple of Shield-bugs (pentatomidae) have posed for shots recently. The Forest was in the moth trap one morning in Wales and the Birch on Lemon Verbena (Aloysia triphylla) in the garden.

Birch Shield-bug (Elasmostethus interstinctus)


Forest Shield-bug (Pentatoma rufipes)

Nikon CP995.

Tanholt take 2

After a week out of the area during which two Pied Flycatchers turned up in the area, including one in the garden of the Toadsnatcher, I gave my favoured patch another look. However, I could barely find any birds at all let alone rarities so again the insects took centre stage.

Migrant and Brown Hawker dragonflies were abundant but rarely rested enough for the camera.

Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)


Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum)



The hoverflies were mainly using the abundant Prickly Sow-thistle (Sonchus asper).

Eristalis nemorum. Male.


Sphaerophoria sp., probably scripta. Female.



Eristalis tenax. Male.


Syrphus sp., probably ribessii. Male.

Nikon CP995.

Many thanks to Steven Falk for his help with identification of the hoverflies from these photographs.

Cliff-nesting House Martins

On Friday morning we visited the excellent Welsh Wildlife Centre run by the Wildlife Trust at Teifi Marshes. As is often the case at such places much of the wildlife was in hiding but we did get top quality views of a Purple Hairstreak from the treetop hide and a few Common Lizards were scurrying about. We then headed back to the coast for the last of our clifftop walks.

The Pembrokeshire Coastal Path is well known for the stunning scenery around places like the St David's area and Strumble Head but I had no idea that the coastline further north and east is every bit as dramatic. That can certainly be said of Ceibwr Bay. The outlandish loops and folds formed by tectonic squeezing of the rocks paint the surface of the cliffs here as they dive in and out of little coves with exciting caves and a natural arch.


This landscape hosted one of the most interesting wildlife experiences for me as the Fulmars shared the cliff with nesting House Martins. The familiar mud nests cling to rocky overhangs on the cliffs and in the caves and give us a view of these birds as they must have been before man provided alternative cliff-like structures inland.


One or two Raven were again a feature here and up to 5 Chough regularly patrolled the clifftop. An adult Peregrine dashed past at one point and the Grey Seals were at their most confiding at times. More Gannet, Fulmar and Manx Shearwater passed by offshore and were joined this time by a few Kittiwake. The clifftop was once again packed with butterflies and in addition there were good numbers of Six-spot Burnet moths and a couple of migrants in the shape of a Painted Lady butterfly and a Rush Veneer moth. The sea was again rather calm so it wasn't too surprising to once again pick out a small party of Harbour Porpoise, perhaps the same group that we saw earlier in the week.

So it was time to say farewell to the estuary and coasts of the Pembrokeshire/Ceredigion border. A superb holiday with some cracking wildlife.

Gryf Rhys-Jones and other ancient monuments

On Thursday we had planned to visit Fishguard, but frankly, when we got there it didn't really seem up to much and despite nearly running Gryf Rhys-Jones over in our hurry to leave we managed to pick up some grub and head for Pentre Ifan burial chamber. This remarkable set of stones dates from about 3500BC and it is impossible not to wonder at the effort involved in moving the enormous slabs, which still appear to teeter precariously despite remaining solidly in place for five and half thousand years. The collosal capstone rests on the pinpoints of three uprights and walking through and around the structure it frames stunning views of the surrounding landscape.


We saw none of the fairies that local legend speaks of but a Raven was just one of what must be a thriving local population. One party of 9 we saw from the road was bettered by an astonishing flock of 17 on the slopes of Mynydd Caregog; comfortably the most I have ever seen gathered together. A Hobby dashed past us not far from there as we headed back north to Cilgerran and its fabulous castle. The steep, wooded hillsides of the Teifi here are packed with woodland birds and we explored the precipitous parapets of the ruin to the tune of Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Jay.

Back at the house a Greenshank was added to the Whimbrel, Curlew, Common Sandpiper and Oystercatcher that were regular along the estuary and a Little Egret was feeding just below on the mud. We also watched a Little Egret from the extreme comfort of the Ferry Inn later that evening and as many as 20 Common Sandpipers flew in a noisy group together up and down the river as high tide approached.