Suggestions please....

The planned trip to Mull in October doesn't look like it's going to happen now, for various reasons. A real shame, because I was looking forwards to seeing lots of big birds (EAGLES), getting scared by proper scottish people, and sitting on a hill being very cold and watching a deer rut. Ah well, sometimes you just need to change your plans and maybe we'll go in Spring instead and see all the Puffins...

This leads me to the audience participation part of my post. I do still have a week off work and would like (neeeeeeed) to get away. Has anybody got any suggestions of somewhere nice to go and investigate relatively cheaply? Home/abroad, I'm not too fussy...

Me again

Hello, remember me? Not really been out and about chasing wildlife as much as usual of late, and so haven't had much to tell you about. Add that to the fact when I get home I generally just fall asleep, what I have had to tell you never quite made it online.

I went to Dorset a couple of weeks ago with my mum, and it was pretty good really. Didn't do much birding to speak of, but we did walk from Swanage to Corfe along that big Chalkhill ridge which eventually turns into Old Harry Rocks/ the Needles.

Corfe Castle is a bit cool really...

Poole Harbour as seen from just outside Swanage.

There were a fair few swallows and martins zipping around the fields as we walked along. Plenty of stonechats and many other birds that I didn't stop for long enough to identify. Dorset also has big flocks of rooks/jackdaws, all of which seemed to take off in the air simultaneously at one point. Pretty impressive if slightly scary thing to witness... From being at such a relatively high vantage point we were able to see loads of kestrels, sparrowhawks and peregrines hunting below us. Oh and this guy sitting in a tree being very vocal.

Rargh I am loud Buzzard

On setting out on our walk, mum mentioned that she never really saw any butterflies anywhere anymore. Just to prove her wrong, I had a ridiculously productive lepidopterrific walk, especially considering that I didn't even have my book with me. Large white, small white, green-veined white, speckled wood, painted lady, gatekeeper and peacock butterflies made welcome usual appearances, but there were also hundreds of small heaths flitting around our feet, and loads of different blue butterflies that I couldn't really tell apart on my own.

Butterflies everywhere...

Small heath really are very very small...

Most exciting of all was one particularly pretty bright blue butterfly that was very obliging when I pointed my camera at it. I later checked it out in my book and am pretty certain it's an Adonis Blue. Now this is a pretty rare spot but everything seems to add up. The black marks around the edge of the wings together with the underwing pattern don't really point to anything else, plus the shade of blue is completely different to the usual purplish-hues of common blues. Plus the habitat requirement "short herb-rich turf on sunny south-facing downland slopes", with a distribution limited to pockets of south central England. Awesome.

Adonis Blue being very blue and adonis-like

We were a bit tired after our walk and big ploughmans pub lunch, so just took the train back home :)

just a note

I was going to write a proper post about going to Dorset last weekend and seeing some exciting butterflies, but that will have to wait.

This is just too funny not to share though :)

There should be a few other previews linked from this, but I think the clip one minute into this one has to be my favourite...

Back to work

In an attempt to regain a sense of normality, I am back at work this week.

Well, as normal as you can get working in a place like this...

Not so bad really :)

Hi

Not been around much of late, most of you know why but this silence will probably be a bit more prolonged so don't expect much bird-related news for a while.

On the fish front, I can't say the situation has become any more optimistic. That fish carped it, and another one is looking pretty ropy as of this evening. I have to say, they really pick their times to become suicidal... I need to do a complete overhaul of my tank, and replace the stones with sand to be more catfish-friendly, plus introduce a load more plants. This will require most of a day to do, and this is time I don't particularly have at my disposal currently...

Family-wise, we're doing okay. Going through the motions but I guess it won't sink in fully for a long time. Big day on Wednesday, after which I suppose we'll have to start trying to get back to "normal". If my fish could cease this mass piscecide for a couple of weeks, I would be most appreciative...

And so it begins...

Yes, the slow decline into failue. It was bound to happen really. Just as I managed to outsmart the snails and the plants had settled in, something was bound to go wrong.

RIP Minnow I. A victim of what I suspect to be foul play, on the part of my Ram. I am keeping a close eye on this one... Still, these minnows have already easily outlived their life expectancy, so it could be the result of a combination of reasons. However, concerns over the welfare of my fish population have taken a slightly more sinister turn...


Currently my Corydoras schwartzii isn't looking this good. Really not very good at all, bearing in mind the two massive lesions on his head and lack of barbels. Bumcakes. Methinks I'll be heading down to the fish shop first thing in the morning for some sort of miracle fixitude, after a water change. I'll keep you posted, but my hopes aren't high for this little guy :(

Note to readers: Don't search for "Hole in the Head Corydoras" unless you want to throw up some gay porn...

Local birding again

Mostly as a result of not being motivated enough to head any further afield after some hula-related drunkeness the day before, me and the man ended up at Rainham on Sunday for a very pleasant if not particularly productive few hours.

Wennington marshes

We started off at the other entrance to the reserve near the tip, as I've never been there before. There are some brilliant views across the Thames and across Aveley Pools. Other than the unsuprising smellyness, this area of the marshes is really interesting and has such a great variety of wildflowers considering it's only been developed over the past few years (enough to warrant me needing to buy a ID book now). Some more gorse bushes are needed, and then it'll be full of dartford warblers :)

Of course, to keep up with my recent habits of completely neglecting to take any bird photos in favour of lots of invertebrates, here are my efforts from Sunday. Suddenly the gatekeepers are out and about, and we also spotted some small heaths, peacocks, commas, ringlets, large, small and green veined white, a couple of different types of skipper and loads of cinnabar moth caterpillars on ragwort. Quite pleased with some of the photos :)

Peacock butterfly

Large white butterfly

Gatekeeper butterfly

Comma butterfly

Common darter (common but still pretty awesome)

In other news, The Man saw a quail on the road towards my village yesterday. I didn't. I think I was probably too busy telling a Very Important Story about something, while trying to avoid all of the suicidal wood pigeons and collared doves that like to fly at my car. Anyway, that's another one for me to have to keep up with on my year list. Also, the field in my BTO survey area that was full of butterflies and yelllowhammers was completely cut down a few days ago, and I haven't seen the yellowhammer since. Never really sure why they do this so early in the year, as I dread to think how many caterpillars were harvested along with the crop... Oh well it was nice while it lasted.

Sunday sunset- been plenty of good ones lately but this is the first one I've got on camera.