Can you spare a Copper?

First "proper" venture out for a few weeks saw me returning to the raised bog in Cumbria this time with Brian (Northumbrian Birding) who wanted to catch up with the White-faced Darters before the end of their flight season. He was not disappointed with sightings of that species along with Black Darter, Four-spot Chaser, Common Hawker and other species to be positively identified. There were of course numerous damselfly species all, along with us, enjoying excellent conditions for the six and a half hours plus that we were at the site. Brian spent the majority of the time around the three pools with the damsels and dragons whereas having been before i wandered off to try to explore further afield. One species which Brian was hoping to capture was the Large Heath butterfly but he never saw a single specimen and i only saw the one while on my wanders. Not surprising i suppose as the end of its flight season is marked down as early August in most publications.

Small Copper

Enjoying the nectar from the flowers of the heather

A nice top view showing the markings on both front and hind wings.

The only Large Heath i saw also enjoying the heather along with numerous other insects.

A nice surprise

Not having gone far recently due to calf and hip problems i hadn't downloaded any images from my camera for quite a few days. The images were mainly from my last couple of days in Kent and included one nice surprise. I managed to get out for a couple of hours very early on the penultimate day of my visit to the Garden County and headed down to explore an area along the Medway River. I ended up at a reservoir which was obviously a home to a local fishing club and i thought i might find some nice damsels or dragons. Unfortunately i didn't sight a single one and the highlights were a couple of Great Crested Grebes on the water, a Robin i had a conversation with at my feet and a juvenile Green Woodpecker up a tree. I did however come across a single butterfly next to the path leading down to the river from the local village. It was very flighty and i got a couple of shots of what i thought might be a Meadow Brown and thought no more of it.

I had captured a female Gatekeeper

A species i hadn't seen before and i hadn't realised.

Like a virgin.

It's an awful admission but last night at the ripe old age of 57, i am no longer a virgin. I lost my Petrel "cherry" in the hide at St. Marys' Lighthouse ( i couldn't find a bike shed) and there were voyeurs present. Strange men with optical aids were making odd noises, salivating and doing Chris Packham thigh rubbing. Worryingly, i felt quite at home amongst them.

The fab four

No, not The Beatles. The Storm Petrels i saw this evening at St. Marys with the Blogger from Howdon. A fly through by a small flock of Common Scoters. Lots of Guillemots and Razorbills feeding on the water. An Arctic Skua and a nice juvenile Kittiwake other highlights. Curlew, Oystercatcher and Redshanks were continually disturbed by rock poolers or whatever they are flipping called.
I blame Alice Cooper.

The last post........................from my trip to Cumbria.

Four-spotted Chaser was another of the species of dragonfly sighted. Some images follow.

Four-spotted Chaser

The sexes are very similar with the males adopting vantage points among tall marginal vegetation

An aggressive species with a rapid territorial flight.........................on the wing 'till mid August

The females spend much of their time away from water and often seen perching on trees or bushes. When they do come to the water to oviposit they are continually harassed by males.

Tell ya what, i enjoyed my visit so much i might just call back this weekend, weather and body permitting.

Cumbria images keep me posting.........Large Heath and Black Darter.

Despite 10 days in Kent i'm still relying on images from the other weekend due to a combination of torn calf muscle and major hip pain. Not been out birding or bugging once while i've been here but been out with my beautiful grandson a few times around the local country parks and beaches. That's a laugh. Well, what passes as a beach down here ranges between shells and shingle, oh for the wide open spaces of Northumberland. Speaking of Northumberland............here are a few more images from Cumbria beginning with a Large Heath, a butterfly you might not have encountered as, although it is primarily a northern species its habitat is mainly confined to boggy areas. Not an easy species to photograph although it has a slow lumbering flight. It tends to lift and fly for some distance before landing again with the underfoot conditions posing the biggest problem.

There is a large variation in the spot marking of this species depending where in the country you find it.

Away from the pools as we were leaving the site we encountered large numbers of newly emerged Black Darters perched on heather. Another species that tends to be found in and around bog pools and peat moss sites.