Stayed at home for the Bank Holiday weekend rather than try and drive through the ranks of the invading Grockles, other than a BBQ with Graham on Saturday which was a nice diversion. Walked from home out to Mountbatten Pier and then back to Oreston. Then rather ruined all the good exercise by overindulging in the food and wines on offer.
Today was more productive with a bit of gardening and tidying up the back garden, which was enlivened by the appearance of a garden first, a Golden Ringed Dragon and for once it hung around long enough for me to fire off a few record shots.
Evening has been topped off sat outside in a pleasant temperature with the Bat Detector which enabled me to pick out a group of Bats patrolling the back hedge taking moths on the wing. I spent about 25 minutes in all watching their antics
Now back to reality and up at 5.30 tomorrow for an early start at work. Roll on retirement!
Spent Sunday recovering from a boozy BBQ with the family by the usual method of getting out in the fresh air. So chauffeured up to Little Bradley Ponds by an unsympathetic brother.
We arrived at 10.30ish to a seemingly deserted pond but once the sun came out and we got our eye in we started to see quite a few Dragons, in my case twice as many as Graham due to the effects of the previous day!
Started off as usual with hordes of Common Blues, closely followed by a good number of Blue Tails (no Scarce Blue Tails found). Next were the Common Darters which were in large numbers and many ovipositing in the clearer parts of the pond.
We then found Emerald Damsels, male and female, and had a brief fly past by a Downy Emerald which then vanished into the trees.
We tracked down a Vagrant Hawker which Graham noticed (despite his advanced years) in the middle of a tree. Having left the 300mm lens at home - "I won't need it", I had to watch Graham snapping away whilst I looked on with my macro lens feeling rather sorry for myself.
We were rewarded when we stood on the small jetty at the beginning of the pond by a patrolling Migrant Hawker which literally launched itself at a female and they both ended up in the reeds only to emerge a few seconds later and pose in the classic mating wheel for over half an hour which was both long enough and close enough to get some half decent photos.
The final dragon was a rather dopey female Southern Hawker which attempted to lay her eggs on the wooden board walk. I felt like ringing Social Services to report her, but she did eventually realise that she was getting it wrong and moved onto rotting vegetation.
We also had a very colourful flypast from the first Clouded Yellow I have seen for a couple of years. Needless to say it did not linger.
Moved onto Heathfield at around 2pm and picked up masses of Butterflies particularly on the Buddleia around the reserve entrance.
Three males and two female Emperors were very active and there was a huge fight between one of the males and a male Southern Hawker which ended with them both in the water. Otherwise the only thing we saw that was not at LBP was a single rather forlorn female Black Tailed Skimmer who was trying to oviposit whilst being chased by the Emperors. We both tried DIFing and I got two usable shots of a Common Darter but one was of its rear end so not really relevant.
Debbie and I treated ourselves to a long weekend in the Cotswolds at Cerney Wick. The weather was mixed, with sun, overcast conditions and rain, but it was warm and there are great walks along the old canal tow paths and by the local rivers.
We parked the car on Saturday and did not use it again until we drove home on Tuesday and walked for hours everyday. The Dragons list was: -
Female Common Darter
Brown Hawkers ( seen in abundance on North Meadow but would not settle so no photos)
Migrant Hawker
Southern Hawker
Usually there are wall to wall Skimmers around here but not one seen in four days!
Common Blue Damsel
Blue Tail
White Legged
Large Red
Emerald
Banded Demoiselle.
Decent pictures of Common Blues and Emeralds but could not get a photo of Brown Hawkers or the Banded Demoiselles. The Browns being too active and the Banded Demoiselles disappeared by the time I had got down to the pond they were displaying in from the bridge above.
Why did I choose Dragons?!!!!!
