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First Trip to Five Rivers 12-03-2016

With my older daughter occupied all day in rehearsals my younger daughter decided that we should head out for a picnic at Five Rivers. As the weather was reasonable – almost spring like we packed some fruit snacks, I called in at Waitrose for a coffee and away we went for the first trip of the season.

We headed by the back route towards Comma Corner to start and L was continually surprised as each Bumble Bee took off from the bottom of the bank and then we were at Comma Corner with no Commas. Still a bit early possibly? From here we strolled along the bank and L set up on the bench really close to the area which usually throws up the early Small Tortoiseshells. Once she was comfy sitting back, sunglasses on enjoying the sunshine I started a little wander. Within a little under a minute I’d found my first Small Tort and it did a fly-by of little L much to her delight. Little L was then in a quandary as she wanted to see the butterflies but also wanted to enjoy just sitting in the sun. So I’d wander along the Banks, find a Small Tort and then she would come running over to have a look at it. It was while watching our third Small Tort that disaster struck. L knelt a little too close to the Stinging Nettles and got stung on the knee. She coped with it very well and in the absence of a Dock leaf just spat on the sting and rubbed it so it went away. Phew!
All too soon it was time to head homewards and so off we strolled, 4 Small Torts in the bag and a wonderful afternoon. What a great first trip. Have a goodun

Wurzel

Those Small Torts. look to be in remarkably good condition - must have found a good place to hibernate. I'm relieved that the 'disaster' was soon overcome

Mike

HI Wurzel,
I see you've had a Small Tortfest too !. Never seen so many, so early.

Lovely shots,
Trevor.

Nice Small Tort's there Wurzel, they are all busy pairing up down this way, I couldn't get a photo of two apart today!

ATB

James

Cheers Mike Little L is made from stern stuff!
Cheers Trevor It was about par for Five Rivers - just a couple of weeks later than usual
Cheers Rex That's a great sign - plenty of Small Torts through the year hopefully

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Another quick outing at Work 21-03-2016

After another full on couple of days I really needed to take a break and with the weather slightly warmer than it has been recently I made a quick move at lunch time and made it out before a year 11 appeared and asked me for a bit more help.

To save time I cut through the housing estate again and so missed out the playing fields which aren’t that productive this early in the season plus I could come back that way to check out the small bank by the garages and gardens in the estate. There has been an unfortunate precedent set recently and a number have replaced lawns and flower beds with astro-turf.

As I cut through the houses and reached the house a Small Tort took off and flew into the field beyond the reach of my lens. So I carried on along the thin path scanning the bank and something orange caught my eye as it seemed out of place amongst the straw coloured dead foliage. It was too bright and light to be a second Small Tort and I guessed at my first Comma of 2016. As I approached it suddenly metamorphosed from orange blob to cracking butterfly. The temperature had dropped slightly and so I wasn’t concerned about getting too close and spooking it. From there I carried on slightly further and another blob appeared out of place. This one was much too dark and slightly larger than a Small Tort blob. “Surely not my first Peacock within five steps of my first Comma?” I thought. But as I cautiously crept closer that’s what it turned out to be. This butterfly was far from chilled out and after two record shots it was gone up and over the fence. At the end of the path there were a couple of Small Torts to further add to the daily tally but the hoped for Specklie (I mean why not I wasn’t really expecting a Comma or Peacock) didn’t materialise and so I turned and made my way back the Comma was still in the same place and so a couple of shots later I carried on. Along the path and the playing fields there were some more Small Torts bringing the total number to seven for the visit and then I was back on tarmac and peering into the residents’ gardens. The astro-turf it seems has put paid to the butterflies but at the last garden which is still gloriously natural there, again amongst the straw coloured dead foliage was my second Peacock of the day/year. This one did hang around for a lot longer but was further away. Happy with the haul I headed back to work not knowing when the next time that I’ll be able to get out…

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Just catching up on my posts Wurzel, great Butterflies, seen nothing here until yesterday when after 24 days of my first sighting I went to Hall-Lee=Brook and actually saw a Comma. The weather's been really cold, wet, plus snow on hills again UGH! Goldie

Cheers Goldie The weather has certainly taken a turn for the worst recently down this way we've had rain and biting cold winds And just as it's set to get better I head back to work...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Wurzel wrote:...And just as it's set to get better I head back to work...

Tell me about it, Wurzel.

That's been the most frustrating thing thus far in 2016. Those rare fine days we've had have almost exclusively fallen in the week, rather than at the weekend.

Yep David - the best two days of the year so far were yesterday and today - when I was stuck at work - oh to be retired

Good Good Friday

With my wife waved off the night before so began eight days of just me and the girls. I didn’t know how much butterflying I’d be able to fit in amongst the activities that were planned and the weather didn’t look hopeful – cool, wet and windy. Good Friday however arrived with plenty of sun and so I was hopeful that I might be able to pick up one or two butterflies when I visited my parents.

On the journey over we counted 7 Brimstones and a single Comma but as I was driving the narrow country lanes I couldn’t stop for any shots plus the Brimstones were in typical early Spring patrol mode stopping only for the briefest of seconds. Still there should be time later during the afternoon walk…
So lunch digested my dad and I took the girls to their “Castle” (Knowle Church near Wimborne St Giles) for a run around the rings. I was hoping for a Small Tort or maybe a Peacock at the bottom of the sheltered rings but despite several turns around none appeared and it was only at the start of our return journey that I saw a Small Tort on the opposite bank. Again we couldn’t stop and so I thought that the day would end with three species seen and none photographed. Indeed it did…butterfly wise.
Slightly further on from the Small Tort we drove towards a large tree near to the fish farm. Sitting at the top was a large bird. The unforked tail meant that it wasn’t another Red Kite, one of which was circling above, and it was far too light on the breast and head to be a Buzzard.

“It’s an Osprey!” I cried and my dad pulled into the lay-by as soon as it appeared. The bird had now taken off and for the next 15 minutes or so all four of us, plus another couple of lucky people enjoyed the show. It went through the full gamut of its flight; soaring, hovering, diving and fishing, coming into land. It was fantastic to watch, the best views I’ve ever had of this bird. To cap it all at one point the nearby Red Kite started hassling the Osprey and so I was witness to two rare raptors in one viewfinder. Stunning. Have a goodun

Wurzel

Wow! What a sighting.....and excellent images too!

Cheers David I was quite chuffed that my macro lens did such a reasonable job, now I just need to find some butterflies...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Magnificent!!!

Stunning shots Wurzel, Bet you were so Pleased. Goldie

Cheers Pauline I'd have swapped it for a Duke though
Cheers Goldie I was indeed suitably chuffed!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Congratulations on spotting the Osprey. Several of these birds are now satellite tracked and you can see the data at, for example, http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/thi ... do/osprey/

A friend of mine saw from the tracking signal that one was due to fly over Oxfordshire at a particular time, so he went up onto the Downs and actually saw the bird as it passed!

Mike

That sounds like a great device Mike , if only there was one for Long-tailed Blues

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Nice one Wurzel

What a fantastic sighting Wurzel, there was an Osprey around here during the Autumn, it stayed around for a few weeks. I went to see if I could locate it as it had been seen just the day before. So I made my way over to the spot where it was last seen. I stood there for several hours with some other hopefuls under overcast skies and.... nothing! Unfortunately I had an appointment so I was forced leave. when I got home I was told that had turned up again just after I'd gone, and the very next day it was seen flying south out to sea TYPICAL!

I'm glad you got to see one, and in the sunshine too.

ATB

James

Glad you are enjoying the Bird of Prey fest. An Osprey is special though.
Great stuff.

Trevor.