Oddball bat

The Safari was out helping LW at the zoo with her Grab that Gap project this morning. She needed some help identifying the plants that had come up in a small piece of the garden that has been set aside for native wildlife. A grand total of 47 species were recorded including a several bumble bees and hoverflies feeding at the flowers and a Great Spotted Woodpecker flying over us. Our reward for helping out was a nice cuppa and a rather unusual bat. It had been found wet and bedraggled crawling  on a footpath before the zoo opened and was rescued otherwise it would likely been trodden on by the throngs of visitors. It was taken in to care and looked after all day and night but eventually died. But just look at it. how mad is that! A pied winged bat, is it a Daubenton's Bat with that white ventral fur or is that part of the leucism too?

It;s currently in the garage at Base Camp drying out, could do with it in a warm airing cupboard but it doesn't smell too good. We've put a gauze 'tent' around it to stop any flies laying their eggs on it and the resulting maggots eating it to nothing. Hopefully the tragus in the ears won't deform too much as it mummifies and we can get a good close up pic (with a peg on our nose!) to aid/confirm identification.

A gloomy luchtime shuffy round Patch 1 wit hMonty had us looking for any grounded migrant birds which may have been about, bit late in the day we know but you've gotta try! No birds were found but we did come across three lots of Parasol Mushrooms along the woodland trail we've not wandered down for a few weeks. Well worth the detour  today!

We'll have another look tomorrow if we can to see if the top one has fully opened, it looks like it's going to be a big dobber but wouldn't be surprised if some numbnut had splodged them thinking they were deadly poisonous.

On our second visit of the day we couldn't find anything out of the ordinary but Monty did...he went sniffing about in the undergrowth and came out with another dog's lost ball and must have put his beak through big spider's web somewhere along the line.

The Posty arrived yesterday wit ha parcel for us from our Extreme Photographer. Inside the plain brown card wrapping were a couple of field guides that'll get some serious use next season...Cheers Bud!

And a soirree with friends D & PH had this beauty opened in front of our very wide eyes - we do like a bit of cake!

Apart from the bright yellow puffa jacket that looks like us to a tee!!! The both Monty and the nature reserve look pretty authentic too! But how did it taste? - - as good as it looks - - yummo double yummo

Where to next? Tempted by the cake we might do a long early morning on the nature reserve in the morning.
In the meantime let us know who looks good enough to eat in your outback.

Cruel sunshine

The Safari enjoyed a lovely day out in the field today - we even went back to the North Blackpool Pond Trail to see what it looks like when it's not raining! As if nearly 18 hours there yesterday weren't enough!

Last night the bats were star of the show with probably three species, Pipistrelle, Soprano Pipistrelle and Daubenton's Bats being abroad; we had our best views of Daub's for a long time. 

Many years ago someone, forget who...sorry if it was you..., showed us how to strip the flower-head off a long piece of grass and hold it high for the bats to investigate...well last night they investigated to the best of their ability - one of them grabbed the end and nearly dragged it out of our grasp!!! Utterly, utterly magical!!!

The official tally stands at 324 (we did eventually find a Toad although it hit the list well after Great Crested Newt) and we've managed to add a few more including the Bracket Fungus which DB spotted in the hole under the root-plate of a fallen tree. not a new species for the Fylde but a whole new Genus! Ganoderma sp. 

We've still got several awaiting identification on iSpot so the total might reach 350. If only the weather had been like it was today, the butterflies and damselfies were out on our short visit. 

As was this bizarre big eyed fly, now IDd as Empis tessellata..another new record for the Fylde.

We had only gone to have a quick look at the Bee Orchids and see if any Common Broomrape was showing. The Bee Orchids took a little finding at first being small and mostly still in bud.

 Perseverance was rewarded.

 Little beauts!!!

Didn't expect one to be upside-down though.

No sign of the Common Broomrape but there is plenty of Common Centuary just about to flower.

Then we nipped round to the nature reserve to have a look at the marsh orchids there, could Northern Marsh Orchid or perhaps a hybrid.

On the way we got side tracked at the wetlands by some fine patches of Ragged Robin and the show of Creeping and Meadow Buttercups was simply stunning; a glorious golden carpet - wonder how many of the other thousands of people walking past that way stopped and stared like wot we did.

Extensive stands of Cow Parsley were similarly eye-catching. 

But today was an orchid day and orchids we had to have...

Plenty of damselflies about too but in the warm weather they were very mobile chasing each other about all over the shop making getting pics tricky. We got just one half decent shot of a Common Blue Damselfly.

All in all a great day on safari.

Where to next? We'll no doubt be able to get out somewhere tomorrow providing we haven't over-exerted Frank today.

In the meantime let us know what's adding a dash of colour to your outback.