Good start dreadful finish

The Safari drove down the Prom to carpet-like sea and as blue can be, it looked great for cetacean spotting, rarely better. We also saw there was a new rig in town for the pipe laying engineering works, we'd have to have a look at what was going on.  

As soon as we got to work we grabbed the scope and were out on the wall. A quick look at the rigs showed they were still some way off getting into position being towed and pushed by small tugs. Time to look at the nearby terns, several of which were fishing all around the rigs and boats. Then we saw a much bigger splash - that was no tern making the water boil like that. it didn't take long before another was seen and this one had a fin associated with it. Then two fins and a body...Bottlenosed Dolphins - result! Any day with dolphins is a good day so we watched as long as we dared seeing at least three, there could easily have been more but three was the most we saw at any one time. It was now too late to look closely at the birds but hey ho we'd seen Bottlenosed Dolphins; what more d'you want!

Rigs a mile from the wall - the dolphins were on;y a few hundred yards to the left

A walk down the corridor had us looking out of the window as per usual - but this time there was something to see, no people on the green meant there was time and space for some Starlings and something smaller to be able to have a few minutes feeding time before the next kids or dog walkers appeared.

The small one was a Wheatear, our first of the autumn and far from regular here. We went back to the office and grabbed the camera. Out on the field it was very skittish but we eventually tracked it down to the raised garden area.

Not long after we got a phone call from Wifey in a dreadful state, Frank had collapsed at her office and didn't look good. Her boss had let her leave early after calling the vets and arranging for them to come to look at him at Base Camp - they have high steps to their surgery and she was convinced Frank wouldn't be able to climb them.

We arrived a Base Camp only minutes behind her and it was obvious the big fella was struggling. We made him as comfortable as possible and gave him lots of cuddles but decided between us he couldn't continue like this and his time had come - he'd had a close shave a couple of months earlier when we thought the vet might be needed but he made a bit of miraculous recovery at the eleventh hour. This time there was to be now eleventh hour miracle.

The vets came and the sad deed was done outside in the sunshine; he'd somehow managed to drag himself out there, every step we could hear is hips grinding and he was so wobbly but outside he was determined to get. His tail didn't stop wagging until the very end as he slipped quietly and peacefully from this world. ...our world had just changed for ever and poor Wifey had just lost her shadow. It was going to be a long hard quiet and empty night. We said any day with dolphins is a good day sadly this proved to be the worst of days.
We knew we'd need some wildlife therapy and with a good forecast put the moth trap out.

After a tearful and fitful night we went out to find the moth trap reasonably full. Nothing mega-exciting but just working through the egg boxes and field guides was good for the soul taking our mind of yesterday's despairing turn of events. 

The most photogenic were a couple of micos

Acleris forsskaleana

Lobesia abscana - thanks to Young Un JS for the ID

 Top of the macros was a nice Lychnis

And the first of no doubt many Lesser Broad Bordered Yellow Underwings.

The rest of the morning was heart wrenchingly difficult as we sorted Franks things out. But again wildlife came to the rescue. It was a nice warm summer's day and Patch 1 had a Fun Day on so with Wifey out on family duties we decided to grab the bins and camera and wander over that way through the Butterfly Zone, it being the penultimate day of the Big Butterfly Count. The butterflies didn't disappoint and once again our mind was occupied in a constructive way counting and trying to get pics pf the flutters. 

The first we found was a Speckled Wood baskng in a shaft of harsh sunlight in the scrubby wooded area.

After that we resolved to try to take pics of butters from less than usual angles - assuming they'd oblige. First up was a fairly standard Meadow Brown and then we saw it had two white spots in the eye-spot.

It started to wander round the Creeping Thistle head and gave us the opportunity for a non-standard buttterfly pic.

The star attraction stayed way up high in the tree top.

It is a White Letter Hairstreak - honest

As we were looking for the White Letter Hairstreaks a young Sparrowhawk started to beg, calling loudly, somewher up and behind the butterfly tree. It then broke cover briefly still calling.

We had a look round the fair and everyone was very kind about Frank; we have to say a big thank you to everyone who's left comments on Twitter and FB, they've meant a lot to us and Wifey.

Walking back to Base camp through the butterfly zone again we found a huge Orpheon Wasp that was a little on the shy side.

There were Gatekeepers everywhere, some quite small and momentarily looking like something other than a Gatekeeper. Meadow Browns still patrolled the grassland as did several Small Skippers but we only saw one very tatty Large Skipper. Above the Bramble thicket a Brown Hawker dragonfly  swooped around. Thankfully there were no Cleggs making standing round in the pleasant sunshine watching the butterflies in a t-shirt enjoyable rather than torture.

At last our quarry appeared if a little distantly over the top of the thicket.

After a few minutes nectaring it went walkabout on a Bramble step and fell asleep heady stuff that nectar!

A couple of butterfly enthusiasts arrived and we were able to pout them straight on to the one they'd come to see. We got another 'untypical pose' pic.

And took about hundred 'normal' ones too.

Why sit in the dry when you can sit in a ditch! Night night Big Fella - stay muddy wherever you go

Where to next? #HenHarrierDay and hopefully it won't rain (= Noah-like deluge) this time.
In the meantime let us know who's basking in the sunshine in your outback.

Unforced labour

The Safari had a day off from wildlife safari-ing and met up with three other members of the BEAT NatureWatch group to do some practical conservation work...with real spades n stuff!

We braved very pleasant early spring sunshine and excessive Brambles to remove a huge clump of non-native bamboo and about 50 tree saplings that had been planted in the nature area for reptiles and amphibians by well meaning but unfortunately ill-advised members of the public.

The bamboo was taken to the zoo where it will be enjoyed by a selection of animals including their gorgeous Red Pandas. The trees will be trans-located to new homes in various locations along the North Blackpool Pond Trail.

Also at this site is our tiny population of Water Voles. we had a bit of a quick survey along the bank rather than getting in to the water. We found a few burrows and this latrine which we think the droppings are as indicated in the pic - any help anyone? The Rat(?) droppings were a little longer, thicker and more pointy. They were drier and well out of the water so they could have been the same colour in the beginning.

We found a lovely patch of moss on an old log.

Nearby another log was full of Jelly Ear Fungus - formerly known as the (now unPC) Jew's Ear Fungus.

Lovely purple hue to them today but as hard as iron to the touch, not the normal wibbly-wobbly jelly texture

While we were photographing this the others were rummaging around near the water's edge lifting up all manner of litter/fly tipping/ logs etc and found this little chap.

Smooth Newt - not stalking a worm as it appears to be

Turning a slab we also found five Frogs lurking beneath...not long now buntil the first spawn appears.

After we'd left the zoo we had to take the kit back to the nature reserve so we had a quick look in the Feeding Station while we were there.

Some fun with the Pheasants in the feeders that have sadly been trashed by drunken teenage ar*ewipes - what on earth do they get out of numptyness like that?

Mind you don't get yer head stuck down there!

 A Woodpigeon only gave one photo opportunity, it flew when it heard the camera shutter.

Time to get back to Base Camp but outside the hide we spotted more signs of spring in the form of some nice Hazel catkins.

Back at Base Camp Frank was looking cute with one of Wifey's shoes but his bad leg is still giving him gyp after his puppy-like leaping around the other day. he's had a couple of quiet days so hopefully it'll be better soon.

Where to next? There's a Surf Scoter to be re-found on Patch 2 - apparently no sign of it today...

In the meantime let us know who's been well meaning but got it all horribly wrong in your outback.

Oh no - more snow

The Safari was crook today and confined to barracks. We woke up to heavy snow still falling making a winter wonderland of the world outside the bedroom window.

We had a look at the videos Stealth-cam had recorded over night and were pleased to see this character sniffing out the dog biscuits Frank had kindly donated.

Great to see some 'big' wildlife in the garden, not so great to see the number of different cats that pass through...though they still haven't caught the mice yet.

In fitness and in health, come hell or high water Frank has to be taken out so we risked a quick dash to the North Blackpool Pond Trail where the snow lay deep and crisp and even.

Shame about the bunch of helium balloons, someone obviously thinks littering is fun...it isn't so please avoid letting go of those balloons, better still just avoid them full-stop; these'll take some reaching but those that land in the sea are all to often reached by marine animals first often with fatal consequences

A stunning Redwing (31) was a new bird for this recording area but other than a few Blackbirds and Goldfinches there wasn't much in evidence.
Frank had a whale of a time charging around with his nose down playing snow ploughs before settling into a sniff-a-thon following  the scent of who knows what.

 Then he got tired and hot and had to lie down and eat some snow.

We were somewhat shocked to see that so many the houses on the new estate had lost the snow from their roofs. How come they are so un-insulated? You'd have thought that being only about 10 years old good insulation would have been fitted as standard and if not the occupiers would have invested in their own, after all they are now paying a fortune to heat up outside.

The wheel tracks are from the Rangers who had not long been there before us and flushed two Teal from the ditch a few feet to the right of the gate we were leaning on to take this pic.

All too soon it was time to skedaddle back to Base Camp. On the feeders we'd noted no big cold weather influx just the usual, Blue and Great Tits, a Coal Tit (possibly two), a small number of Greenfinches and singles of Goldfinch and Chaffinch. On the ground a couple of Blackbirds squabbled over the meagre pickings to had that the snow hadn't buried.

Where to next? Should be back to work tomorrow and a backlog of e-mails no doubt but you never know Patch 2 might produce something.

In the meantime let us know what the snow is covering in your outback

Back on Patch 1 at last

The Safari tried desperately to get pics of Saturn last night but was singularly unsuccessful - don't think the lens has enough reach for 840 million miles even if the subject is quite big! Much smaller but far nearer and therefore easier to photograph was this celestial body.

The moth trap's lamp couldn't compete with the monstrously bright thing above; emptying it this morning didn't take long with only a single Hebrew Character hiding under the egg boxes.

After breakfast Frank was up for a walk round the park so for the first time this week we had a more or less full Patch 1 walk. Tried and failed to get a pic of the pair of Sparrowhawks skydancing - camera has video you numpty!!!! Duhhhh...Good to see them still around though. Also still around was a Goldcrest, actually a pair were found in the Butterfly Zone...gonna stop to breed? Hope so!

A Coal Tit was briefly seen but bird of the morning, in the form of a Patch 1 tick, was a passing Pied/alba Wagtail (P1 #30)

We blasted away at a couple of subjects in the grotty light.

Frank met some 'friends' he didn't know and scampered round like a puppy for five minutes before it all got too much for  him and a lie down on the cool grass and a pant was needed. He's getting steadily more grey round the chops - a bit like the rest of us!

Good job there's no hosepipe ban here cos we don't fancy a £1000 fine for having to wash away what he left on the garden path this morning; put it this way - if we'd have tried to wrangle it in to a placcy bag we'd have ended up wearing most if it! - do wish he wouldn't pick up 'goodies' when he's out - he can be like an industrial hoover at timers and can swallow half a cold pizza in a blink without even breaking stride...yuk!!!!

Talking of wearing things, we made a warm runny egg butty at lunchtime...messy but lush!!!
After lunch the raptor-finding gulls failed miserably on a cool miserable grey day.
Where to next? Exciting times tomorrow, hopefully.
In the meantime let us know what's dancing in the skies in your outback.

Back at the nature reserve

The Safari had to drag Frank up the hill - think we'll soon need to fit a big winch to the Land Rover to get him round Patch 1 in the mornings. He goes up at least three gears on the way back for his breakfast scoffs that at a rate of knots then goes back upstairs and nods off again...it really is a dog's life.

On the way to work  we called in at the nature reserve briefly and then again on the way back to Base Camp at tea-time.

In between those visits we had  a brief excursion on to Patch 2 where beggar all was happening so we tried yet more GiF shots.

 

 

At the nature reserve the light was fading fast as we waited for the Bitterns clamber up the reeds. Only a Blackbird came close enough to point the camera at.

A Cetti's Warbler sang close by and also gave a call we've not heard before a shrill peeeep repeated a few times when a Kestrel was hovering overhead.

Where to next? Back to Patch 2, where hopefully there will be something to be seen other than Common Scoters...before then will the cloud clear enough for us to get a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis which is predicted to reach low latitudes tonight???

In the meantime let us know who's asleep in your outback.