The Safari was out on a very calm Patch 2 to see very little out at sea. All the (in)action was on the beach, there were about 70 Sandwich Terns loafing around and a good number fishing not far behind the surf, coming up with Sandeels. We had a good look at them but could only see one Common Tern fishing with them. There was no blubber whatsoever today.
In the gardens it was busy with people all day so little chance for another Wheatear today but the sunshine had brought out a couple of White sp butterflies and a Meadow Brown.
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| It was obviously warm enough as it rested perpendicular to the sun for some time |
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| It's a bit battered! |
Our group arrived a little later than anticipated which gave us a chance to have a look at what was around the pond. There were a lot of House Sparrows, they've had a good year round these parts except in the street at Base Camp, we had hoped to get some pics of them bathing and/or drinking around the pond edge but they were too flighty and wouldn't let us get anywhere near. We had to make do with a Water Lily flower pushing its way to the light through the massed ranks of the floating leaves.
Our kids weren't able to find anything that wasn't pulled out yesterday.
A very quick look at Patch 2 at lunchtime gave us even less than first thing.
In the afternoon we were out with another gang of youngsters on mini-beast safari in a town centre park. We found numerous bumble bees, hoverflies, very fast White butterflies, a Meadow Brown butterfly, lots of spiders and harvestmen and a Brown Hawker dragonfly.
One of the kiddies had our net and every so often we peered into it as she was dragging it through the grass - she only had little legs. Often there were Common Froghoppers in there whose jumping made the little ones jump but there was also a small bug one time we looked.
Only the second Heterotoma planicornis ever found in town and there are no other records on the NBN map for Vice County 60! What a great stroke of luck...we expect it's obviously more common and widespread than the records suggest due to a lack of recorders.
Where to next? Only chance of a couple of short Patch 2 watches tomorrow.In the meantime let us know who popped up unexpectedly in your outback.
2 comments:
I think the 1st Heterotoma planicornis could be the one I reported from the garden in July last year & has been verified as correct on IRecord. Seeing them regularly in the garden over the last week or two this year, smart little critters.
Just checking my website & noticed i photo'd one in the garden in August 2011 too. It's obviously their time of year.
BTW - walked home from the office this aft, in the pouring rain, via the pond trail, the Ragwort around that new pond near where the horses are looks fantastic, must be some cinnabar 'pillars on that lot.
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