The Safari has been busy out in the outback and mostly enjoying decent weather so putting finger to keyboard has rather taken a backseat in recent weeks.
We had a very good May for our Photo Year List Challenge but really struggled in June - what will July bring?
In May we added the following
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| Sedge Warbler |
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| Reed Warbler |
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| Swift |
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| A long way off but if you can tell what it is we can count it |
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| Common Sandpiper |
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| Grasshopper Warbler - showing rather well for a refreshing change |
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| Dunlin |
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| Cattle Egret |
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| House Martin |
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| Common Tern |
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| Whimbrel |
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| Spotted Redshank - the first summer plumaged one we've seen for a very long time |
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| Red Legged Partridge - would rather have had a photo of the Quail we only heard rather than this released refugee from the shooting season |
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| Lesser Whitethroat |
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| Pied Flycatcher |
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| Tree Pipit |
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| Garden Warbler |
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| Redstart |
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| Hooded Crow |
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| Stilt Sandpiper - one we weren't expecting in a million years! |
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| Black Necked Grebe |
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| Grey Plover |
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| Iberian Chiffchaff |
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| Bar Tailed Godwit |
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| Arctic Tern |
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| Osprey - dreadful and needs replacing ASAP |
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| Spotted Flycatcher (PYLC #155) |
So by the end of June we'd photographed 155 species of the 169 on our 'normal' year list which is a commendable 91.7%
We've seen some other great wildlife too.
The Painted Lady invasion reached our local park last week
And we were surprised to find this gorgeous Black Tailed Skimmer there, the first record for the site.
The White Letter Hairstreaks are our main target there in mid-summer but so far this year they've played hard-to-get only staying high in the top of their favourite Sycamore tree
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| Golden Ringed Dragonfly |
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| (Barred) Grass Snake |
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| Red Deer |
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| Adder |
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| Black Spotted Longhorn Beetle |
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| Green Hairstreak |
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| Speckled Yellow moth |
A quick but unsuccessful visit yesterday to the local park to look for the White Letter Hairstreaks again did give us this splendid male Emperor
Base Camp has been a little too quiet for insects this summer, worryingly so. But we did have an old 'Bee Hotel' which fell apart and a quick refurb with saw, glue and screws saw it quickly in use by at least three species of bees (we've no idea which) - job done - - RESULT - - - Happy Days!
Moth trapping too has been singularly unsuccessful with very numbers of very few species coming to the trap and very worryingly hardly any micros at all unlike last year - where are they all? Here's a selection of some recent ones that aren't Heart & Darts or Dark Arches
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| The Flame |
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| Lychnis - looking a bit worse for wear |
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| Mint Moth |
And finally my fave wee beastie of the summer so far - but perhaps only because we've hardly seen any Ruby Tailed Wasps and not managed a photograph yet. Is that being a bit mean to this lovely Zebra Jumping Spider?
Where to next? Another adventure to south Lakeland is planned for later this week, fingers crossed the weather holds out.
In the meantime let us know who's jumping around your outback
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