Noisy green aliens

The Safari came over all arty at the Rock Gardens earlier in the week. We couldn't find any moving wildlife close enough or in the light enough to point the camera at so opted for some stationary autumn colour/textures pics instead.

Ash keys

Cherry leaves

Greater Reedmace seed spike

A lovely morning to be in the park and very nice to chat to two other photographers out n about enjoying the early morning light before the cloud drifted in to become a wet afternoon.

In other news we've had a couple of visits to Marton Mere this week. We knew that there was going to be some reed clearing along the caravan site bank starting imminently so we wandered round that way stopping at the Feeding Station first. Grotty light means silly ISO numbers and often there wasn't too much to point the camera at, mostly Grey Squirrels and Pheasants along with a few Woodpigeons and Magpies, a couple of Blackbirds and a Robin or two - where are all the small birds?

On our first visit we saw the reed works hadn't yet been started so we mosied on down to the Fylde Bird Club hide. Again all was fairly quite but then all of a sudden one of the closest Mallards went on high alert

It had obviously seen something or been alerted to the presence of something by other birds, then we saw a load of Coots steam past all bunched up.

From a little further away other ducks had taken flight.

Gadwall

Shoveler

The gulls were circling in a noisy panic too, there was definitely something they didn't like about but from our vantage point we couldn't see what it was. Was it a Bittern stalking the waterside edge of the reedbed or an Otter swimming around? Whatever it was these Coot certainly weren't hanging around to become lunch.

And it's not often you catch a Coot in flight

We never did get to see the cause of the kerfuffle but we meet TS after leaving the hide and discovered the Otter had been swimming around in the middle of the mere for a good 10 minutes or more, dohhhhh must have been just a few feet to close to us not to be visible over the tops of the reeds to our left from where we were in the hide.

The rest of our visit was far less eventful with just a few Redwings seen in the scrub and along the hedgerows. They're so flighty this time of the year and very hard to approach close enough for a pic.

A couple of days later were were back, the early morning sun we'd been promised was obscured behind a veil of light cloud. We did our best with some processing back at Base Camp to bring some detail out of this Long Tailed Tit that posed nicely for us - thank the Lord for software wizardry!

The stars of the show today were a gaggle of noisy Ring Necked Parakeets at the Feeding Station - we've never seen them on the feeders here before - like we always say there's always something new to see see and discover in nature; it's impossible to get bored with it, you just need to get out and look around you.

First there was one parakeet, nervous when it first arrived, checking the coast was clear - or more likely weighing up the options as to which feeder was going to be easiest to raid. They aren't too happy with the presence of the Magpies and Grey Squirrels so it might have been waiting toil the coast was clear.

Minutes later it was down scoffing away

Not sure if it's using its bill as a third foot or it's trying to cut the wire to get in

And then there were two

And then there were three

Mum, dad and junior we think looking at the tail length on the right hand bird. No matter what you think of them being aliens and all, taking food from the native species and competition for nest holes, or not, they certainly brighten up an otherwise dull day.

Round the corner at the Dragonfly Den hide we found what we'd been hoping for, ranger and stalwart volunteer almost up to their necks in the cold water hacking away at the enormous reedbed and making a significant impression too.

Great jobs chaps (and T on the bank raking up) many thanks - much appreciated!

We went again yesterday with the intention of helping out with some bank work but there was no work party to join unfortunately. We had to make do with sitting in the hide enjoying the newly much widened view. Almost as soon as we sat down and were getting Monty settles the Bittern flew in from the left and landed right in front of us - had we been settled in our seat and had our camera ready already we'd have got a couple of awesome shots as it stalled and put out its great big yellowy-green feet to grab the reeds. Dohhh timing but what exceptional views and so close too!!

Back at the Feeding Station the Ring Necked Parakeets were back in action.

Back again with the CR today, only one Ring Necked Parakeet on the otherwise quiet Feeding Station. No Bitterns or Otters, the only photogenic subject were two of the three Goldeneyes on site.

We narrowly missed getting a pic (this is becoming a habit!) of a Stoat at the Fylde Bird Club hide when just as we were packing our gear away to move on it darted along the waters edge below us and stopped standing tall on its hind legs when we pished at it - again stonking views but sadly no pics - we'd just put the lens cap on the camera when it appeared. Maybe next time.

Where to next? We've got a dancing date on the promenade tomorrow afternoon, the tide will be up at sunset when hopefully the thousands of Starlings will be murmurating before they go to roost under the pier.

In the meantime let us know who's all big, brash and green in your outback.

Always a good day when you learn something new about nature

The Safari was a bit disappointed to find so little in the moth trap this morning after recent double whammy NFGs, just 10 individuals, almost half of those were Heart & Darts, of only six species. Riband Wave was the only one new for the year.

Mid-afternoon we were able to meet up with BD to have a look for White Letter Hairstreak butterflies on Patch 1, they'd been reported from a reserve in the nest town so while it was 'early' for them it was worth a look. We heard two Chiffchaffs in the main area of the park and had a look at the bottom lake but other than lots of litter, Duckweed and lots of Poecilobothrus nobilitatus flies dancing there was nothing there. At the butterfly zone there were several Large Skippers and a few Meadow Browns, the first we've seen this year, and a couple of very fresh smart looking Speckled Woods. The butterflies were mostly inactive hiding away as the sunshine turned minute by minute to more cloudy conditions.

With no sign of the White Letter Hairstreaks and the top of their favourite tree being shaken round quite madly by the increasing wind we decided to have a look at what else was on offer then wander down to the rough field.
BD pointed out something we've never heard of before, Sycamore Leaf Aphids spread themselves remarkably evenly across the underside of the leaf, usually we think of aphids as all bunched together at the tip of a plant.

Flitting around the grass nearby and generally refusing to stay still was this colourful Sawfly, Tenthredo sp?

We also found a bee that had made a grave mistake!

Not much nectar there mate!

It had probably got caught out by the sudden much cooler, cloudier and windier weather. 

Down at the far end of tthe field BD showed us something else we've not seen bef ore or certainly not noticed if we have seen it before. After looking at a few Yellow Meadow Ants' nests, one of which was huge, maybe about 3 feet (1m) across, he found some Ragwort plants being sucked by aphids white Black Ants in attendance milking them for their honeydew. A closer look revealed the ants had build their nest around the base of the plant, all the better to defend their 'herd'.

The whole base of the plant is completely encrusted with the ants nest

He also found us the first of this year's Grasshoppers and we showed him the local plant specialty Ploughman's Spikenard although it'll be another week before it comes into flower. As in previous years it was sad and upsetting to see wheelbarrow loads of garden rubbish tipped here, as usual mostly all over the big patch of Birds-foot Trefoil smothering most of it so not so many Common Blue butterflies this year - Yet another reason why basic education about the natural history, ecological relationships and what can be found in your local area is so vital.

With no butterflies on the wing now we walked back through the park to the car as a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew past us, the first sighting we've had here since their nesting tree was felled. It flew across the field and landed in the trees at the edge of the park where a Sparrowhawk immediately attacked it and it was lucky to escape - an amazing sequence of events to witness. Going through the wooded edge of the field BD spotted some weird looking fungi growing out of an old felled tree stump.

Later identified by the world famous and font of all knowledge woodland and beyond AB @HesistantWeasel - well if he isn't world famous he should be - as emerging Dead Mens Fingers. The Council's budget cuts have made it necessary to do much less grass cutting and the lower area of the park is no longer a cutting priority and has been left - it looks great, lots of different colours and textures of grass flowing like waves in the gentle breeze under the trees. There were even some kids enjoying playing in it!

Mostly Yorkshire Fog

Just needs a more flowers to make it that little bit more exciting, but after decades of being scalping twice a week through the summer there's probably precious few taller species left in the turf.

From Patch 1 we drove a couple of minutes up the road to a site we've only visited a couple of times before. It has - or at least had - Common Lizards but the area they were last seen in is now perhaps too well vegetated, if they are still there hopefully they'll have been able to move somewhere more suitable. Seeing the Common Lizards would have brilliant but they weren't what we were hoping for, that was something altogether rarer and harder to find and probably hasn't been at this site for tens of the best part of a hundred years - well you can dream! What we were after was a Grass Snake! Earlier in the week PT had told us one had been seen at a pond near here and the lad that found it had somehow tried to drown it??? That pond is very isolated so was the ID good, where had it come from, how many are there, are they anywhere else nearby - questions questions. Apparently the ID was correct but the other questions still stand...was it a pet someone had released - where do you get and how could you keep a pet Grass Snake, maybe they didn't like the smell? Anyway we didn't find it, the weather was against us as it stayed cold and cloudy and the sun didn't come out to encourage any that might be there to bask. The pond had a family of Coots and a family of Moorhens as well as a sinister looking Heron - not good news for any nearby Grass Snakes! It was the longest of long shots and of course we were unsuccessful, but it's a site that warrants closer and more regular inspection. 

In the grassy area we found a Meadow Brown that was far more accommodating than those at Patch 1.

And a Nursery Web Spider 

By the pond as we walked through the bankside vegetation we disturbed many Blue Tailed Damselflies and some bright blue ones all of which that stayed still long enough to ID were Azure Damselflies.

From there we went the couple of hundred yards to where the Grass Snake was seen and had a quick look round but the most exciting thing to be seen in the pond was a bicycle wheel.
All good things come to an end as did our time and we turned for Base Camp after a very enjoyable coupla-three hours out on safari not seeing what we hoped we'd see but seeing other wondrous stuff instead.

Where to next? We'll be out n about on safari somewhere tomorrow - but where, that the $64,000 question and probably weather dependent.

In the meantime let us know who's not slithering around in your outback.

 

Last gasp success

The Safari was out at the crack of dawn again this morning, still on a mission for that once far more common bird. As night started to lose its blackened grip we heard the wink wink wink wink wink of hundreds of Pink Footed Geese coming towards us probably from their roost at the 'Place we do not mention by name' and heading to their daytime feeding grounds on the marshes to the north. A small flock of Tufted Ducks came zipping past low over the scrub from their overnight feeding on the golf course lakes. On the path by our feet was a very fresh Fox dollop still steaming in the cool morning air, it must have only been a few yards in front of us but we didn't see it.

We didn't go to the Viewing Platform today but went down to the screen at the newly named Heron Hide where half way down the path we just had to stop for several minutes and gawp at the sunrise - sights like that makes you feel good to be alive.

A Chiffchaff 'hweet'ed from the bushes to the right.

The colours changed and intensified as the sun broke the horizon. More and more Pink Footed Geese were flooding north all the while. How privileged we are to witness the massive skeins we have here; it's real wilderness, nature in the raw - just don't look up with your mouth open.

Continuing our mooch towards the bridge we heard a Goldcrest in the scrub and Cetti's Warblers in the reeds but there was nothing of note other than geese flying over. Although there didn't seem to be many about today one Robin gave an early morning photo opportunity.

 

Water Rails screamed and Reed Buntings bounced in and out of the reeds flying round and diving back in and sometimes shooting off to the south east, just how many were there? What there wasn't many of were Starlings we don't think we could have missed the roost leaving the reeds by getting there too late but we saw only about 200 come out while it was still rather darker than lighter. The lack of a large Starling roost doesn't bode well for Bittern sightings as we're convinced they are a main prey item for the later as it skulks through the reeds at night picking its feathery victims off from below...easy pickings and lots of them!

The bright low sunlight struck the dazzling white speculum of a Gadwall as it banked coming in to land on the scrape. Already there were a few Teal and a juvenile Moorhen skulking through the vegetation at the back - why are Moorhens so much more numerous than Spotted Crakes?

A small amount of vis started and by small we mean small with only five Meadow Pipits, two Grey Wagtails and two Chaffinches yep it was really that good. Out on the rapidly diminishing muck heap in the field by the barn a Buzzard was sat at the summit getting incessant grief from a Carrion Crow and Magpie. All of a sudden there was a loud whoosh of Woodpigeons exploding out of the large Willow trees in the corner of the reserve, a Peregrine blasted through them a fraction above the tree tops but without success - no breakfast for him this morning. Also exploding out of the scrub was a rather stout queen Bumble Bee with took off to a great height.

The sun was higher now and catching the taller trees showing their developing autumnal colours to great effect.

A flockette of four Pied Wagtails went south as did a couple of skeins of Pink Footed Geese, had they been to the marshes and changed their minds?

Outside the gate two Redwings landed in the scrub to our right, our first of the season. Further down the track almost back at the car we were bemoaning the fact that we hadn't seen our target species, Skylark, or a Bittern on Twitter. We'd no sooner pressed 'send' when we heard the distinctive trilleep as one flew over - result Skylark (MMLNR #104) in the bag at long last. Not 30 seconds later another one flew over!
In the Elderberry bush by the gate to the car park we found a Woodpigeon tucking in to breakfast - time for us to do the same!

As Wifey so rightly says the magic of nature is all around us, we just need to learn how to see it; today not a lot of learning was required the magic was very obvious!

Where to next? Maybe another early morning start tomorrow.

in the meantime let us know who's braving fire in the sky in your outback.