Fontmell Down & The SSS

Date: 12/08/2015

Location: Fontmell Down

Weather: Temp Rising all day to 25c - but some cloud and gusty wind. 

Other Species: Brimstone, Large White, Meadow Brown, Chalkhill Blue, Commom Blue, Small Skipper, Silver Spotted Skipper, Clouded Yellow, Small Heath, Dark Green Fritillary, Brown Argus, Small Blue, Small Copper.

Observation:  Up over Spread-Eagle Hill, blue skies and a full car park ! Waited 10 mins and a space opened up so headed off in search of Silver Spotted Skipper. Seemed to be two groups of people on opposite hill but carried on alone searching with nothing. Saw lots of Chalkhill, Common Blues and Brown Argus then a Clouded Yellow with wings open but missed the shot !

The wind was a little gusty and the butterflies were not posing for long.

More Chalkhill Blues than anything else on lower slopes.

5 or 6 Small Copper's around

Then after speaking to the other groups who were BC-Somerset  BC-Dorset  they found our first Silver Spotted - Camera Bad Setting ! Doh !

After another hour searching backwards and forwards along hill 10 or so hands seem to waving at me ? I rushed over and in a jar they've found another! After it was released it disappeared completely! A tricky thing to find on Fontmell may try again in week or two .

  

A Pretty Chalkhill on Knapweed 

Back towards car park now and down little track, the old Quarry on left always a good bet for Small Blue. Feeding on Kidney Vetch

And finally Brimstone Male

I Checked on Google Earth to see how far I walked, 5 miles, felt like 20!

But with nice people stunning views and some beautiful butterflies a Great Day was had!

Thanks For Looking !

Crook Peak & Priddy Mineries

Date: 11/08/2015

Location: Crook Peak & Priddy Mineries

Weather: 17.5c Cloudy, No Blue Skies, No Wind 

.Other Species: Common Blue, Gate Keeper, Meadow Brown, Wall, Grayling, Large White, Small Skipper, Silver Washed Fritillary, Marbled Whites.

Birds Green Woodpecker, Kestrel, Stonechat, Buzzard, Raven.

Observation: Weather not doing butterflies any favours this year, not the numbers of last year for me anyway. Headed to Crook Peak for a wander just inside gate Common Blues around 4, 3 Male and 1 female male But not stopping so headed up to look for Grayling.

Few Birds on hill.....Green Woodpecker x2

Stonechat with a rather nice Bokken view !

And this lovely Kestrel, hunting on lower slopes

Seemed small areas had a few butterflies then nothing this Wall Brown stopped briefly, there were more on summit of Crook Peak.

Then my target a Grayling.

Not quite the background I wanted but a Grayling all the same .

On Heading back down 2 or 3 Tortoiseshells looking fabulous !

A Large White on budlieia.

The Common Blues at bottom were a bit more cooperative now.

 Even a bit of mating going on !

Can you see Mites ? 

 Next off to Priddy Mineries and into Stockhill Carpark Scraping the roof bars as usual !

More Cloud now so not holding out much hope headed on to the  Mineries saw this Common footman.

 I Think a Nicrophorus vespillo a Burying Beetle. 

Complete with Mite? or Young ? 

Thought i'd look into Woods and saw 6 Silver Washed Fritillarys On Knapweed within 10ft of each other Looking Splendid ,and with Dark Background !

Just gotta love them Eh !!

Thanks For Looking :)

From Rubble to River !

Date: 05/08/2015

Location: Patch Walk; River Avon + Carswood 

Weather: Mostly cloudy with a chance of meatballs :/ 

Other Species: Whitethroat, Buzzard, Cormorant, Kingfisher, Swift, House Martin, Barn Swallow, Mistle Thrush.

Observation: Headed out through Bath Mill, coming to a end now but still full of Workmen, Cleaners, Diggers, Lorries and Vans, they are still planting including wild flower seeds and Buddleia all good stuff for Butterflies next year !

But headed up towards Dog Track, saw 2 Mistle Thrush, 3 Pheasants. Up towards Crossroads on byway could hear Buzzard calling and calling couldn't see, headed on along lane and 2 Buzzards soared over head Mewing like a couple of cats !

  After scurrying along side of Seven Acre, a few Butterflies Mainly Gatekeeper, Small White, Peacock. Heard the screeching of 2 Swift, 10 House Marting and 30+ Barn Swallow, Watched a while then headed on round field 2 Whitethroat hiding in bush.

Just before Globe pub Flushed what must have been 150+ Wood Pigeons, feeding on stubble.

Crossed the new crossing, Nice, much easier! And down towards Railway Arch just through on the left 2 more Whitethroat's Left this picture big ,Well camoed eh !

Saw a Black Tailed Skimmer and a Kingfisher briefly but on stopping for a breather this, I think, Emerald Damselfly Perched. 

Apparently first found in this county 2009 ! No its a Banded Demoiselle female ,Doh !

These Buzzards live Keslton Park and often give a better show than Seven Acre Buzzards

Around 500ft from me at this point separated by the River Avon.

On way back looked for Clouded Yellow Butterfly, last 2 years around this date, but not today.

Thanks For Looking !

Newton Park Lake + Hirundinidaes

Date: 2nd August 2015 - Mid-Afternoon

Location:  Newton Park Lake - Circular (5 Miles)

Birds: 2 Buzzard, 7 Mute Swan, Crow, Jackdaw, Coot, Moorhen, 2 Grey Heron, 2 LBBG, 10+ House Sparrow, 10 Pied Wagtail (2 Broods), 50+ Barn Swallow, 5+ House Martin, Wood Pigeon, 2 Green Woodpecker, Greenfinch, Bullfinch, Goldfinch  - Of Note

Butterflies + Dragonflies: Comma, Large White, Small White, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Holly Blue, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Common Darter, Migrant Hawker.

Mammal: 1 Roe Deer

Observation:  Realised haven't gone out to the Lake for around 4 weeks. Had a quick wander out through the Bath Mill (Campsite) the site is due to open 2 weeks today, so they have cracked on since our last visit and re-surfaced the road, finished planting all the flowers and laying the grass. Particularly quiet wildlife wise through the site due to ongoing work. Onto the Dog Walk a lovely 2-3 year old Male Roe Deer, bounded across in front of us. Moving around a lovely Common Darter perched on dried Cow Parsley.

Around the corner was a Holly Blue, closer than normal (normally Seven Acre Woods). At the Village, there were a surge of Barn Swallows and House Martin's flying around! Mostly this years young all waiting on wires in a line! At the Church, 2 Green Woodpeckers, were heard calling but we couldn't locate. Onto the Lake, still no Little Owls, getting concerned as haven't seen/heard since 16th April, they normally re-appear with chicks around July/August, but nothing yet, hopefully they will re-appear soon! Mute Swan and the 4 cygnets doing extremely well, and have moved to Bottom Lake, we weren't sure why!

Upon walking up to Top Lake, we counted 41 Mallard, but no doubt there were more hidden, it's safe to say the Mallard's have had a successful year this year on our patch!

2 Grey Heron (1 Juvenile) on the Shallows stalking in the mud. We walked back along the College Drive, lots of Crows and Jackdaw about in the fields. At the end of the Drive, we heard a Juvenile Buzzard calling, we couldn't locate him in the trees but Mum was soaring overhead. Back into the Village, we had another look at the House Martin's and Barn Swallows, they were all up this time, lovely to see the skies still full of Hirundinidaes. Perched on the wires we also counted 10! Pied Wagtails, looks like 2 separate broods, most we have ever seen at one time.

Weather:  Blue Sky, Sunny + Humid - 24°

Thanks For Looking !