What a difference it makes when you go to the right place at the right time.
Sunday 18 March 2012
Amphibians training
Brushing up on the amphibians id this weekend. Toads and frogs out in force and great crested newts too!
What a difference it makes when you go to the right place at the right time.
What a difference it makes when you go to the right place at the right time.
Saturday 10 March 2012
Big birds and small beetles
A late day off work and thought i would have a walk around the Nene Washes and see if the whooper swans were still about. It started great as i piulled into the car park at the end of Eldernell lane there were two Marsh harriers hawking the field in front of and i sat in the car with a great view.
The whooper swans were there in force and a decent flock of over 100 in the fields. It is great to see such a majestic large bird. While on the subject of big birds as I scanned the fields there were 4 Cranes in the field in front of decoy wood, what a sight!
They were a good half a mile away and in the photo you can just make them out however when you get the bins and telescope out you get a great view. They were just in front of a few herons and they looked perhaps 3 times the size. This is the first time i have seen Cranes in this country and it is great to see them returning and a very memorable experience.
While i was there i took the opportunity for some water beetling and while at the other end of the scale it was really rewarding too.
Hydaticus transversalis is a great rare water beetle and very striking. The Nene Valley is one of the few places in the country that you can find this beetle and from our surveying we have now added Nene washes to the site list of Titchmarsh, Higham ferrars and Summey leys where this can be found.
On the subject of rare water beetles this Agabus undulatus also is uniquely marked and as a flightless fenland relic it is at home here but not expanding its territory.
There are not too many invertebrates about at the moment but while i had my camera out this Water ladybird and myself had our eyes on each other.
The whooper swans were there in force and a decent flock of over 100 in the fields. It is great to see such a majestic large bird. While on the subject of big birds as I scanned the fields there were 4 Cranes in the field in front of decoy wood, what a sight!
They were a good half a mile away and in the photo you can just make them out however when you get the bins and telescope out you get a great view. They were just in front of a few herons and they looked perhaps 3 times the size. This is the first time i have seen Cranes in this country and it is great to see them returning and a very memorable experience.
While i was there i took the opportunity for some water beetling and while at the other end of the scale it was really rewarding too.
Hydaticus transversalis is a great rare water beetle and very striking. The Nene Valley is one of the few places in the country that you can find this beetle and from our surveying we have now added Nene washes to the site list of Titchmarsh, Higham ferrars and Summey leys where this can be found.
On the subject of rare water beetles this Agabus undulatus also is uniquely marked and as a flightless fenland relic it is at home here but not expanding its territory.
There are not too many invertebrates about at the moment but while i had my camera out this Water ladybird and myself had our eyes on each other.
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