Ketton Quarry stuff

Jasmine and I went to Ketton Quarry Wildlife Trust reserve in Rutland the other day looking for Adders. We found some nice stuff including a male Adder, Grass Snake, several Common Lizards, a Common Shrew, Dark Green Fritillary and loads of other nice insects and plants. A Good place. I had no idea Dark Green Fritillaries were this close to home, although I have hoped for them at Barnack Hills and Holes etc in the past. Perhaps this year, that site will turn them up, it is only a few miles away to the east. I may try at the weekend.

Male Adder

Oedemera nobilis, aka False Oil Beetle, Thick-Legged Flower Beetle, or Swollen-thighed Beetle (probably)

Buzzard

Common Lizard

Common Lizard with a small beetle taking a ride

Common Lizard

Dark Green Fritillary

A green metallic leaf beetle, perhaps a Cryptocephalus sp?

Scarce Chaser again?

This male Scarce Chaser was at our office pond this lunchtime. Judging by the dark marks on the pruinescence, this male has mated. Could it be the same individual I photographed as a youth a couple of weeks ago?

Marsh Warbler, Narborough, Norfolk

This is the first Marsh Warbler I have heard in the UK since the 1990s when I heard one in Kent in very similar habitat. I heard one or two in Austria last year, but didn't spend the time listening I should have. Marsh Warblers are brilliant birds to listen to and this one was mimicking Blackbird, Marsh, Blue and Great Tits, Chiffchaff, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Nuthatch, Blackcap and all sorts of other birds which I couldn't identify. Hard to see, though, while we were there... Had a Water Vole nibbling vegetation under some nettles in front of us, too, plus another on the bank side.

Red-necked Phalarope at Frampton Marsh RSPB

This little beauty was at Frampton the other day, when I met up with Toby Collett for a bit of birding. We failed to find the Broad-billed Sadnpiper and White-rumped Sandpiper which turned up after I left. Grrr. Never mind, the phalarope was lovely!

Oh Lordy, even more Osprey 3J...

Bit of Ruffe

This Great Crested Grebe is eating a fish called a Ruffe (or Pope, apparently), Gymnocephalus cernua.

Several Osprey 3J portraits

3J: three recent tasters

Scarce Chaser office tick

This Scarce Chaser was a nice office tick at our pond in western Peterborough, this afternoon. An immature male, I think.

Pale-back the grebe returns

In 2012 I photographed three Great Crested Grebe young'uns on Gunwade Lake Ferry Meadows CP, Peterborough. One of the grebelets was much paler than the others and seemed to have some kind of schizochroism or leucism or whatever. It also seemed to be being a little neglected by its parents. As it happened, it survived, and I even saw it last year as a young adult.

I was delighted, this year, to once again see this pale backed grebe, this time in courtship with a mate. It appears that the pale bird is a female (smaller than the other). Here are some shots in the rain on Overton Lake, Ferry Meadows (which joins onto Gunwade).

Some recent photos

Osprey 3J

Brown Hare

Grey Heron

Spotted Crake, Bittern etc recording

Spotted Crake, Snipe (calling and drumming), Redshank, Mute Swan (swimming and grunting), baby Canada Geese, Water Rail, various ducks Bittern booming...