New Life and New Venues

This afternoon I saw a juvenile Blackbird (Turdus merula) on the garden fence. It was the last of a series of pictures I took last week of all kinds of phases leading towards new life in nature. But of course there was so much more to see as well! Always nice to have a week off…with some splendid weather! Here are some pictures.

The Tufted Ducks (Aythya fuligula) in the London Wetland Centre had, as always, many ducklings to parade before my camera, although this mum only showed one of them.

I can remember having seen more than 10 in one nest a couple of years ago. There were some more elsewhere…

 

The Blue Emperor Dragonfly (Anax imperator) was ovipositoning in another part of the Wetland Centre and this gave ample opportunity to take some decent pictures.

Later in the week I saw two Common Blue damselflies in a phase of procreation earlier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The amount of dragon- and damselflies this year is fantastic and this will go on for quite some time! A true joy for the camera, that’s for sure!

It is only a bit frustrating that they are such skilful aviators, because it is hard to get them on camera.

 

I found a new and beautiful park in London: The Dagenham Chase, in the Barking area. The habitat varies from wetland to grassland with some open ponds as well. A true paradise in the middle of London.

Some Common Terns (Sterna hirundo) were flying over one of the ponds and this shot was the best I could make. They are so quick in the air…

Thankfully a Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) was kind enough to sit down for a while. I have seen them more this year than any other time. And although Dagenham Chase was a new venue for me, there were of course some old classics: the Greylag Goose (Anser anser) and the Great-crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus).

I will end this blog with a picture of a butterfly that I haven’t seen for a while: the Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta). They are around, just not where I was. I saw this one at Broadwater Lake, near Harefield.

Where is the Gatekeeper?

This morning I went out on a walk to find some butterflies and other insects. But I wondered why I hadn’t seen any Gatekeepers (Pyronia Tithonus) so far. because in my memory those were the only Browns (Satyridae) I always found. And indeed today there weren’t any to be seen. As always, internet gave me the solution…as did my picture archive (the picture on top is one of those): they fly from July onwards after the caterpillar has survived the winter in a half-grown state. So this blog is about everything else I saw in the last couple of weeks.

The very delicate Skippers (Hespiriidae) can only be seen when you look carefully, because they are very small. Thankfully I managed to find both the Large Skipper (Ochlodes Sylvanus) as the Small Skipper (Thymelicus Sylvestris).

The first time I saw a Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum Cancellatum) was in the Green Heart of The Netherlands and I did not expect to see it here as well. So it was quite a surprise to see a mating couple of these dragonflies at Ruislip Lido.

And after this sighting I have seen some more near the water. Because the males will hold a vigil near the warm water edge until his significant other arrives.

Originally, I thought they were Broad-bodied Chasers (Libellula Depressa), but the golden edge on the wings show their true identity.

 

 

Whilst there are no Gatekeepers yet, there are plenty of Ringlets (Aphantopus Hyperantus) around. They can be found on green leaves which makes their colours  stand out even better.

A very pretty butterfly indeed! I will finish this blog with a surprise. I did take some pictures of Small Tortoiseshells (Aglais Urticae), but when I looked at home at this particular picture, there were actually two on the same leaf!

 

On a Sunny Afternoon

It was just one of those Saturday afternoons; sunny after some heavy rainfall and nothing else to do than to walk in the woods. And so I did, following my standard route to Ruislip Lido and back home. But it was still worthwhile… as always.

First I spotted Mr. Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula Depressais) as well as Mrs. BBC. They look a little bit different, but are both beautiful. It was strange that they did not meet up because we need a next generation after all.

There were several different Dragonflies and damselflies to be seen. The Red-eyed Damselflies (Erythromma najas) had met up and were having the time of their life in the sun, which means there will be more of these beautiful insects soon.

But the biggest surprise this afternoon was the Buzzard (Buteo Buteo) flying over the water. It was chased by some ugly black birds and it flew away after some minutes. Therefore the pictures are not particularly sharp. I am just happy to have taken them in time.

A weekend of Insects

This weekend seemed to be perfect for insect chasing. It was sunny and dry and there was not too much wind; I was not disappointed at all! But I did not expect to see the ones I am about to show.

The Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula Depressais) is a magnificent Dragonfly that makes a lot of noise when it flies around your head. Thankfully, this female was kind enough to rest on a plant to pose for my camera. With its transparent wings and the sun shining through it is a truly remarkable insect. The colours are fantastic, as you can see at the picture from my archive (taken in 2012).

It is always exciting to take a picture of an insect that I never saw before. Finding out what it is can take some time, but the internet is patient (just like me..?). The moth on the left is a Yellow Shell (Camptogramma Bilineata) from the family of the Geometridae and the two mating damselflies on the right are Large Red’s (Pyrrhosoma Nymphula) from the family of the Coenagrionidae.

 

Flying over the high grass of Tottenham Marshes I spotted my first Common Blue (Polyommatus Icarus) this year. They are cunning little creatures, because The chrysalis is attended by ants, which will often take it into their nests.The larva creates a substance called honeydew, which the ants eat while the butterfly lives in the ant hill. After changing into a butterfly, they just leave the ant hill…without a simple Thank You.

The first butterfly you normally see in the year, is the Brimstone (Gonepteryx Rhamni). And yet I wasn't able to take a picture from a close distance, until today.

And finally: this blog with pictures of a weekend of insects would not be complete, without a good old fashioned Bumblebee on a flower. I took this picture in my garden this weekend when the bee was feasting on the Osteospermum.

Exercise and Babies at Whipsnade Zoo

Although the White Rhinoceros’s (Ceratotherium Simum) did no seem to be up for any exercise, yesterday at Whipsnade Zoo there was quite some of it going on. Whipsnade Zoo is part of the Zoological Society London (ZSL) and many animals at the zoo have new arrivals in their families; the weather was inviting enough to shake off the winter gloom.

This Mara ((Dolichotis Patagonum)) was looking whether it was safe to cross the road, before her family could follow safely. They walk all over the park and this mum did not seem to be bothered by the public, even when feeding the toddlers.

 

The American Flamingo's (Phoenicopterus Ruber) are always busy with their neck acrobatics'. It is quite a challenge to get the shapes this way…and even more to straighten afterwards!

But they are always very colourful and I wonder who has to get up early to put a little paint on them before the public enters the zoo…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Four Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur Catta) females at the zoo have a total of six babies amongst them this year. They are just adorable with their striped tails already in full colour.

But as any child would do, they keep very close to their mum…just in case.

 

The Asian Elephants (Elephas Maximus) and the American White Pelicans (Pelecanus Erythrorhynchos) each have their own way of doing some exercise. Especially the young elephants are busy trying to get the grass under control for a well deserved snack.

All these pictures were taken in Whipsnade Zoo on Sunday 25^th May. It was a wonderful day with many beautiful animals to see, much more than I have shown here. But I have to finish this blog with a picture of a Red Kit (Milvus Milvus) of which there were at one point four flying and battling in the air above the Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) enclosure.

Spring has sprung

They say that Spring has truly sprung when you see the Brimstone (Gonepteryx Rhamni) fly in the woods. So Sunday two weeks ago and Yesterday I went out on a mission to take a picture of this yellow butterfly. Unfortunately they always fly about 800 yards in front of you and will never stay long to pose for the camera. Therefore I have to show you what else I saw over the last fortnight.

With the help of Marianne, a nature friend, I was able to determine that this is a Dunnock (Prunella Modularis). I should try to learn to recognize the different songs of birds, because this one was singing beautiful between the ablution activities.

By the way, I had already seen one in our garden, which I mistakenly took for a House Sparrow until I looked closer at the picture.

 

It is always a pleasure to see a Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos Caudatus). There beautiful yellow circles around the eyes and their long tail are just great to see. Fortunately they stay quite calm when you try to take a picture.

But still the true “Spring Experience” starts when you see butterflies. Normally you will first see the “Big Three” of the  Nymphalidae (Comma, Peacock or Small Tortoiseshell) who stay in shelters during the winter. It is therefore quite exciting when you see a butterfly that shouldn’t be there, like this Red Underwing (Catocala Nupta). It is particularly strange to see one during the day and in March. But there you have it. I did see one…and this is the result.

To finish this blog, I will share a picture of a Blue Tit (Cyanistes Caeruleus) that I took yesterday. It is trying to break the record for hanging upside down.

Spring is in the air and it promises to be a wonderful period!

Rainham Marshes

It is always exciting to visit a new sight for nature watching. Today I visited Rainham Marshes, an RSPB sight that was constructed on an old military firing range. The area was closed for the public for about 100 years ago, during which the military used it for shooting practice. The RSPB acquired the area in 2000 and transformed it into a very accessible and beautiful nature reserve.

The area has a footpath with various hides around the marshes. Many ducks and gees gather around as well as everything else you would expect in this marsh land.

The weather was great today and I had my first flying Wigeon pair (Anas Penelope) on camera. That was just as well, because there were many more grazing on the many islands that were created by the RSPB. I cannot recall having seen so many together; not even in London Wetland Centre.

And since it was actually the first proper day of Spring (albeit that we officially have to wait another two weeks), I was not surprised to see the some butterflies. And all the usual suspects were there: apart from a Peacock (Inachis Io) and a Brimstone (Gonepteryx Rhamni) the first Comma (Polygonia C-Album) this year landed in front of me.

This Common Teal (Anas Crecca) needed some well deserved ablution

I will finish this blog with two pictures of a Little Grebe (Tachybaptus Ruficollis) that found a nice fish. Rainham Marshes is a fantastic sight with lot’s of possibilities for birders, school classes and many other nature lovers. I saw a few visitors in wheelchairs as well. Only 15 minutes walk from Purfleet station, it is worthwhile planning a visit.