Summertime...

I did say, I'd try and catch up... I am not doing a very good job!

These swallows, photographed at Newton Marsh in early July seemed to say in pictures, more than we can say in words about this year's summer.

I need to do some checking on my five and six spot Burnet Moths – anyone?

I came across my first Meadow Brown, where last year there were loads of Common Blues, Skippers, Tortoiseshell, Peacock and of course Meadow Brown, this year — zilch, nowt bar one.

I'd been spending a little time on moths, as again I know nowt, moved my recycling bin and found this Scalloped Oak (and a Large Yellow Underwing but too dark to photograph).

My annual sojourn across the border produced a Common Orchid and surprisingly (for me) a number of Ringlet. I say surprising, because they are supposed to be 'common' yet I have not found any over here and these were limited to a stretch of about 20 yards (sod metric) of riverbank. I'm not sure but suspect the two were coupled in mating but can't be one hundred percent sure.

In search of the Common Blue...

Things haven't quite worked out as intended... but that seems par for the course at the moment, so I ended up on a spare piece of land at Knott End, I say Knott End because I'm not sure where Knott End starts and finishes or where Preesall begins. Either way it is a piece of land that use be called the 'Carrot Field' for obvious reasons but is now part new housing, the rest not yet developed.

Last year I had come across a Common Blue on the promenade embankment and went looking for some more this year only to draw a blank... except at what is left of the Carrot Field embankment. At first sight there is nothing to be seen. But perseverance and checking on the wind direction and first one then two appear before you. I rattled off a number of shots but the proximity and lack of depth of field meant most are out of focus – so here's a few that aren't quite so bad. Common Blue, Meadow Brown, Field Grasshopper and Small Copper. If you look carefully I may have caught two Common Blue in the Act of breeding... unless something else going on?

Over the embankment on the foreshore were a number of Gulls, just a bit too far away and not my strong point! There were a number of Knot, Dunlin and Grey Plover. I have to confess I did not spot at the time, but hiding within were two Sandwich Terns... at least one of them is a Sandwich, the other I'm not sure about. So what's new!

And apologies if the site is taking a while to upload.. I have no idea why! (Photos 14 August)

A 'flying black thing' and friends

A chum had told me he had seen 'a yellow bird' nesting on some canal lock gates not too far away, so when opportunity presented itself I thought it worth checking out. I guessed the yellow bird would be a Grey Wagtail and I have seen single birds myself, on and off, around lock gates for about three years now (including on the frozen canal in winter!). I looked everywhere but could see no sign of a nest or bird. Fleetwood Mac!! ....

'Oh well'...

nevermind).

However as I returned to the car I thought my time was up, flying horizontally and straight at my nose in direct flight was this black thing – I was waiting for it to go straight up my nose and drlll it's way into my brain – 'Alien sixteen' or whatever number they are up to. Needless to say it didn't but shot past. Strewth! Talk about Close Encounters!

As I was by a meadow and after the rain the sun was coming out... the results follow. Now while 5 Spot Burnets may be considered  'common' and I recall seeing the odd one, I have never seen so many in one place in such a short period. I was in the right place as they were emerging everywhere... well not everywhere like a plague of locusts,  just lots of 'em. So here are a few photos of the spotted black things and their friends in the same field... I think they are 5 Spot Burnets, please correct me if I'm wrong as I know nowt.

Emerging

Drying and flexing the wings

Feeding, or about to...

'probiscus' if that's the right word

with hoverfly

five feeding on vetch, note wing damage

anyone know what the beetle is?

with Meadow Brown

... and a female large skipper

and another skipper cos I like the photo – from a different location

Where's Mum Gone?

Awake early I decided to go with my instincts rather than the weather forecast but at 05.30 it was grey, leaden and a fine drizzle but I thought it might clear up. My first attempt at a photo resulted in exposure of over two seconds, which hand held isn't going to get you far. 

Newton marsh was once again very quite so on to Lytham. The sky was grey and 'stormy' but out to the west there was a clear gap on the horizon and my guess that it would brighten up from the west appeared justified. Inland it looked awful. Nothing showing at Lytham Green. Fairlawn Road provided Pied Wagtail and Swallow again along the wall, together with a juvenile Meadow Pipit, that led me a merry dance and took about thirty minutes to identify, simply by popping in and out of the grass along the sea wall and the light was still appalling. In the Bay, 60+ Redshank, 60+ Oystercatcher, the usual assortment of Gulls of various ages,  Lesser Black Backed, four Canada Geese from Fairhaven Lake and a Whimbrel.

A quick trawl around Fairhaven Car Park and a look at the lake and on to Fairhaven Dunes. By this time a couple of hours had passed and the dog walkers were out in force. Around the Dunes more than 20 Meadow Pipits were being constantly disturbed by the dog walkers, so the trick was to get 50 yards in front of them and wait for the birds to be flushed towards me! Just as I was departing another juvenile Meadow Pipit appeared close by and spent ten minutes calling for it's parents who eventually turned up. I was surprised to see a pair of Reed Buntings at the edge of the dunes while the Common Whitethroat was found again in the same hawthorn adjacent to the road. By now the 'pair of sailors trousers' (a patch of blue sky) had increased and the sun was out and the sky blue! As a consequence a number of Meadow Browns had taken to the wing. One of my favourite plants the Sea Holly was just coming into flower... my visit just a few days too early, one of the reasons I'd decided to pop down this way again. It is really one of those desert plants, a Xerophyte (a plant capable of surviving in an environment with little fresh water... one for the Scrabble board!) and remarkably a member of the carrot family. And finally a Tufted Duck by Fairhaven Lake before dashing off to do what a man has got to do.

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