#broad bodied chaser

Husks

21/05/2020-Garden bird pictures and Buzzard and dragon/damselflies and more on my Lakeside walk 

I’d thought lately I hadn’t taken a Woodpigeon picture for a little while one of my main subjects the last few months alongside a few types of pigeon and dove. I had a perfect opportunity as I opened the curtains first thing this morning and saw one on the roof of our garages and one in a garden visible from my room. I took the first three pictures in this photoset of these. It was lovely as I worked this morning to see a Buzzard being mobbed by Jackdaws from my room too. 

As I walked over Lakeside this lunch time I sort of felt after three days or 10 or more photos produced I perhaps couldn’t quite keep that up today and I rather felt I’d exhausted a lot of subject ideas. This might be something that happens later on in the week nowadays with slightly further afield trips on weekends for wildlife watching and photography possible currently, albeit Wednesday as I’ve said is a day I aim to take less photos so the processing and uploading of them don’t clash with my weekly phone call with my Dad too much so on a Thursday I naturally then take a little more. It turned out it was one of those days eventually as I have managed to take 10 so far. 

As I walked along the path I often do in the north of Lakeside I was happy to see two Buzzards soaring, possibly one the same as the one I saw from my room as its obviously the same area especially for a soaring Buzzard. I must admit it made me exercise a bit more vigorously as with my big lens already around my neck on my camera at that point I wanted to try for a picture. The birds were just a little way ahead of me so I had to speed up a little. So many times I’ve been in this position at places and the Buzzard/s have gone by the time I caught up or had flown higher or further over. But when I got right below them I was treated to glorious views of two beautiful Buzzards and a soaring Swift thrown in too. It was an exceptional wildlife moment with one of my favourite birds. I took the fourth, fifth and sixth pictures in this photoset of these Buzzards which I am happy with. One of my things with taking photos each day lately and for a few years really is on any sunny day I just love taking at least one photo that shows how sunny it was and how lucky I was with the weather. What could show this better than a Buzzard soaring against a bright blue sky I thought it really is one of nature’s greatest sights for me I have always loved it. So at that stage I thought at least one photo to show from the walk is gonna be of this I did take many more obviously. 

It felt like a great fix of Buzzards for me. I must say since I started working from home I’ve been very lucky seeing Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Buzzard and Red Kites all from my bedroom window. The Red Kites have come that little bit closer over our house and provided more photo opportunities. Whilst I was still working in the office in Winchester normally obviously the Peregrines at the cathedral took my attention a lot as they do now a bit looking at the webcam of the nest and the family at Winchester Cathedral. The Red Kite has felt the bird of the moment a lot for me lately. Peregrine and Red Kite are newer members of my list of favourite birds added last year. But Buzzard has been on my list of favourite birds for years and years and just seeing them today really reminded me why I adore them. Beside the photos I was privileged just to get to see these two birds soaring so nicely and so closely above. I really savoured these views and I just felt so connected with nature and full of joy and captivation watching these birds. I also saw well on one of the lakes another of my favourites the Great Crested Grebe again. 

As I headed back on my planned route today walking north of the lakes beside them I saw someone approaching as the path narrowed a little. So I walked into this little square patch to let her pass safely further than two metres away and beside me was a small piece of water with watery plants its a bit of a reedbed type habitat. I ended up staying there several minutes as here I noticed firstly two Broad-bodied Chasers and then loads of Common Blue damselflies a year tick beside Lakeside for me on Friday. I took the seventh and eighth pictures in this photoset of a Broad-bodied Chaser and Common Blue Damselfly respectively. 

A Large Red Damselfly also flew in my favourite damselfly. But I kept my eyes open as I still needed to see my first Blue-tailed Damselfly of the year and I had seen some that looked possible. Then I did see the one in the ninth picture in this photoset a Blue-tailed Damselfly and I was so happy to see it. Its always a lovely and well marked little species to see which I very often see at Lakeside and always look forward to seeing in years. This is my second earliest sighting ever in a spring or summer of them about a month earlier than last year. A very welcome fifth addition to my dragonfly and damselfly year list. Finding this little area I’d not often observed here before was a lovely little haven in the sun found by accident almost today and because of the situation we are in really so it was a real revelation and I hope to spend more minutes here watching dragonflies and damselflies in this precious bit of habitat. 

When home I couldn’t resist taking another young bird and young Starling photo in the garden as some were drinking from our little water fountain. Some baby House Sparrows were too it was entertaining to see almost. I took the tenth and final picture in this photoset of the Starlings. It was another very nice few patches of walking, wildlife watching and taking photos today what a week I am having for photos with immense quantity of them produced for me really and with how pleased I am with many varied of them. Have a great evening all!

Libellula depressa (broad-bodied chaser)

9/6/19-Fantastic Fritham in the New Forest 

Today I made what was my first trip to the open New Forest since Good Friday at Milkham, with only nature reserves Blashford Lakes and Keyhaven since due to congestion in the schedule throughout May and other things. Like that day, it turned into a classic New Forest afternoon with so much amazing wildlife seen. Fritham was not one of my favourite New Forest places instantly when I first went in summer 2015 with a few quiet opening visits but it has really grown me on me since with so much brilliant wildlife seen there. Today built on my last visit in September where Spotted Flycatchers were the main star perfectly in that like that day there was just so much I saw and it was a standout day of my year. Fritham has got to be among my top New Forest locations now. I took the first and second pictures in this photoset landscapes early on in the visit. 

Just before we drove into here we saw a Cuckoo flying from the car. Soon after arriving we looked on the nice pool shown in the first picture and spotted my first dragonfly I could identify this year one of my favourites the Broad-bodied Chaser, we saw a male and female with female appearing to be egg laying which was really nice to see. 

As we walked around in the trees near to the car park we spotted a bird flying and I flippantly said “it looked Woodlark”. It settled and to our delight we could make out I was right, it was a Woodlark. It quickly flew away but it was an amazing bird to see as my 163rd of the year, only my second ever after one I saw in 2013. To people who read my posts regularly if me saying that sounds familiar I’m not surprised as it’s the third bird on my year list consecutively that is only the second I’ve seen after yesterday’s Lesser Whitethroat and Red-necked Phalarope last week.

I have now seen eight bird species this year for only the second time which levels how many I saw last year. Interestingly with us going away to Northumberland next Saturday due to a potential detail of the trip which I will reveal in time I said before we left today if we didn’t get a year tick today it could mean I had three in a row that were only the second ever I’ve seen. But I did get a year tick today and it ensured that anyway which made me so happy. 

As we walked around to near Cadmans Pool and back I saw a Green Hairstreak butterfly shown in the third picture in this photoset, took the fourth and fifth of landscapes the fifth showing lovely New Forest ponies it was great to be seeing on a walk again and also and a Fallow Deer under a tree. 

When out deep on the heath the sun was really out and it got really hot. We were overjoyed again to spot some little blue butterflies and see they were New Forest specialities Silver-studded Blue. This is a butterfly I adore so much and one I was so happy to see. I got some brilliant views of these in the sun, taking the sixth picture in this photoset of one.

This was a relief in two ways too as this year I have a habit of sneaking seasonal butterflies in on appropriate days before wet weather is forecast. And also after our holiday we would have wanted to do a specific forest trip somewhere to try and see these. We may well still do that should we have a spare day but seeing them today as a huge bonus and my 28th butterfly of the year meant it frees up a day to go somewhere else or chase another specie/s later on. As we walked round I took the seventh and eighth picture in this photoset of two more typical New Forest sights at this time of year foxgloves and then a lovely Redstart. 

Just as we were nearly back we got another stunning view, this time of a Cuckoo. It flew around a bit on trees and on the ground and we got quite close, we stood in aw as it wowed us once again this year seeing what an exceptional bird it is. This is arguably my best ever Cuckoo season with hearing, seeing and photographing them well perhaps better than I ever have for the latter. I took the ninth and tenth pictures in this photoset of it. I was honoured to have this moment and especially in the New Forest a star place for Cuckoos. 

What a way to end a phenomenal and packed trip and another really enjoyable weekend to proceed my next trip staying away after a week at work. I am so excited. This might be the last chance to say online its the usual with being on a wildlife watching holiday I will take my laptop and aim to process images whilst there, Wi-fi is in the cottage but whether it will allow any photos and blogs to be uploaded remains to be seen. If not I shall most likely upload throughout next Sunday but dependent on picture volume I may have to extend this to the evenings of the following weeknights. I may also look to give my Tumblr posts exclusive reveals to share their primary upload between here and Twitter, or not post them all but do a screenshot showing the pictures in my Facebook album as thumbnails so volume may demand more selectiveness in uploading 

07/05/17-Godshill in the New Forest 

Pictured: 2 views, a Pony Foal and a view looking over it from behind a stream where the cows had come down to. 

19/05/18-Bentley Wood 

I always know summer must be near and spring is at its height when we first go to Bentley Wood in a year, a butterfly haven on the Hampshire/Wiltshire border and one of the key places alongside especially Martin Down and Stockbridge Down in my butterfly season each year. Due to another commitment namely my football team’s participation in the FA Cup final this evening we went out a little bit earlier than normal this afternoon here and it was a gloriously sunny day. Upon arrival we soon saw my first dragonfly this year, this one  didn’t land and flew too fast for me to identify it but I would see my first dragonflies and damselflies this year later on in the visit. 

Soon after though we saw what we had come for as in the field areas where we see them every year we once again saw a Pearl-bordered Fritillary butterfly. I would go onto see lots more as they became my 14th butterfly species of the year. I was reminded how beautiful and precious a species they are and how delicate and lovely they look on the wing, I got the 1st picture in this photoset of one of them. 

After waking along the path and round into the pond area I would get a hat trick of opening year ticks for my dragonfly and damselfly year list seeing my first Broad-bodied Chaser, Common Blue Damselfly and Large Red Damselfly of the year. On the ponds it was especially lovely to see many Large Red Damselflies floating around they have fantastic colour. I took the 2nd picture in this photoset of the very first I saw. I saw this one of my two favourite damselfly species much earlier than when I did last year which was really good too.