Dragonfly

 Before starting on today's narrative, it's impossible to generate a pun or other whimsical link to the musical reference in today's blog heading. Dragonfly is a song by Fleetwood Mac from 1971 after Peter Green left, although the lyrics are actually from a poem by WH Davies.

And when the roses are half-bud soft flowers

And lovely as the king of flies has come

It was a fleeting visit, all too brief

In three short minutes, he had been and gone

He rested there upon an apple leaf

A gorgeous opal crown sat on his head

Although the garden is a lovely place

Was it worthy of so fine a guest?

 A good dragonfly morning with both Common and Ruddy Darters seen within 10 mins of each other, followed by lots of Migrant Hawkers and a couple of Brown Hawkers.

 Coincidentally one of the Common Darters perched on a twig in just the same way that a Ruddy Darter did the other day, allowing a ready comparison to be made...

female Common Darter

female Ruddy Darter

Female Ruddy Darter has all black legs and black markings along the abdomen, compare these features with the female Common Darter.

I got a decent image of Brown Hawker today.

male Brown Hawker

There were dozens of Migrant Hawkers flying all over the shop and although I have several perfectly acceptable photos of this dragonfly I had to take some more, given they were almost queueing up to pose.

male Migrant Hawker

Did you know?

Dragonflies and damselflies can beat their wings independently, giving them amazing manoeverability when hunting or avoiding predators.

I also thought I'd got my first Essex Skipper at the Mere today but Mark showed me the error of my ways and it was indeed just a female Small Skipper. 

female Small Skipper

I put the photo into a new app I'm trying out this evening and it said Essex Skipper with 97% confidence. Just shows that 3% is the difference between being an expert with a pair of eyes and a brain and just some crappy software. 

I reckoned that black antennae on a Small Skipper-like butterfly would equal an Essex Skipper, given other id features were barely distinguishable. However what I didn't know is that Small Skipper antennae lose their brown colour with age (thanks again Mark). Anyway it's only the ends of the antenna that are jet black in Essex, not the whole of them. The ends of the antenna were more club like than pointed to my eyes in the field, but looking now they are indeed more pointed than clubbed. So, female Small Skipper and the hunt goes on for Essex at the Mere for me.

A moth-shaped object on an oak leaf attracted my attention. I don't really do moths so I had to check up on this one.

Dingy Footman

Several Painted Ladies were about looking fine and fresh. This one stayed for ages allowing me to lay down and get closer photos.

Painted Lady

Hare, There and Everywhere

 I was watching a leveret this morning as it ran down a field edge. It turned round and started running towards me, coming within 10 yards of me then stopped. I even managed to get my phone out to take a video of it before it scooted off. A nice encounter.

Leveret close encounter

Not many interesting birds about today (although I flushed a Hobby from second field edge - must have been either drinking or bathing). Butterflies, dragonflies and insects in general were the main fare.

Butterflies

Painted Lady

Red Admiral

Large White

Green-veined White

Meadow Brown

Gatekeeper

Ringlet

Large Skipper

Small Skipper

Small Copper

Dragonflies

Brown Hawker (5)

Emperor (3)

Black-tailed Skimmer

Migrant Hawker

Ruddy Darter - my first of the year 

Gatekeeper upperside

Gatekeeper backside :)

Gatekeeper underside

Meadow Brown - hundreds this morning

male Small Skipper

Painted Lady

I spent a while photographing dragonflies in flight and managed to get recognisable images of Migrant Hawker, Brown Hawker and Emperor. Only the Emperor ones were good enough to keep though.

Emperor dragonfly

Black-tailed Skimmers are easy to get at the Mere. I have loads of photos of them but something just makes me take more...

female Black-tailed Skimmer

The light was a bit weird on the female BtS and at first I thought it may be a Broad Bodied Chaser but the body just wasn't fat enough. The black lines along the abdomen confirmed it as BtS though.

The Coastguard helicopter put everything up into the air as it went over pretty low down. I hope there weren't any horse riders near or they may have been a bit upset.

Cormorants flushed by the helicopter

As I was togging the dragonflies a dead pike floated by. No marks on it as usual so cause of death is unknown, again as usual. Unfortunately I see quite a few dead pike in the Mere - I can't help but think fishermen are responsible but I have no evidence to support this view.

A late pike

A Cool Mere Pelagic

 Another hot day with a little breeze so I set off for a cool down on the water.

A couple of Avocets were seen earlier so I hoped they were on Swan Island spit with the masses of Mute Swans.

No Avocets unfortunately but I did get a Kittiwake just off the spit on the north side, with the only other bird of note being a Dunlin up the east end on the vegetation by the reed bed.

Common Terns kept me interested through the cruise, as did a number of dragonflies, but it was difficult to get a positive id as I was unable to follow their flight path. Only certainty was an Emperor.

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Little Egret

Kittiwake - the first I've seen land at the Mere

Lapwing

Common Tern

juv Black-headed Gull

juv Black-headed Gull landing on a buoy

Dunlin

Dunlin

Butterflies and Dragonflies

 An invertebrate morning along the Mere south side today with 2 new species for the year - one butterfly and one dragonfly.

I was hoping for Gatekeeper and so I was more than happy when one turned up, and only one for the whole morning too!

First Gatekeeper of the year for me

Also down the same strip of long grass on the eastern side of a hedgerow, out of the westerly wind, were a couple of Common Darter dragonflies. I saw about 4 more too.

Common Darter, one of half a dozen

Butterflies were everywhere today, led in numbers by Meadow Browns. No Skippers at all and only 3 whites (2 Large Whites and 1 Green-veined White).

Green-veined White

Ringlet

Meadow Brown

Meadow Brown

Ringlet

A worn and damaged Red Admiral

Meadow Brown

Small Copper

 

I watched a strange looking fly land on a stem of grass and wondered what it was. I took a few photos and it looked like a cranefly, maybe two? It also resembled a scene from a movie cliff-hanger ending so I had to add a caption 😂😂😂

I hope help comes soon, I can't hold on much longer!