New Plant and New Insect

 I came across two new species that I haven't seen before this week. I have simple tastes and something like this pleases me very much.

First, while I photographing Hobby by the Mere I spotted a small blue bug. I needed some id help and it turned out to be a Nettle Weevil, spookily enough I found it on a nettle 😂

Nettle weevil (Phillobius pomaceus)

Then a day or so later I was walking past a pond and saw a plant that I had not noticed before. Again, some id help was needed and voila - Marsh Cinquefoil. Lots of it too in the pond margin.

Marsh Cinquefoil with what could be an Early Bumblebee

Marsh Cinquefoil (Potentilla palustris)

I seem to remember this plant from the tea card series I used to collect as a boy - the name's Bond, Brooke Bond😀 you got a free card with every packet of tea, and we went through a lot of tea! I never managed to get a full album, there always seemed to be one or two I just couldn't find despite swapping duplicates with like-minded boys in the school yard.

I saw a couple of Hobby down by the Mere and tried to get a tad closer but couldn't. Distant shots it is then, but cropped so the subject is identifiable.

Hobby along the south side

 The weather hasn't been exactly warm and consequently there has been a shortage of butterfly sightings. However, I saw several Small Tortoiseshells together...

Small Tortoiseshell caterpillars

Young birds are emerging from their nests and Starlings are among those now being seen at the Mere.

Juv Starling

At last I found my dragonfly earlier in the week - a Hairy Dragonfly in Wassand Wood.

Hairy Dragonfly

Damselflies are out in abundance in whichever patch of long grass you care to examine. Common Blues in the main but I'm searching for Azure in and amongst.

I'll finish with another insect, a bee this time. Early Bumblebees are very small but a lovely little pollinators. They are numerous so they should be easy to find.

Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)

First Post from our New Home

 Well, we've moved house. Instead of packing and organising the move we are now unpacking and sorting the fall-out from a change of address. Don't get me started about the poor quality of company's web sites regarding changing your address. I spent one and a hlaf hours with our energy supplier trying to resolve issues.

Anyway, what about the more important topic of what has been going on with our wildlife.

The damselflies are out and about now and I've seen a multitude of Common Blues and just one Blue-tailed. Also another Holly Blue butterfly flew across my path and I got photos this time.

female Common Blue damselfly caught in a web

Yes. I did rescue it!

female Common Blue damselfly

Holly Blue upper side

Holly Blue underside

An insect that I'm rather taken by is the Red Headed Cardinal Beetle. Seeing one in the undergrowth as you walk along is, to me, a real treat.

Red Headed Cardinal Beetle

Comfrey is blooming and the pollinators are loving it, like this Common Carder Bumblebee.

Carder bee on Comfrey

Our early breeding birds have young joining them on feeding forays. Many juvenile Long-tailed Tits were in the hawthorns.

Young Long-tailed Tit

Lapwings have bred near the Mere again this year and have made their way to the temporary large puddle on the south side. It won't last for long but they can enjoy it while it lasts.

Lapwing chick

Whitethroats continue to join other warblers in singing every morning at the Mere, making the days brighter and more enjoyable. There aren't as many as last year unfortunately, but that goes for most birds ☹️😢

Singing Whitethroat

Not many have good things to say about crows but I like them. Smart and glossy they are important links in the food chain. Yes they prey on small birds but that's only natural, and around here there aren't many species that are truly endangered apart from Lapwing of course. The Lapwings seem to do very well keeping predators away though.

Carrion Crow - great looking bird

Mute Swans are still here in good numbers, although they are reducing now. It's a wondferful sight and sound to behold as they leave or arrive at the Mere.

Mute Swans leaving the Mere

Apologies

 I am very sorry for not posting an update recently but we are in the middle of moving house. I thought I would take it all in my stride as I did last time (10 years ago) but this time I have found it all a bit much I have to say.

Anyway, here are a few pics I've manged to take on the few days I got out for a restful walk...

4 May - Mute Swan with a weird-shaped neck

5 May - Reed Bunting

5 May Common Carder Bee

5 May Green Carpet moth

5 May - Roe Deer swimming scross the Mere

I've seen this a few times but I managed to get some video this time.

6 May Wren singing

6 May - 11 Curlew in a field towards North Cliff

6 May - Pochard in Bull Hole

8 May - often heard, Seldom Seen Kid - Lesser Whitethroat

9 May - Common Whitethroat singing from tree top as usual

9 May - Common Whitethroat singing from from a fence wire - not usual

9 May - Lapwing adult moving on a male Marsh Harrier

10 May - Speckled Wood near Weatherhill

10 May - Four Pintail mid-Mere

We move on 16 May. Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible thereafter.

The English Countryside

 Nothing beats the views you get in Spring while walking around in the good old English countryisde. The sight of blue sky, green trees and grass with tiny white (and black) lambs playing cards (gamboling!) and all manner of wildlife in and amongst.

Mon 29 April

Green-veined White butterfly

Walking towards home along the Mere south side I saw an egret coming in to land.

Little Egret landing

I got a little giddy as this was the first Little Egret I'd seen at the Mere all year. While I was taking pics of said egret I didn't notice that a Great White Egret had landed just a few yards to its right! When I glanced up from the camera I soon got my eye back to the viewfinder 🤣🤣

Little Egret and Great White Egret on the south side

I took lots of pics but they are all pretty similar. Nothing much happened apart from the GWE departing in the same manner as it arrived - unseen by me as I had the camera glued to my eyes again. At least I saw the LE take off and fly south west.

Little Egret

Tue 30 April

I had two walks along the south side, one in the morning as usual and one in the afternoon as my car was ready to pick up from the garage.

Female Bullfinch

Barn Owl twixt first and second field

Common Footman caterpillar

Green-veined White on Forget-Me-Not

Male Orange Tip on Forget-Me-Not

Handsome bird, the Jackdaw

As I arrived home at lunch time I had an unpleasant sight of a dead Whitethroat in one of our wall planters. I'm guessing it had flown into the kitchen window as the planter is just below it.

Late Whitethroat

Lesser Whitethroat

We seem to have more Lesser Whitethroats at the Mere this year than we have had before? We've only had last year and this year to date of adding records to BirdTrack for the Mere so it's difficult to quantify.

Singing Sedge Warbler in Heslop's

Wed 1 May

The car wasn't right so I took it back to the garage early on and walked into town then on to the sea front. The couple of Purple Sandpipers that have been around there were still feeding along the steps, even though the tide was in.

This pic and three below - Purple Sandpipers

I walked back to KP and got a reasonable view of a singing Sedge Warbler, much better than yesterday's.

Sedge Warbler

I also had my best total of Common Sandpipers - eight of them. Two were hanging around the jetties and six flew out of Bull Hole towards Swan Island.

Common Sandpipers on KP 

Four of the six Common Sands flying west

Thu 2 May

Another walk to pick up the car and another unpleasant experience - a dead Blackcap this time. In the middle of the path with not a mark on it?!

Blackcap

Much better sights were to follow though with colourful butterflies to lighten the mood.

Peacock

Red Admiral

Long-tailed Tits are busy feeding their young or sitting on eggs at the moment so I don't see many. A couple appeared this morning though, feeding in an alder on the south side, looking worn and knackered 😉

Worn Long-tailed Tit