Friday, July 04, 2008

Friday 4th July

It was quite cool early on, but with a cloudless sky, the Sun was allowed to warm things up. I began the morning with the company of a member of KRAG to survey the reptiles in the southern boundary of the Park. We were rewarded with 6 Slowworms. Unfortunately they had all warmed themselves up and all bar one were quick in dodging my camera’s focus.
Juvenile Slowworm

3 Blackcap, 4 Chiff Chaff, and 8 Whitethroat were singing, a Great Spotted Woodpecker called from an Oak in the rough grassland, a Coal Tit sang from a Yew along Laurel Walk, 5 Pheasants were heard throughout the visit – mainly from the area of rough grassland, 3 Jay was seen, a Nuthatch called from an Oak by the Claygate entrance, 3 Treecreeper were heard, roughly 14 Swifts were seen catching insects over the Park, 2 young Kestrels were watched hunting small insects, and, best of all, 2 young Little Owls had left the nest hole and were sitting up in the branches of an Oak with one of their nervous parents.




Young Little Owls

Young Kestrel

On the Lake were about 36 Canada Geese, 3 Great Crested Grebes, 3 Mute Swan, and the countless Mallards, Moorhens, and Coots. There were 14 Black-headed Gulls, and 4 Reed Warblers were heard singing around the perimeter of the Lake.


Several Meadow Browns were in the areas of grassland, a Small White fluttered past as I watched the young owls, 2 Ringlet were seen along the hedge on the Park’s southern boundary, 17 Small Skippers and 2 Essex Skippers fed on the nectar from the thistles and clover, 1 Common Blue Damselfly was seen, 1 female Banded Demoiselle was seen, a Black-tailed Skimmer hunted insects over the rough grassland, and a handsome dog Fox was seen carrying a suspected young Rabbit in the Long Valley.



Black-tailed Skimmer

Small Skipper

6 comments:

Warren Baker said...

Nice post simon, I like the owls, and especially like the B T Skimmer shot.

Adam said...

Hi Simon

Good to see you've got some recognition in print. Phil Pretty has mentioned your bolg in his Nature Watch column, Kent Messenger (p50 July4th ed). Keep looking out for those Sparrowhawks...and Med Gulls!

Adam

Greenie said...

Enjoyed reading your post .
The 'Kestrel-in-action' and the front end-on Small Skipper were my favourite shots .

John Young said...

Hi Simon, black-tailed skimmer is a smart dragonfly. Agree with Greenie, I like your front on small skipper.

Tony Morris said...

Slow Worms are one of my favourite animals, not seen one this year yet though.

Cheryl said...

What a wonderful post....lovely to here you saw so many butterflies.

I love the owls...beautiful creatures. I hear them everynight as I open my bedroom window.

The last photo of the small skipper is amazing.....

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