Spent an hour or two watching dragonflies down in the dunes at Ainsdale yesterday in perfect conditions - bright, hot sun and still.
Almost too perfect actually as the little weasels were whizzing about everywhere.
Common Blue and Blue Tailed Damsels,at least nine Four Spotted Chasers and two Emperors all on one pool.
The daddy of the all, the Emperors spent much of their time chasing off the Chasers, or patrolling their domain. Superb insects.
Eventually they began to rest up on reed stems and I got reasonable digiscoped shots of both species.
Not much in the way of birds - Willow Warbler, Whitethroat and Sedgies still made half hearted attempts at song, and a distant Cuckoo.
The slacks are orchid-tastic at the moment, with Pyramidal, Bee and Marsh Helleborine joining the Marsh Orchids already out.
Offshore over the tide were good numbers of Gannet and Sandwich Tern, but it was too nice for a proper seawatch.
The Little Grebes at Sands Lake were still yikkering away, but otherwise only Tufted Duck, scabby young gulls and the resident Coots and Moorhens were on the water. Enjoying the sun on the far side was a big Red Eared Terrapin.
Tried a spot of moth trapping in the evening, but didn't get much - two Lesser Swallow Prominents and an Orange Ladybird were the most interesting catches.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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Maurice Pons wrote...
Hi John, just a few miscellaneous obs from the last couple of weeks. Scores of half grown Burnet Moth caterpillars were galloping along the sea wall at Leasowe on the 12th June. The first male Meadow Browns appeared at Crosby on the 16th. Comma caterpillar on my garden Nettle patch at the weekend, I normally find them on my Red Currant bushes. The Honesty and Jack by the Hedge which I planted for the use of the local Orange Tips have been stripped bare by Large Cabbage White caterpillars. It was nice to find a lovely fat Old Lady moth pupa whilst gardening around the base of some Ivy. Several fully grown Northern Eggar Moth caterpillars were sunning themselves at Crosby Coastguard today, meanwhile once again there was a good movement of Red Admirals and tatty Painted Ladies coming in off the sea all afternoon from the direction of Wirral or North Wales.
Posted by: Maurice Pons | June 24, 2009 10:51 PM