Clevedon Wildlife

 After my success with the Duke of Burgundy butterfly I was inspired to go for another species I have not seen for years. This was the Small Blue and I chose Stoke Camp. Again, like the Common Clubtail dragonfly I only saw one individual but this was more down to me abandoning it early when my camera battery gave out and my spare appeared to be empty so all my own fault. One is still so much better than none though and I was happy with my initial shots I also got an underside view  There were not many butterflies on the wing despite a temperature of 20 degrees but I did get close to this Small Heath and I always enjoy seeing Brown Argus Otherwise a Painted Lady was a surprise migrant and the first Meadow Browns I have seen this year barrelled past in the stiff breeze. These will be species I suspect that I will see many times later in the year

 It is that time of year when my thoughts turn towards butterflies, moths and dragonflies with a try at improving on last years pictures. This weekend I journeyed back to the Severn at Tewkesbury where two visits last year produced a single male Common Clubtail. This year's trip only produced a single female but it was both close and  obliging There were also plenty of Scarce Chasers around and who can resist the Banded Demoiselles which are instantly recognisable and also photogenic I also went to Priddy to try and get flight shots of Downy Emerald. After 2 hours of trying I had a very sore wrist from focussing and not much else. Next stop butterflies.

 Sadly the two broods of Lapwing chicks (7 birds in total) all failed to make it past a week old. There is at present, an adult sitting again though so fingers crossed. The poor weather with lots of rain served to reflood the area though which looked to be good news for the Redshank, I suspected of being on a nest. And indeed it turned out that way with two chicks hatching on Sat 5th June and both still alive Wed. I even managed a short video of one of them. The long bill marks it out from Lapwings Other birds were closer and so easier to photograph, such as this Whitethroat There are several pairs of these now breeding. The presence of a very young Rock Pipit means that they have also successfully bred Other exciting events this week have been the discovery of a Red-veined Darter during our dragonfly survey at Portbury Wharf And, of course, the fantastic finding of a River Warbler on the Somerset levels by one keen eyed observer I have long wanted to see this species in the UK and...

 Many years ago I studied ornithology and was lucky to be taught by the late Dr Bryan Nelson. He was the world expert on Sulids (Gannets and Boobies) and had done his first research on the famous Gannet colony on the Bass Rock in the firth of fourth. Two weeks ago Joan and I finally got the chance to go up to Scotland to visit her family as covid restrictions eased. We booked a hotel near to Dalkeith which happened to be close to this island. Having a few hours free on one day we decided to finally see what sort of an experience the rock offered and so booked a short trip out to sail around it from the Scottish Seabird Centre at North Berwick. Amazingly the rain and cold, present for most of May, cleared away on the day of our trip and we enjoyed calm winds, a flattish sea and warm sunshine. ,From the South the Island gives you the classic postcard view And as you get closer and closer the sights and sounds, along with the smells get stronger and more dramatic.   This colony i...