Sunny Days Off Work

Our week off work has been a quiet week just pottering around but the weather has been very good with sunshine and heat building as the week has progressed. We had originally planned to have last week off, a good job we swapped weeks as last week was mostly cool and wet. However the summer birding doldrums seem to have arrived a little early this year but at least the good weather has brought out the insects.

A quick walk around Saltram on Sunday 21st May with friends Julie and Matt was busy with lots of people out enjoying the sun but I did see 9 male mandarin ducks around the pond, presumably post breeding birds, along with 4 very small moorhen chicks being eyed up by a herring gull much to their parents consternation. A nuthatch was coming down to the tables by the cafe to pick up cake crumbs with blue tits, great tits and chaffinches while swallows flitted about overhead.

Mandarin Duck, Saltram

Monday 22nd and we drove up to Bude for the day to check the caravan is still ok on the storage site and to have a look around the town. It was quiet bird wise with just 2 fulmar and 2 gannet offshore, a singing whitethroat along the cliffs, a singing sedge warbler heard at Northcott Beach with another heard at Maer Lake, 2 shelduck and 3 mute swans at Maer Lake and sand martins overhead. No spring squill was found on the clifftops, presumably all gone over now, no Manx shearwaters were found offshore and no sticklebacks were found in the stream which was disappointing and it was sad to see the old caravan site looking a mess as the planned building works continue.

Wednesday 23rd and we drove up to Hembury Woods on Dartmoor near Buckfastleigh for a walk, a site we haven't visited before. The woods were lovely with blackcap, chiffchaff, willow warbler, garden warbler, spotted flycatcher and pied flycatcher heard and a songflighting tree pipit seen. The sun began to appear from behind the clouds as we walked up to the Iron Age Fort/Norman Castle at the top of the hill where the warmth coaxed out the butterflies - brimstone, speckled wood, a holly blue, a green hairstreak, green veined white and my target butterfly, pearl bordered fritillaries. The fritillaries were very active and mobile but I managed to get a few decent photos of what were a little tatty looking individuals. I've seen pearl bordered fritillaries a few times but have never had really good views of them so it was very nice to see them so well.

 Holly Blue, Hembury Woods

 Green Hairstreak, Hembury Woods

 Green Hairstreak

Brimstone

 Pearl Bordered Fritillary

 Pearl Bordered Fritillary

 Pearl Bordered Fritillary

 Pearl Bordered Fritillary

 Pearl Bordered Fritillary

 Pearl Bordered Fritillary

Pearl Bordered Fritillary

The Fort was large and very interesting but very overgrown and difficult to imagine although the National Trust seem to have plans to improve the site alongside management of the habitat for the wildlife, a winter visit with no leaves on the trees and no bracken would be better to appreciate the site archeologically.

There were lots of Dor beetles bumbling around, not surprising considering the amount of dog shit lying around - what is it with nature reserves and beautiful places that prevents people picking up after their beloved pets? An oil beetle was a much more pleasent find though.

 Oil Beetle, Hembury Woods

Oil Beetle, Hembury Woods

After a very enjoyable walk we moved on to Sharp Tor to admire the views on what was a very hot but glorious day. A cuckoo was calling and then seen flying low over the bracken, a whitethroat and a willow warbler were heard and a stonechat and meadow pipits were songflighting, and I saw another green hairstreak, another holly blue and 4 wall brown along with a large red damselfly and a longhorn beetle species.

 Large Red Damselfly, Sharp Tor

Longhorn Beetle Sp., Sharp Tor

Onwards to the Two Bridges Hotel for afternoon tea, which was as delicious as usual, and then a visit to father in law at Woolwell before heading home and it had been a very enjoyable and interesting day out.