I have heard back from Nikon and my broken ED50 telescope has been deemed beyond repair as the spare parts required to fix it are no longer available! Nikon very kindly offered to recycle it for me in exchange for a voucher giving me 20% off another Nikon product which I politely declined and it has been returned to me still in two pieces and I (or rather David) will have a go at trying to mend it instead. Not impressed with Nikon at all, not a patch on Swarovski's after care, but at least the postage was free.
I've also had my first Ticks of the year too, probably from my tarting around on Dartmoor but they were skillfully removed by my Tick removal "credit card" purchased from the National Trust shop at Saltram House.
We had a walk around Stoke Point on Friday 7th June, it was warm and sunny at the start of our walk but slowly clouded over and cooled down as we headed back to the car after lunch in The Ship Inn at Noss Mayo. We had to park in the National Trust car park along the road to The Warren as there was a film crew recording something at the car park by the caravan site.
Anyway, the scenery along the walk was as stunning as always but it was quiet on the wildlife front with the highlights being a male Cirl Bunting, a pair of noisy Peregrines, a male Kestrel, a male Stonechat and a Painted Lady.
Painted Lady
Sunday 9th June was warm and sunny but I didn't get going very early following a late night and a few too many sherbets at Julie and Matts BBQ the night before. I headed out to Saltram and The Plym for a gentle walk, I felt OK considering the amount of food and alcohol I had consumed, I just felt tired, but it was nice to be out in the fresh air and sunshine.
The Mute Swans were still tending to their 2 cygnets on the Plym and a pair of Shelduck were feeding on Blaxton Meadow with 8 ducklings in tow. I also found a female Mandarin at Long Bridge with 2 ducklings, maybe the same female I saw a while ago with the 14 ducklings in tow and now down to just 2.
Mute Swans
Mandarin Ducks
I had a look around Chelson Meadow where the Whitethroat was still present and still skulking in the bushes. I counted 67 Bee Orchid flower spikes although more were undoubtedly present and I also found 4 Southern Marsh Orchid and a single Pyramidal orchid. A male Orange-tip, a Peacock, a male Common Blue, 2 Meadow Brown and 5 Small Heath were all seen despite the cool breeze and Grass Vetchling was still in flower amongst the tall grass.
Bee Orchid
Pyramidal Orchid
Otherwise it was all much the same with a Swift and 2 House Martins overhead and 2 Collared Doves along the shoreline near the gas pipe the only other birds of note.
We headed off to Lydford Gorge on Monday 10th June, it was sunny but again cool in the northerly wind. I had hoped to see Heath Fritillary but I was out of luck, I had read on the Internet that the site may have been overmanaged and the Fritillaries are now struggling there but the only butterfly I saw all day was a Meadow Brown which is a little bit worrying. I picked up a few more Ticks here too which were quickly dispatched before they had a chance to bite me, David as usual had none.
Tuesday 11th June was again sunny but it was also still cool in the wind as I headed off to Wembury on the 7am bus. The tide was heading in and I managed to beat the dog walkers again with 18 Oystercatcher, a Shelduck, 3 Mallard (1 female) and a Little Egret seen along the beach.
Wembury Beach
Other sightings of note were a Swift over Wembury village, the Cetti's Warbler (heard) in the valley to the beach, fledglings of Chiffchaff, Robin, Blackbird, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail, Stonechat and Carrion Crow, 4 Canada Geese flying over and a female Dartford Warbler.
Stonechat fledgling
Pied Wagtail fledglings - enjoying the insects around the Risso's Dolphin carcass
Despite the cool conditions I managed to find more butterflies than I did at Lydford the previous day with 2 Green Hairstreak, a male Common Blue, a male Orange-tip and 5 Large Skippers all seen.
Green Hairstreak
Green Hairstreak
Large Skipper
A dead Hedgehog was a surprise sight, it had been scavenged inside completely and also very recently and was just a strip of prickles left behind on the path. More pleasant was a Thrift Clearwing on the Thrift flowers, only my second ever sighting of one and in exactly the same place as the first! It was quite docile and presumably freshly emerged or just very sluggish in the cold wind.
Thrift Clearwing
Thrift Clearwing
Thrift Clearwing
Thrift Clearwing
A male Beautiful Demoiselle along the stream was a Wembury year first but it was very flitty and mobile. A Common Lizard was trying to warm up in the sun out of the wind and a Glow Worm larva was rescued off the path and placed in the nearby grass to continue its hunt for Snails.
Wednesday 12th June was sunny but cool yet again as I headed off to Dartmoor for a butterfly walk. I arrived off the bus at around 8:45am but it felt quite nippy despite the sunshine and I was glad to be wearing jeans and a jumper. I began to look for butterflies, initially with no luck, but as the sun got stronger the temperature lifted a little and I eventually found a grand total of 3 Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary and a Large Skipper.
Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary
Large Skipper
The Fritillaries were flitty and mobile but occassionally perched up on the Bracken to sunbathe. They regularly got into aerial scuffles with each other and also with the Large Skipper and it was interesting to watch them check out the tops of emerging Bracken fronds which were orangey in colour and curled over in an open wing-like shape, looking very butterfly-like.
Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary - battle scarred but very much still up for it!
Opening Bracken Frond
Willow Warblers were vocal and showy with Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Jay, Nuthatch, Bullfinch and Wren all heard too. Sightings included a Marsh Tit, a Buzzard, a male Great Spotted Woodpecker, songflighting Siskin, a male Roe Deer and a female Beautiful Demoiselle.
It gradually began to cloud over with the temperature noticeably dropping in the periods when the sun disappeared behind the clouds and so I headed home, pondering about the continuing dearth of butterflies at the moment.
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