Fritillary Frustration at Dartmeet

A cloudy and breezy but warm and humid day on Monday 26th June saw us heading off to Badgers Holt at Dartmeet on Dartmoor for a cream tea and a walk. The forecast for the afternoon was for breaks in the clouds to appear and indeed the cloud did break up a little but it was for brief spells only.

Badgers Holt has been taken over by new owners and the cream tea was as good as ever - the scone cakes were much improved since our last visit but the Langage Farm clotted cream was a little past its best. As we left though the Langage Farm delivery truck arrived bringing fresh supplies of clotted cream but never mind.

We headed off down the River Dart and as we walked along the riverside there were grey wagtails feeding amongst the boulders in the river and beautiful demoiselles flitting around in the waterside vegetation.

 Male Beautiful Demoiselle

 Male Beautiful Demoiselle

 Male Beautiful Demoiselle

Female Beautiful Demoiselle

Singing chiffchaff, blackcap, willow warbler and yellowhammer were heard and 2 male yellowhammers were also seen., 2 juvenile dippers flew downriver and out of sight and I had a brief view of 2 goosanders flying upriver, glimpsed briefly between the trees.

I disturbed a butterfly from the vegetation by the path which dashed off and out of sight, a dark green or high brown fritillary, and 2 faded fritillaries flew past in a brief sunny spell, either pearl bordered or small pearl bordered fritillaries. A silver washed fritillary also flew past at break neck speed but at least I was able to confirm ID despite the brief view.

The only other butterflies seen were 2 meadow brown, one with a damaged left wing but still able to fly, and I found an oil beetle looking a little worse for wear and a nice longhorn beetle which I think is a Strangalia maculate.

 Meadow Brown

 Oil Beetle 

Strangalia maculate

Strangalia maculate

Brown silver-line were flitting about amongst the bracken and I had a brief view of a chimney sweeper before it flew off. Bilberries by the path side were very tasty although very tongue and finger staining and a few moths were disturbed from the leaves, I managed to get  record shot of one as it landed on a mossy covered rock before flying off again, not sure what it is but maybe a July highflyer.

 Brown Silver-Line

Brown Silver-Line

July Highflyer

An enjoyable walk but with mostly frustrating views of the wildlife and I also managed to pick up 2 ticks, my first of the year, but that is Dartmoor in June for you.

Marbled Whites and Ravens

July 5th and a cloudy morning saw me heading off to Costas on Mutley Plain in Plymouth to catch up with my friend Monica for a coffee and a chat about life, the universe and everything. The forecast for later was for warm sunshine and on leaving Costas it was indeed a pleasant afternoon and so I headed off to nearby Ford Park Cemetery for a butterfly walk.

Back in 2013 I learnt that there were marbled whites at the cemetery and so I went to have a look and managed to see just one individual. I have never returned to have another look for them and so it seemed an ideal opportunity to try again. And as I approached the cemetery gates a marbled white flopped along the pavement before flying over the high stone wall of the cemetery and out of sight. Job done!

On entering the cemetery there were a few marbled whites flitting across the grass and as I wandered around I managed to see quite a few across the whole site although they were very active and mobile in the warm sunshine and rarely settled for long.

 Marbled White

 Marbled White

 Marbled White

 Marbled White

 Marbled White

More numerous were meadow browns and ringlets and I also managed to see 2 small tortoiseshells, 2 large whites and 2 large skippers.

 Meadow Brown

 Ringlet

 Ringlet

Large Skipper

The highlight though was a hummingbird hawkmoth feeding on red valerian flowers and I even managed a few quick photos of it before it dashed off out of sight.

 Hummingbird Hawkmoth

 Hummingbird Hawkmoth - look at that proboscis!

Hummingbird Hawkmoth

A burnet companion, 2 six spot burnet moths and a cinnabar moth were also seen along with a six spot burnet caterpillar on common birdsfoot trefoil and 2 cinnabar moth caterpillars on ragwort.

A buzzard mewing overhead along with a swift and 2 chittering swallows were seen with a chiffchaff, a blackcap and a blackbird heard singing. 2 ravens were again sat in a big pine tree where I had seen them a few weeks ago, presumably the 2 young birds I had previously seen but now much more adult like. One croaked noisily before flying off to a nearby tombstone where it continued to croak, maybe a hungry young bird calling for the adults?

 Raven

 Raven

Raven

All in all not a bad few hours walk with lots of butterflies to distract me from the world.

Wildlife Dawdle at Wembury

Saturday June 18th and I headed off to Wembury for a walk in the warm sunshine to try and sooth my weary soul after a very trying week at work where I have felt tired and irritable, not helped by the bigoted and ignorant comments made to me by a retiring work colleague I have worked alongside for nearly 13 years and the on-going ups and downs of my lovely sister-in-laws haematology treatment on my Unit, now in its 4th week.

I was feeling a bit flat and listless and so my walk turned into a dawdle but I had a very pleasent time enjoying the wildlife and the sunshine and the views.

With the fantastic footage of birds at their nests on Springwatch on BBC2 now at an end for this year it was nice to see various fledglings flitting about - stonechat, whitethroat, robin, blue tit and blackbird young were all seen. Plenty of singing birds seen and heard too including chiffchaff, blackcap, pheasent, whitethroat, linnet, wren, cirl bunting, dunnock and stonechat.

 Male Whitethroat

 Male Whitethroat

Male Cirl Bunting

Along the beach a little egret, a curlew, 3 male mallards, oystercatchers and 3 rock pipits were seen while a raven and 3 buzzards flew overhead along with a swift, a bird I don't see very often at Wembury.

Butterflies were on the wing and I had nice views of my first 2 meadow brown of the year along with 3 painted lady, 2 small tortoiseshell, 1 male orange tip, 2 large skipper, 1 male common blue and small whites. No moths in the toilet block but I did find 6 spot burnet and lackey moth caterpillars and a gallium carpet disturbed from the vegetation along with a faded diamond back moth on a daisy flower.

 Large Skipper

 Meadow Brown

 Painted Lady

Painted Lady

Diamond Back Moth

3 common lizards including a large green one with a damaged tail and bloody nose beetles were also seen including yet another pair mating -  perhaps I should come back as a bloody nose beetle in my next life!

After a pasty and coffee for lunch at the cafe I caught the bus home, stopping off at The Morley Arms by Laira Bridge to look at 2 clumps of pyramidal orchids growing on the grass verge that I had noticed earlier on the bus ride out. One clump was more advanced with the flowers open but the second clump had yet to flower fully - I hope they get a move on before the council comes along and mows the grass.

Pyramidal Orchid

I wandered over to Blagdons Meadow, a Plymouth City Council nature reserve, where a rowing club meet was taking place at the clubhouse at the top end and it was very sad to see loads of cars parking up on the grass of the meadow. The site has a locked gate which was open so I guess the Council had allowed the parking, you wouldn't think the meadow was a County Wildlife Site with rare plants and invertebrates present.

I had a wander around and found 2 meadow browns and 2 common blues in the increasingly cloudy conditions but there was no sign of any small heath again. Plenty of burnet companion moths were flitting about but many were showing signs of wear and had lost their orangey hindwing colouring.

 Meadow Brown

Burnet Companion

False Oil Beetle

The southern marsh orchids were also starting to go over and had turned much paler but were still putting on quite a show. I also found 5 bee orchids which were weedy and straggly looking especially when compared to the large and robust specimen I found at Billacombe Railway 2 weeks ago.

 Southern Marsh Orchid

 Bee Orchid

Bee Orchid

Heading home and I felt a little better about life, the universe and everything, wildlife certainly helps to keep me sane and anchored to my place in the world.