It’s October, it’s almost Halloween, but I’m sleeping with the window open as it is so warm. We’ve had trickles of birds coming through on migration, such as woppa swans, sorry, whooper swans, and skeins of pink feet flying over. We’ve also had up to 27 ruff around taking advantage of our larvae filled mud. And the first redwings were in today. It’s time to get the apples out ready for arriving waxwings. But I’m out there in my t-shirt some days and yesterday was one of those warm but windy do I wear a coat or not ? days.
After such a dreadful summer for insects, it’s good to see what remains of them out and about now. Red admirals, comma and speckled wood butterflies are basking and feeding in the pollinator garden, a shield bug took up residence in my hair earlier and the dragonflies are represented by the abundant common darters and migrant hawkers.
Hawking migrant hawker by Mark Stokeld
Migrant hawkers are interesting in that they colonised Britain in the 1950’s, along with collared doves. But the collard doves spread more rapidly, with the hawkers only recently catching up. They are by far the most abundant of the hawker dragonflies, and we’ll be able to enjoy watching them until the first frosts. One thing about them which helps boost their adult numbers is that unlike other dragonflies, they are not as territorial. They even hunt insects in small flocks, and it’s good to see these large insects in mini swarms feeding low over tracks and clearings. In fact, it’s not just good, it’s well good. No, it’s proper good, which I’m quite sure is the most good you can get. But I’ll check with a young person.