As alluded to previously it is all too easy to get carried away with the incredible recent successes of our big birds of prey and unfairly consign the successes of other species to a place in the shade. The Oystercatcher pair on the saltmarsh have done fantastically well to rear all four chicks to fledge. The speed that they transform from helpless fluffy blobs to full grown, virtual facsimiles of their parents is astounding.
In the same vicinity as the ‘oycs’ the common terns are experiencing boom time and what an animated spectacle the collectively make. Although sleek and dainty they aren’t half quarrelsome birds at this time of year. The colony comprises a collection of individuals who will steal a smelt from a neighbour without a moments thought but form a united front in the event of any threat to the collective... an honour amongst thieves?
Mobbing terns above and baby terns below. Allan Neilson.
Luke snapped this delightful young lesser whitethroat on Radipole last week. Just one of a vast number of recently fledged LBJ's that appear to be faring well, possibly owing to the glut of invertebrates that have chomped through a significant portion of our reed stems.
While on the invert path butterflies and dragonflies are now more numerous given the more settled weather. Day flying moths such as burnet, cinnabar and tiger moths add yet more welcome colour. An opportunity to get up close and personal with the more secretive nocturnal moths is approaching in the form of Saturdays moth event. Moth traps are to be run on the reserves over Friday night and the resulting captures displayed and later released on Saturday morning. Phil Sterling (DCC Ecologist and county moth recorder) will be running the event and what Phil doesn’t know about our moths probably isn’t worth knowing. Details on what’s in store and how to book on the link below.
An eyed hawkmoth caught on the 15th July 2008. Fingers crossed for more of the same on the 15th/16th July 2011.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/events/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-280352