Make the best of it..

This is the week I should have been off having an adventure in Croatia.  So I decided to to take a leaf out of PB's book and make the most of it at home.  On Monday I went to one of my sites and decided I would do a FIT count for the UK Pollinator monitoring scheme as well as my flutters 

Thick legged flower beetle 

While I wandered along I heard a rustling in the undergrowth and spotted this handsome lad,  the Mrs had scuttled off. Western Green Lizard - 

Lacerta bilineata

further along another popped up - I'm not sure how comfortable gorse is for sunbathing on 

As I walked up the hill I encountered this lady who was either poking to bury prey or egg lay  Sphecid wasp - possibly Padalonia sp.  I also took some video of it digging as it was most impressive

When I got back to the carpark I decided to do another FIT survey and as I was setting up heard a familiar call and youngsters food begging, a quick scan of the rock face revealed some young Jackdaws.  Over the years Kestrels have successfully nested  in this area but I think they may have moved away due to the neighbours 

I then decided to go off on a Bee Orchid hunt but came up blank - lots of hair tails this year - the posts are markers for Orchids to protect them from streamers etc but they haven't emerged this year 

Having failed to find any out and about I then went to the Orchid fields 

The fields were quite poor for insects but I did find a Mother Shipton

The weather has gone off a bit now but hopefully after a bit of rain we might have more insects 

CinJ 

  • Stunning lizards Cin, and it's amazing what you'll find out and about, especially as you say, after this drop of rain :o) Keep us posted
  • Lovely collection of species Caroline and love the Western Green Lizard, what a stunner. Sorry you missed out on your Croatian holiday, seems a totally different world at the moment but thank goodness we have the natural world to admire. Keeps us sane !
  • The Western Green Lizard is beautiful. I had to look it up and found that's an introduced species to the Channel Islands, Apparently, it's also been introduced to the south coast of England around Poole Harbour.
  • Lovely set of photos Cin and wonderful to find those lizards, the nearest we get to them around home are grass snakes.
  • Unknown said:
    The Western Green Lizard is beautiful. I had to look it up and found that's an introduced species to the Channel Islands, Apparently, it's also been introduced to the south coast of England around Poole Harbour.

    I've always understood the WGL to be native to Jersey, it being the northern most point of the range and being recorded from C17th. I think the Wall lizard is an introduced species.  

    CinJ 

  • Quite a good looking lizard with it's lovely colouring Caroline, beautiful orchids and I don't believe I have seen a Mother Shipton before, it looks fairly large, probably just as well you went out when you did with the weather turning. O'h well we had a good run:-)