RANNERDALE BLUEBELLS

   Not much of a blog really just an excuse to show off a few pictures of a wonderful natural event that this year has been truly spectacular with even the local people saying its been the best showing for years. Unlike normal Bluebells that grow in woodland these English Bluebells grow abundantly over the hillside in a small valley near Crummock Water. To reach this valley requires a short climb from the lake or a longer walk and climb from Buttermere but at this time of the year is worth it. The photographs do not do justice to the show and you have to be lucky and be there at the right time which obviously varies from year to year depending on the temperature.

LAKE DISTRICT DAMSELFLIES

   Walking by myself one day I came upon a small pond surrounded by Gorse bushes and trees that was full of vegetation and was home to quite a few damselflies so I decided to return on a bright day with my macro lens to photograph them. On a sunny afternoon I made my way back to the pond and was greeted by the sight of hundreds of insects flying around in the still conditions the most spectacular of which were the damselflies. There were two species of damselfly on the wing and the first here is the Large Red Damselfly which is found widely across the country and can vary in colour of which a couple of examples are shown. Above is a red and gold individual and below the more usual red colouration complete with red eyes.

   The other species found was the Common Blue which is another found all over the country and which varies in colour. The two examples shown below are firstly a gorgeous blue male and secondly a greyer female although these colours are not exclusive to sex.

   Among the other insects flying around were many Scorpion flies which are menacing looking insects but are in fact harmless to us, the males in particular with their 'scorpion' like tails shown below look really vicious.

   In the trees that surrounded the pond a multitude of birds flitted around no doubt feeding off the insects; these included Blackcap, Flycatchers, Wrens and Dunnocks as well as many Willow Warblers whose song was regularly heard. The picture below shows one of the Willow Warblers seen.

    On the way back to the cottage on a grassy bank I spied a couple of butterflies chasing one another and on approaching closer I saw that they were Small Heath Butterflies which are found nationally but are in decline because of the loss of the fine leaved grass habitat on which they depend.

A FEW BIRD SHOTS FROM THE LAKE DISTRICT

   The last couple of weeks have been spent in the Lake District on holiday with the family and still being without my main camera and lens meant that the opportunities for bird photography were limited but I have managed a few images that I was reasonably happy with. Firstly above is a Tree Pipit in song that we came across on a walk in Borrowdale. The bird repeatedly flew up into the air before 'parachuting' back down while singing onto a prominent perch where it continued to broadcast its song to all. It was close to the path and was quite happy for people to walk past within 20 feet without moving and continuing to perform. On the same walk further down into the valley on a quiet road we saw this Pied Wagtail sitting on a dry stone wall shown below that was more than happy for me to snap away.

   Closer to the cottage we were staying in on an evening stroll I spied this recently fledged Robin perched waiting for a parent to return with more food. The amount of bird song in this wood in the evening was incredible and it was difficult to distinguish some of the more unusual calls.

   You didn't have to leave the cottage to see wildlife with a Red Squirrel visiting regularly in the early morning or later in the evening. The Coal Tit shown below actually had a nest in the stone wall of the cottage that it accessed via a small gap by the window frame and this picture shows the bird with a beak full of insects perched in a Larch tree next to the cottage. As the young got older you could hear them calling as you sat in the lounge and the parents didn't mind us watching out of the window as they came and went. One morning we noticed that the parents were no longer coming and going and looking outside realised that the young had fledged and were deep inside a hedge being fed by the now slightly scruffy looking adult birds.

   The cottage lawn was full of Daisies and Dandelions and on several occasions we saw birds feeding from the seed heads. Sometimes these were Greenfinches but more often than not the birds were Goldfinches who would approach the seed head, stand on the stem and then proceed to eat the seeds as you can see below.

   On a walk near Buttermere this Yellowhammer hopped up onto a dry stone wall and posed nicely for me before flying off with a small flock. There were also Meadow Pipits and Wheatear around but unfortunately they did not approach me close enough to photograph. It wasn't until I looked at the Yellowhammer images that I realised that the bird I pictured was missing it's main tail feathers but it certainly didn't stop it from flying freely.

   Finally this Grey Wagtail which was perched up on a Gorse bush along the small river that runs through the Newlands valley and was busy collecting flies for its fledged youngster which were in short supply in the dull and cool conditions of that day.

GUNTON WARREN GREEN HAIRSTREAKS

   Bank holiday Monday dawned with the promise of some sun and warmer temperatures so I was hopeful when I made the journey over to the Suffolk Wildlife Trust's small reserve at Gunton Warren of seeing plenty of butterflies. Recently a great deal of work has been carried out by the trust to clear areas of dense undergrowth and restore the habitat to support a wide range of species including butterflies, birds and reptiles. Walking along the cliff top a strong wind got up and I began to think that I would be out of luck but near the south end of the reserve I found some sheltered areas adjoining the local properties and began to search.

   Green Hairstreaks are the only butterfly with green underwings but with their brown upperwings are not easy to spot in flight especially as they fly so fast. Eventually I got my eye in and managed to spot a few individuals predominantly resting on the leaves of Brambles or Gorse but whenever I approached they would take to the wing, but before long I realised that they would return to their favourite perches if I remained still allowing some really close views.

   Positioning myself to show the magnificent colour of their wings in the sunshine I managed to get plenty of shots some of which are shown here. Green Hairstreaks are often missed because of their early appearance in the year and because of the relatively short period when they can be seen on the wing during May and into June. They feed on a variety of plants including Gorse and Broom and can be found along much of our local coast land although much of their habitat has been lost in recent years.

GUNTON MEADOW GREEN WINGED ORCHIDS

   Last weekend I popped over to Gunton meadow following reports that the Green Winged orchids were in flower. These are another of the early flowering species that have a very particular habitat requirement in that they need very short unimproved grassland which is a rapidly disappearing sight now. The area in question here is behind the recently built Tesco superstore near the entrance to Pleasurewood hills theme park.

   Green Winged orchids differ from the Early purple in that they are short in stature, normally only reaching 15 cm in height and their leaves are unspotted. They have reasonably large flowers that are fewer in number on the stem and can vary in colour from purple to pinkish through to white but in all varieties the upper sepals retain the horizontal green stripes that lead to its other common name, the Green Veined orchid. There are a few examples pictured here but I could only find one paler flower, the rest being the normal shades of purple. Another identifying feature is that the Green winged orchids are found almost exclusively on grassland whereas the Early purple are normally seen in woodland.

EARLY PURPLE ORCHIDS

   In a wood local to me in South Norfolk at this time of the year you can find a small colony of Early Purple Orchids which because of the location usually remain undisturbed and provide a fantastic display. As their name suggests they are amongst the first orchids to come into flower at around the same time as the Bluebells and always remind me that the warmer days of spring are here. They are also variable in flower colour between purple and the much more unusual white, and leaf pattern between heavily spotted and plain green. Two examples of the variation in foliage are shown below.

   As I mentioned the flower colour also varies and examples can be seen here ranging from the purple through to a lightly tinted pink and finally to the unusual white.

   The different flower colours can be found growing side by side as seen below with a selection of other pictures taken in the last week.