Wright's Wanderings

Scarce Umber, RW, 19th November

2011-11-21T00:18:00.000Z

The two traps caught 27 December Moths, 3 Sprawlers, 3 Scarce Umbers, 3 Feathered Thorns, 1 Dark Arches and a few Winter Moths.

December Moths

2011-11-21T00:13:00.000Z

Feathered Thorn

2011-11-21T00:06:00.000Z

Dark Arches

2011-11-21T00:04:00.000Z

A single Dark Arches in the trap. Books say that there is sometimes a partial second generation in Oct-Nov but the 19th Nov is the latest one for me. Actually got quite excited over a Dark Arches for once.

Bullfinch, RW

2011-11-20T23:56:00.000Z

Last four photo's taken through kitchen window glass. Never any light when they visit the bush but a gorgeous bird to watch at close quarters whatever the circumstances.

Feathered Thorn and other moths, RW, 4th Nov

2011-11-07T16:41:00.000Z

Gem

2011-11-07T16:37:00.000Z

First time that i have seen this migrant in the garden and i nearly missed it on the outside of the trap.

Sprawler

2011-11-07T16:33:00.001Z

29 were in the two traps last night, with 26 in the front garden trap.

November Moth

2011-11-07T16:25:00.000Z

Probably so plain and silvery because of wear.

The Chestnut

2011-11-07T16:22:00.000Z

Pearly Underwing

2011-11-07T16:18:00.000Z

Like a cross between a Large Yellow Underwing and a Turnip Moth.

Dark Sword-grass

2011-11-07T16:15:00.000Z

The future of Spoon-billed Sandpiper - a thought and rant.

2011-10-21T17:21:00.004+01:00

Having just read another 2 articles about the Spoon-billed Sandpiper project, one on the Internet and the other in the RSPB mag, i really feel that it's time everybody wakes up and realises that the species is beyond help in it's present range.

Habitat destruction and the rising human population which then results in many people having to catch birds and animals to sell or eat just to survive in E and SE Asia is NEVER going to change regardless of what conservation bodies believe or do. I have spent some time in China,Vietnam and Thailand and even with the greatest of optimism it is blindingly obvious what the future holds for much of the wildlife in these areas.

The most recent article says that potentially a third of the Spooners world population has recently been found stopping off on an estuary in China and that the area is currently under threat from development. Well there's a big surprise. I think the end aim of the project is to one day supplement the wild population with captive bred birds, once the sandpipers decline has been thwarted. I'm afraid that if this is to be achieved then the whole human population from North Korea south to Sri Lanka will have to be exterminated. Not ethically correct in this day and age, if your going to do it by the book that is.

The only possible solution i see is to try and relocate them further west, say in NW Russia and maybe even Scandinavia. We still have sufficient estuaries and wetlands on this side of the world for them to use for refuelling and wintering alongside Dunlins, Curlew Sands, Little Stints etc. Using captive bred birds would also allow for mistakes to be made and possibly rectified. It all sounds fairly straightforward but it's plain to see from the ongoing discussions over whether Wild Boar and Beaver should be in Britain that some conservation bodies just don't have the bollock's nowadays to attempt something groundbreaking. The other thing i guess you have to consider is whether you could justify what it would all cost.

We have almost certainly lost Slender-billed Curlew to extinction and having seen what was probably the last genuine one in Morocco in winter94/95? (the Northumberland bird was just a Curlew) i think you could justify it. It would feel wrong to lose a bird that i have personally seen and spent time studying. Attempting to relocate S-b Sands might not work but i don't see any other alternatives other than visiting a zoo to see them in the future.

The problems facing Spooners will i guess eventually affect other waders such as Great Knots and Red-necked Stints and even if hunting was watered down i don't see the destruction of the Asian coastline ever going away. All cheery stuff.

One foot in the door

2011-10-19T14:14:00.001+01:00

White-rumped Sandpiper, RW, October

2011-10-18T02:38:00.000+01:00

After what can only be described as a disasterous wader passage at RW, it seemed a bit daft that one of my largest groups of Dunlins (10!) this autumn should contain an adult White-rumped Sand. I like W-r Sands for the reason that although they are are easy to identify they still blend nicely into a group of Dunlin.

American Wigeon

2011-10-18T02:10:00.000+01:00

Presumably last winters bird.

Peregrine alert

2011-10-18T02:07:00.000+01:00

Golden Plovers are nervous at the best of times but throw a Peregrine into the equation and they become more highly strung than a chimp on meths.

Peregrine having fun

2011-10-18T01:55:00.000+01:00

This juvenile female took great delight in scaring the living daylights out of the ducks. It is the only time you will ever see Mallards, Pintails and Gadwalls diving head first into the water.

RW

2011-10-18T01:45:00.002+01:00

Low water levels and warm temperatures have encouraged prolific weed growth in the main reservoir, more so than in recent years. This has resulted in thousands of waterfowl using the floating beds of weed to feed and rest on. Tufted Duck and Wigeon make up the bulk of the birds. A Balloon took off nearby on saturday afternoon and flushed every single waterfowl in the western half of the reservoir. Aerial disturbance from people with too much money is getting worse by the day.

Small Copper, October, RW

2011-10-06T23:02:00.000+01:00

Merveille du Jour, RW

2011-10-06T22:55:00.000+01:00

Beaded Chestnut

2011-10-06T22:51:00.000+01:00

Sallow and Pink-barred Sallow

2011-10-06T22:50:00.000+01:00

Brindled Green

2011-10-06T22:46:00.000+01:00

Green-brindled Crescent

2011-10-06T22:44:00.000+01:00

Frosted Orange

2011-10-06T22:40:00.000+01:00

Male Tegenaria

2011-09-24T23:14:00.000+01:00

This male house spider was suspended in the web of a large female Pholcus, which was sitting about 10 inches away. I stood for ages on a chair above the toilet, waiting for the two to come to blows. Unfortunately, i accidentally touched a thread of web and the male Tegenaria reacted like greased lightening, running at the camera and my face and making me fall off the chair and nearly head first in to the bath. It reminded me of a very simliar incident that i had with a huge orb spider in Vietnam. Not nice.

Pholcus

2011-09-22T21:45:00.000+01:00

Female holding egg sac and bottom two show a male. This pair hang just above the toilet. They specialise in catching other spiders (their long legs enable them to wrap up another spider without getting too close) and i would love to see one take on a tegenaria, like the one below.

Male Tegenaria

2011-09-22T20:32:00.000+01:00

A large male sitting next to the kettle.

Barn Owls, Rutland, 15th September

2011-09-15T23:06:00.000+01:00

Many pairs in Rutland seemed to have delayed their breeding until later in the summer. This brood were ringed tonight.

Whinchats, RW, 13th September

2011-09-15T21:43:00.001+01:00

A very confiding pair, digi-scoped while they caught grasshoppers from a fence.

GBBG trying to swallow the impossible, RW

2011-09-15T21:34:00.000+01:00

This Greater Black-backed Gull spent over an hour trying to swallow an enormous Rainbow Trout corpse. Most of the fishes body was like a thick decaying sock but it was still connected to a huge skull. The gull was able to swallow the whole body but not the skull. It would then walk around with the skull hanging out of it's bill before eventually sicking the whole thing up and trying again. Truly disgusting but entertaining at the same time.

Ospreys, RW

2011-09-15T20:37:00.000+01:00

Hobby, RW

2011-09-15T20:32:00.000+01:00

A passing adult Hobby suddenly locked on to a Dunlin and performed manoeuvre's that would have caused a human body to explode. Two casual visitors sitting next to me had never seen a Hobby before and were literally gobsmacked at the twists and turns that both birds were performing over the water. The Dunlin won this time and the Hobby sauntered off south.

Common Terns, RW

2011-09-15T20:21:00.000+01:00

A group of 26 migrating Common Terns arrived from the east and paused briefly before carrying on south-west.

Little Egret bill bubbling

2011-09-15T20:14:00.000+01:00

I must confess that i don't spend that much time watching Little Egrets but i don't remember ever seeing one fishing like this one. It was creating bubbles with its bill which then attracted fish to either the noise or increased oxygen?, like an air stone in a garden pond. It never foot paddled like they usually do and seemed to be catching plenty of sprats with the bill bubbling method.

Funghi and Common Hawker

2011-09-15T19:46:00.000+01:00

The funghi looked like a basking Buttterfly from a distance.

Brambling, Northern Scotland, early August

2011-08-26T01:40:00.001+01:00

A few days spent checking Osprey nests with Roy Dennis. During our rounds we found this very vocal male Brambling in pine trees next to a loch - a very rare breeding bird in Britain. The date and habitat would suggest it to be a summering bird at the very least.

Ospreys, Spey Bay

2011-08-26T01:18:00.000+01:00

The rain was torrential as we pulled into the car park at the mouth of the River Spey. Peering through the blurred window at the river i must confess that i had already written off the day as a complete disaster. However, we persevered and ended up having a superb few hours with fishing and perched Ospreys despite the continuous rain.

2011-08-26T01:13:00.000+01:00

2011-08-26T00:30:00.002+01:00

Crested Tit in moult.

2011-08-26T00:29:00.002+01:00

2011-08-26T00:27:00.001+01:00

Ospreys, Findhorn Bay

2011-08-26T00:26:00.000+01:00

2011-08-26T00:22:00.000+01:00

Distant Honey Buzzard circling up.

2011-08-26T00:20:00.000+01:00

A very high Osprey nest with 3 juveniles.

Sika deer, Dorset, late July

2011-08-23T00:20:00.000+01:00

Moth Trap

2011-08-23T00:08:00.001+01:00

Nothing like waking up to a trap covered in moths especially when it's in Dorset.

Rosy Footman

2011-08-23T00:04:00.000+01:00

Quite variable in colour, ranging from orange-pink. The brightest pink ones almost glow in the dark.

Pine Hawkmoth

2011-08-22T23:59:00.000+01:00

Coronet

2011-08-22T23:56:00.001+01:00

Buff-tip

2011-08-22T23:55:00.002+01:00

Peacock Moth

2011-08-22T23:53:00.002+01:00

Micro Moths

2011-08-22T23:52:00.002+01:00

Black Arches

2011-08-22T23:49:00.000+01:00

Dusky Sallow

2011-08-22T23:48:00.000+01:00

Canary-shouldered Thorn

2011-08-22T23:47:00.000+01:00

Lobster Moth

2011-08-22T23:43:00.000+01:00

I placed the moth at the bottom of a Sallow tree and let it choose its final hiding place. It crawled halfway up the trunk, then moved diagonally across before stopping in what couldn't have been a better place for its colour and markings. The amount of times that moths do this is surely no coincidence.

2011-08-22T23:32:00.000+01:00

2011-08-22T23:29:00.001+01:00

Evergestis pallidata

2011-08-22T23:28:00.000+01:00

Large Emerald

2011-08-22T23:26:00.000+01:00

Virtually pristine and stunning.

Nut-tree Tussock

2011-08-22T23:24:00.000+01:00

Peacock and Grayling

2011-08-22T23:23:00.000+01:00

Juv Pied Flycatcher

2011-08-22T23:21:00.000+01:00

Several juveniles were already beginning to move through.

Wood Tiger Beetles

2011-08-22T23:17:00.000+01:00

Ferocious predators of heathland dunes. Some 10ft versions of these wandering the streets would soon sort out some of the scum and lazy vermin we now have in society.

Juvenile Osprey, RW

2011-07-20T23:28:00.000+01:00

The Lapwing egg pulverizers lurking in the background, looking for more eggs to destroy.

From this....

2011-07-20T23:11:00.000+01:00

to this in 18 days, RW

2011-07-20T23:09:00.000+01:00

The first Kestrel left the box today and ended up in a nearby Oak. The rate of growth is quite staggering and they really do change before your very eyes.

2nd cy Caspian Gull, RW

2011-07-18T17:42:00.001+01:00

Hobby mobbing Buzzard, Rutland

2011-07-14T23:24:00.000+01:00

Lichens, Scottish Borders

2011-07-13T23:40:00.000+01:00

I don't know anything about Lichens but i could have stared at this rock all day. The patterns and colours were mesmerising.

2011-07-13T23:27:00.001+01:00

Orchids by the A7, Borders

2011-07-13T23:17:00.000+01:00

Mostly Common Spotted but probably a few hybrid Northern Marsh mixed in.

Ragged Robin

2011-07-13T23:05:00.000+01:00

Northern Eggar

2011-07-13T23:01:00.000+01:00

A female at the end of her life.

Blue-tailed Damselflies

2011-07-13T22:56:00.000+01:00

Horsetail

2011-07-13T22:54:00.000+01:00

Foxgloves

2011-07-12T23:01:00.000+01:00

Fox Moth

2011-07-12T22:58:00.003+01:00

Golden Eagle

2011-07-12T22:57:00.000+01:00

A satellite tagged immature that is currently touring the Scottish Borders. I soon realised that my body wasn't designed for traversing the vertical hillsides as i searched for the eagle.

Common Sandpiper

2011-07-12T22:49:00.000+01:00

A territorial adult perched on a beautifully vegetated rock.

Spotted Flycatcher at dusk, RW

2011-07-12T22:45:00.001+01:00

A few recent moths, RW.

2011-07-12T22:37:00.000+01:00

Poplar Hawkmoth

White Plume Moth

2011-07-12T22:36:00.000+01:00

Leopard Moths

2011-07-12T22:29:00.000+01:00

A strange moth, the larvae living in wood for several years.

Elephant Hawkmoth

2011-07-12T22:24:00.000+01:00

Coronets

2011-07-12T22:22:00.001+01:00

Buff-tip

2011-07-12T22:13:00.000+01:00

The ultimate moth. Common but stunning.

Juvenile House Martins

2011-07-12T22:06:00.000+01:00

Fresh out of the nest this morning and still finding their feet.

Burnished Brass

2011-06-23T00:26:00.000+01:00

Many common moths are far more impressive than many of the rarer ones - a bit like birds (female White-throated Robin = pile of shite, male Chaffinch = stunning ).

Privet Hawkmoth

2011-06-23T00:16:00.001+01:00

Always nice to see.

Ghost Moth

2011-06-23T00:11:00.000+01:00

A stunning female. The gleaming white males 'lekking' display in long grass at dusk is a lovely sight.

Grass Snake hunting newts, RW

2011-06-11T22:29:00.000+01:00

Sweden, Late April

2011-05-05T23:20:00.001+01:00

A few days in Sweden with no people, no noise and no Royal Wedding bollocks. Just birds, animals and insects.

Cranes

2011-05-05T23:16:00.000+01:00

Great Grey Owl

2011-05-05T23:15:00.000+01:00

Brimstone, Comma and Green Hairstreak

2011-05-05T23:10:00.000+01:00

Lynx!!

2011-05-05T23:06:00.000+01:00

Having seen it the day before, run across the front of the car as we drove slowly down a forest track, we considered ourselves very lucky even if it was extremely brief and with our naked eyes. However, we were even more shocked to find it sitting in the same area at 05.30 the following morning. It stayed for about 2 minutes before slowly but swiftly making it's way back in to cover. The colour of it's coat varied depending on the angle and light, appearing pretty bright as it bounded off.

Green Sandpipers

2011-05-05T22:31:00.000+01:00

The Green Sandpipers were already on territory, singing and displaying in the forest clearings and rides.