Tuesday 5 June 2012

Jubile Weekend Wildlife

In between the  typical holiday chores, visiting family and attending a very wet bun throwing, the long weekend provided a few opportunities (in between the rain) to get down to the river and enjoy the calm and see what was about:
Three weeks later than last year, the mayfly have finally emerged.
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As the mayfly emerge, so do their predators, including this small red damselfly

Update (29/8/2012): This is not, as described above, a small red damselfly (Ceriagrion tenellum), it is a more common large red damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphal)
Thanks to Ian for the correction.
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Also on this part of the river are the first ducklings of the year. As there are so many of them it could mean there are no mink or otters about, as both have a predilection for small water fowl.
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Another new arrival is a pair of lapwings, like most ground nesting birds these have been hit hard to by changes in the use of agricultural land, so it is great to have them nesting in the nearby fields:
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The recent warmer weather allowed the river flora to start growing, making it increasingly hard to spot water voles
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Although some are more obliging, by climbing up the willow trees to head height:
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4 comments:

  1. Martin Gulliver6 June 2012 at 23:52

    Wonderful photos as ever - I must walk around with my eyes closed! - must get out there this week!!

    martin G

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  2. Hi Martin,
    You can't really miss the mayfly at the moment as they are everywhere - although this recent bad weather may have deterred them (and me).
    The water voles are getting harder to spot as the vegetation starts to grow.

    Richard

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  3. Martin Gulliver10 June 2012 at 02:23

    Yes we had a good few on the surface of our garden pond (two frogs this year!!)

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  4. Richard,

    The captioned 'Small Red Damsel' is actually a male Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula). An easy and frequent mix up by even the most experienced observer taken in by the dominant red colour The very localised Small Red Damselfly ( Ceriagrion tenellum) has a specialised habitat in the UK. Fish free, ultra shallow bog/mires pools and seepages. In the south of the UK, it is at the NW extent of its mainly Mediterranean range. The Large Red is very widespread and common including in garden ponds, able to tolerate fish and a wide range of habitats; it is also the earliest species to emerge each year, often by the end of April.

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