Kingfisher hunting and geocaching

Wednesday 31st July
Dull start, but at least it is dry, only walked up to the pool, the four humbugs are doing really well also spotted and photographed quite a few hovers.

Also tried my hand at Geocaching, just google it if you don't now what it is, basically someone has hidden something and you do your best to try and find it, when found you log it on the geocaching site, good news is that I found one this morning at my first attempt.
Looks a very popular pastime.

My first geocache find

Eupeodes corollae (another first for me)

Tuesday 30th July
A walkabout early on and all was very quiet, the humbugs were all over the pool diving and getting to know the pool, three were always close to each other and the other one was happy to wander all over the pool on his own.
No sign of the heron, but someone was fishing in his favourite spot.
Home for breakfast and then the rain started.


Monday July 29th

Sunny and very nice day, had a walk over the fields but not many hovers around, but saw quite a few along the dam wall at Captain's including Syritta pipiens which is my 40th variety around Spennells.
Spotted Kingfisher just before lunch and again late evening, I know now of 3 spots where they fly to and I live in hope that one day I will get a shot.

Ectemnius

Syritta pipiens

Ectemnius

Sunday July 28th

Really dull start, managed a walk round Captain's early on in the hope of seeing the Kingfisher, but not to be, did see the heron and also the four Great Crested Grebe chicks which were swimming around quite happily by the island.

The hottest day

Saturday 27th July
Cloudy and wet when we got up, drizzle most of the morning.

Had a walk around the pool but was pretty quiet as I thought it might be, didn't stay long as it was raining pretty steady.

Friday 26th July

Bit cooler and cloudier, which to be was a pleasant change to the heat of this past week.

We had a day out today to Bala and Barmouth with Whittles, made a nice change from driving and we quite enjoyed it, not that impressed with Barmouth but it made a change, Lake Bala looked interesting though when we drove past it.
On the return we travelled through the Dinas Pass (Mach Loop) the scenery was simply amazing.

Dinas Pass taken through coach window on my phone.

Thursday 25th July

Much too hot for a walkabout so sat in the shade up the pool watching the heron, Great Crested Grebes and of course the Kingfisher, also a pair of Greylag Geese dropped in.

Didn't get any brilliant photos but I enjoyed myself.

Look what I caught

Down the hatch

Out with Daddy

Posing

The size of this fish that the GC Grebe caught was amazing.

Visiting Greylag Geese.

Heavily cropped, heron with a dragonfly, possibly a broad bodied chaser, never seen so many dragonflies in one place, heron was not only picking them from the stump after they had landed he also plucked a few from mid air. 

So warmmmmmm

Wednesday July 24th

Well that was a storm and a half through the night, thunderclaps overhead were deafening, BUT it is still oh so warm this morning, only had a short walkabout this morning and it was really muggy, everything as normal on the pool, lots of butterflies about but not many hovers.
A walk later on was much about the same as the morning, must say that I have seen so many Peacock butterflies the past few days, along with the usuals of cours.


Tuesday July 23rd
Warm from the word go, couple of walkabouts before lunch, but oh so hot.
Didn't see a lot, everything already so dry.
The young GC Grebes are still doing well, not many hovers about, but think it's too warm for them, not even a grass snake to be seen.
Lots of gulls over the pool but no sign of the kingfisher.

Monday 22nd July

Partial cloud but oh so warm.

What a day, 3 sightings of the Kingfisher this morning and one this evening just after the sun went down, so happy as watching the bird flying low over the pool is amazing.
Few hovers about, heron on the pool but it didn't stay long.
The GC Grebes are doing very well and growing very fast.

Episyrphus balteatus

Conops quadrifasciatus

Setting sun on a very muggy night.

Terrapin and hovers

Sunday 21st July

Been quieter than usual past few days due to watching the golf!

Warm and breezy, we popped out to Charlecote Park in Warwickshire, was pleased to spot my first Eristalis arbustorum.

Pleased to pick up a book from Charlecote's second hand bookshop, moths and butterflies for £2, can't beat that, happy days.

Friday and Saturday, had my usual walkabouts, but for now it is pretty quiet, have seen lots of swallows down the Stanklyn end of the carrot field.
Nothing unusual on the pool, GC Grebes are doing well, most probably too big to fit all of them on their Mother's back now, plus they are now learning to dive.
One thing though which is very annoying is the amount of dog mess of late, it's getting worse.

Thursday 18th July

Never got round Spennells till after lunch, but only a brief walk looking for hoverflies.
All is well with the GC Grebe chicks, they are growing well.

Episyrphus balteatus

Chrysotoxum bicinctum

Chrysotoxum bicinctum

Volucella zonaria (female) UK's largest hoverfly

Had a pleasant walk around Ombersley, first the church for my family history research and then the village which includes lots of Black and white buildings.

Wednesday 17th July

Warm and dry again, walkabout early on but very quiet, on Captain's it was good to see the four GC Grebe chicks still feeding well but no sign of the Little Grebe.

Very quiet on the afternoon, got a few shots of some hoverflies by Pirates Wood and that was about it.

The hardest thing with insects is identifying them, I am slowly learning some of the weird names, but why oh why did they have to get such serious sounding name, lets face it a Marmalade Hoverfly is what it is, why does it have to have such a weird scientific name, lets face it Episyrphus balteatus or Brachypalpoides lentus doesn't exactly roll off the tongue does it, plus some of them have to be killed and disected or at least be studied under a microscope to be indentified, it's all beyond me.

Terrapin

Juvenile Moorhen

Episyrphus balteatus male

Episyrphus balteatus male

Physocephala rufipes male

Essex Skipper

Gatekeeper

Volucella pellucens