Not Many Sightings

Dispersal is taking place so I'm not getting any sightings, but when I leave a camera up, the voles are there.

 

A Trip to Hilbre Island

 

Grey seals on a distant shore.

The egg of a dogfish, ray or skate, sometimes called a mermaid's purse.

It takes about 45 minutes to walk across to the island. Check the tide times before you set off, wear stout or waterproof footwear and take a bottle of water with you. There is a useful car park next to Morrison's on the sea front.

Elegant curlew. There were lots of waders about.

Super-rare Moth!

 

This is the Clifden Nonpareil, sometimes described as the "holy grail" of moth trapping. I never thought I'd see one, so I was hugely excited when I saw the flash of blue underwing - no other moth has this. They are impressively large and shaped like the Old Lady moth, which at first I thought it was.

Three Common Blues.

Below, lizards at Pant and Prees Heath.

Above, Painted Lady. Below, a Wall.

Redstart and a heron.

Caterpillar of an Emperor moth. They can also be green.

Stinkhorn fungus. They smell of rotting meat!

A Green Veined White on the Stiperstones.

 

Rare Butterflies and Other Things

 

Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillar

A fallow doe, in a wildlife park in Oxfordshire.

One of the Hawkers, possibly Southern.

Two new species for me: a Wood White and a Siler Washed Fritillary. Both of these are fairly rare, 

so I was thrilled to see them down at Clun.

Above, a Wall butterfly and below a Purple Hairstreak, both seen at Burton Mere, Cheshire.

Toadlet and Black-tailed Godwit, also Burton Mere.

I've had no water vole sightings for a week, but I'm not worried as they're always shy and scattered at this time of year as the young disperse to new territories.

Voles, Red Kites and Damselflies

Banded demoiselles.

Below, a red kite.

Edgeley Road voles.

Small copper butterfly and male Emerald damselfly.

Baby common lizard and Silver Y moth, both Prees Heath.

 

As We Move Into August

Mr and Ms whinchat - a new species for me.

Purple hairstreak butterfly, unusually in the grass (they're normally in oak trees)

Below, green veined white.

Female blackcap and female greater spotted woodpecker.

Wasp nest in the bushes.

Brown hawker dragonfly laying her eggs.

Grayling butterflies: another new species for me.

These were by the Bog Visitor Centre on the Stperstones.

Great white egret - Venus Pool.

Below, baby blackcap.

Hare in the grass. Small copper butterfly.

Baby lizard and mum (?) sunbathing at Bridges.

Dead Men's Fingers fungus.

Below, a yellowhammer.

A rare Raft spider looking after her nursery. This was at Wem Moss, 

as was the elephant hawk moth and common lizard below.

Young water voles at Edgeley Road.