gryllosblog   Gryllo's (aka Ian Lewis') blog. All things to do with travel, wildlife especially birds, history, architecture and anything else that interests me.

0530 at Durlston

You have to get up early to go ringing, whilst the birds are still active and before the wind gets up. A group of three of us ringed 85 birds at Durlston CP, including a Grasshopper, 6 Garden and many Willow Warblers, 2 Redstarts and a Tree Pipit.

First year male Common Redstart

Juvenile Bullfinches can't be sexed until the post-juvenile moult commences

Ian Alexander had arranged for us to meet a forest ranger in Wareham Forest, another species on Paul’s hit list. It only took a few minutes before he located one and took the opportunity to check and measure it and record the unique pattern of scales on the head and neck which are as diagnostic for Smooth Snakes as fingerprints are to us.

Smooth Snake, our rarest native reptile.

I held the snake whilst the ranger completed his paperwork and it duly bit me. I'm glad he wasn't studying Adders!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the evening Margaret and I visited Paul’s parents and met up with Paul’s wife Liz, his daughter Bryony and grandson Harvey Paul.  Fortunately Bryony has got married, so his grandson is not Harvey Paul Harvey!

 

L - R - Liz Harvey, Harvey Paul Edmonson and Bryony Edmonson

 

18 months old and with a fascination for tractors

Yesterday I was delighted to hear that another old friend, Paul Harvey, was visiting his parents in Upton. Paul moved to Shetland in the early 80’s and has lived there since. I last visited him in Shetland in January 2008 but with his parents and sisters living not far from me, we meet up at least once a year.

Along with our mutual friend (and Paul’s schoolmate) Ian Alexander we set off to find a few non-avian species that don’t occur as far north as Shetland.

Ian Alexander (L) and Paul Harvey (R)

The main lake

The kingfisher pools

Later we drove to the DWT reserve of Alner’s Gorse near King Stag where Brown Hairstreak was the best of a dozen butterflies on offer.

Brown Hairstreak

and another one

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ringlet

 

 

Emperor Dragonfly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shaded Broad-bar moth

 

Brown Argus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although I wished I had met the five of my old friends, who were able to get to Newcastle on Friday, under different circumstances there is no doubt that this last week has given me exceptional opportunities to keep longstanding friendships alive.

Hatch Pond is a small local nature reserve situated by  the Nuffield Industrial Estate, Poole. Over the years it has hosted a number of excellent species, including Lesser Scaup, Purple Heron, Iceland Gull, Marsh Warbler and even an Otter. It is perhaps best known as a reliable site to watch Bitterns in winter and early spring, with up to four being present in recent years.

Unfortunately there wasn’t much to see today, 3 female plumaged Teal, two pairs of Great-crested Grebes being the highlight.

Hatch Pond

 

The Elborn Cut, made to help the watching of Bitterns in winter. This viewpoint is under the pines on Stinstead Road.

Lytchett Bay - conservation management in the 'stubble field'

 

Canada Geese landing in the 'far fields'

Gatekeeper

 

This Common Seal can be seen hauled out at low tide.

Ringing at Durlston was cancelled due to high winds but we met to continue the cutting of the main net rides. It was hard work cutting through dense scrub but we succeeded and Speckled Woods are already using the rides.

One of our new net rides

Speckled Wood

Later in the day we had a flying visit by my old friend Guy Dutson and his partner Wendy. Originally from Broadstone, Guy has worked and made ornithological explorations all over the Pacific and Australasia and at one time spent a year in the Melanesian islands, mainly in the Solomons. He is currently living in Cambridge, but he seldom stays in one place for long.!

His field guide to the Solomons, Vanuatu, New Caladonia and the Bismark Archipelago will be out in the autumn. His many ornithological achievements include describing the Vanikoro White-eye and the Furtive Flycatcher, rediscovering Fiji’s Long-legged Warbler and the Cebu Flowerpecker and publishing a whole host of papers on birds and conservation in the region.

Guy Dutson and local - Papua New Guinea 2003

In the evening we took the girls to a party held for Sophie McPhearson, a girl about their age whom they met at our wedding. I have known her mother Ann for many years and her brother, Stewart is the botanical equivalent of Guy, an adventurer and explorer. His main interest is in carnivorous plants, but he has published nine books so far on various aspects of botany and has a seven more in the pipeline. He has described 20 species of plant new to science. Amazingly he is only 28 years old ! He will soon be leading an expedition to Mount Roraima on the border of Brazil and Venezuela and intends to study the culture, wildlife and flora of al the 18 British Overseas Territories for another new book.

Not many Brits have been to West Papua, but both Guy and Stewart have done work there. Equally he was surprised to find that Margaret had sailed to St Helena one of the BOTs he plans to visit.

Stewart McPherson

Margaret’s grandchildren’s father lives in the Caribbean working in the sailing and underwater repairs business. Recently he helped sail a catamaran from St Martin’s to Madeira for the owner and took the opportunity to fly to Britain to visit his daughters. They are now all camping at Lytchett Minster.

Happy campers - Amber, Kara and Tom Jonsonn.

I might be clipped on but I was really suffering from vertigo !

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to 2011. Clearly Amber doesn't suffer from vertigo !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kara on the 'stirrups'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The scary Tarzan swing

I didn’t get a photo of the girls on the Tarzan swing, this shot was taken on my 2007 visit.

 

Smiles all round when the course was completed

 

 

 

 

 

I have just received an arrears payment from my former employer – for 5p !

Glad to know they are honest. Hope it’s not my monthly pension!

Went to Go Ape at Moors Valley today with the grandchildren.

Will post some photos tomorrow.

On Sunday we had 9 species of warbler, Grasshopper (2), Willow, Sedge, Reed, Garden (6) plus Common and Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcap and Chiffchaff.

Today the best birds were a Reed and a Grasshopper Warbler.

Most first year Grasshopper Warblers are brown but a few have this lovely yellow tinge.

Not all birds can be ringed, this male Bullfinch is suffering from a mite infestation. This is quite common in some species of finch.

This Lesser Whitethroat had hardly started its post juvenile moult and had presumably hatched nearby.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Many Sylvia warblers such as this Garden Warbler feed on blackberries in the autumn, hence the red staining around the gape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Later there was a public demonstation of mothing at the Wildlife Centre. The big news was a Small Marbled, a rather unremarkable little moth, but the first record for Durlston CP

 

Small Marbled one of the smallest 'macro' moths. Before 2011, an extreme rarity in Dorset.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Drinker, apparently only the caterpillar 'drinks' the adults have no proboscis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Magpie Moth