|
Week ending: 25th August: Strathclyde Country Park
Sunday’s visit was rained off with very wet and windy weather throughout Central Scotland, so I
decided to report instead on my midweek wanderings at one of my favourite locations,
Strathclyde Country Park. So what follows is an amalgam of sightings gathered over a few days
observed mainly last week.
I often park at Car Park 4, north of the Watersports Centre. Birds usually gather at the water’s
edge where people delight in feeding them. One showery day last week the view north along the
loch was special in that the distant clouds were tinged with horizontal band of colours - a
phenomenon caused by the scattering of white light into its constituent colours by small
water droplets or ice crystals in the cloud.
Since Strathclyde Country Park was first created, Mute Swans have been seen there. More
recently Greylag Geese have also made the Loch their permanent home. However other geese turn up from time to time such as Barnacle Geese and Pink-footed Geese.
| Mute Swan |
Greylag Goose |
 |
 |
| Barnacle Goose |
Pink-footed Goose |
 |
 |
Most walkers simply follow the lochside path to complete a circuit of the loch. My walking routes
change from visit to visit. I prefer shorter circular walks that take me through a range of different
habitats. One such route lead me towards the footbridge over the Clyde. Just before the bridge I
photographed a foraging Carrion Crow with its demanding juvenile. At the grassy river bank at the
bridge a Grey Heron was searching for food. At the other side of the bridge I followed the wooded
path left that leads towards the main road. On that path I was delighted to snap a Grey Squirrel
that had scurried up a tree when it saw me coming. Also there was a fruiting Lords-and-ladies sprouting by the pathside. I ascended the steps onto the main road between Motherwell
and Hamilton. From the road bridge over the Clyde I got a great view of how Japanese Knotweed
had blighted the banks of the Clyde.
| Carrion Crow |
Juvenile Carrion Crow |
 |
 |
| Grey Heron |
Grey Squirrel |
 |
 |
| Lord and Ladies Fruit |
Japanese Knotweed |
 |
 |
Japanese Knotweed is an invasive foreign species that grows and spreads so profusely
that it seriously limits biodiversity and seriously damages the aquatic ecosystem.
After crossing the road bridge and re-entering the park, I photographed a couple of fungi,
probably Rooting Bolete and Russet Toughshank, that were growing on the short
grass near the main park entrance. There is a fine wood sculpture, that depicts a diver, at the
south end of the loch. As I passed the Watersports Centre there were eclipse Mallards lounging in
warm sunshine.
| Rooting Bolete |
Russet Toughshank |
 |
 |
|
Mallard in Eclipse Plumage |
|
|
At a jetty by the Tower there were Jackdaws and more birds lounging, namely families of Black
headed Gulls. Also a juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull was persistently pleading with its adult for
food. I also spotted a wee patch of Marsh Woundwort flowering in the shallows.
| Jackdaw |
Black-headed Gull |
 |
 |
| Lesser Black-backed Gull and Juvenile |
Marsh Woundwort |
 |
 |
Quite often I return to car park 4 by walking through car parks 1, 2 and 3 since there can be
opportunities of seeing birds, plants or animals in the trees that surround the car parks. This week
I was rewarded with a pleasing long shot of the Magpie below, which I found in Car Park 2.
Tucked in the corner of the same car park was a young Grey Heron perched on the branches of a
fallen tree. It flew off when it saw me. At the edge of Car Park 3 I was found a Large White
butterfly on Creeping Thistle flowers and those pictures came with the bonus of a Honey Bee.
The Foreshore Car Park in the north east edges of the loch is another of my starting points for
circular walks. Just east of there I spent some time photographing one of the many areas in the
park where North Lanarkshire Council have invested in what they call the Mega Flora Wildflower
Project .
I’ll park my concerns over the naming of the project, referring to the plants as “wildflowers” (since
only a few of them are wild to this area (e.g. Cornflower and Red Poppy) and they are being
cultivated in huge beds with no competition from indigenous plants), and I’ll congratulate the
Council for converting large areas of plain grass lawns into an environment that might encourage
biodiversity and help enormously the plight of pollen- and nectar-dependent insects, such as the
Buff-tailed Bumblebee shown below on the Cosmos flower.
|
Cornflower |
|
 |
| Buff-tailed Bumblebee |
Red Poppy |
 |
 |
Lacy Phacelia and Moroccan Toadflax are escapees from agriculture and horticulture
respectively, and are not recommended for use in uncontrolled areas (the USA have declared
Annual (Moroccan )Toadflax as “invasive”). Broad-leaved Helleborine is member of the Orchid family and is
native to the UK. Chicory too is a UK native and is a member of the Daisy family.
| Lacy Phacelia |
Annual ( Moroccan )Toadflax |
 |
 |
| Broad-leaved Helleborine |
Chicory |
 |
 |
The picture below shows the archaeological ruins of a Roman Bathhouse that is sited between
the South Calder river and the (unexposed) remains of a Roman Fort (up the hill).
Near the mouth of the river there is a boom that collects debris such as Buckfast wine bottles
before it pollutes the loch. It also presents a source of nourishment for birds such as Moorhens
and Carrion Crows. Nearer the river mouth I spotted a Common Darter dragonfly landing on a
Bramble bush as I searched for an Otter (shown below) that I’d photographed there at the start of
the previous week. Unfortunately I didn’t see it this week. The same applies to the Great Crested
Grebe juvenile I photographed the same day. I did though manage a pleasing shot of a Cormorant
drying its wings.
| Moorhen |
Common Darter |
 |
 |
| Otter... |
|
|
|
| Juvenile Great Crested Grebe |
Cormorant |
 |
 |
There is actually a fairly sizeable flock of Cormorants at Strathclyde Loch. When they’re not
preening on their perches shown below, they can often be seen fishing the loch as a group, each
bird diving and resurfacing as the group sweeps along the length of the loch.
Also photographed at the river mouth were a couple of insects: a Drone-fly, probably Eristalis
arbustorum, and a Carder Bee on Himalayan Balsam. One day, as I was leaving the park, I noticed
fungi growing on the grassy bank adjacent to the Bothwellhaugh football pitches. On investigation
I found they were most likely Tawny Grisettes and Scarletina Boletes.
| Hoverfly - Eristalis Arbustorum |
Common Carder Bumblebee |
 |
 |
| Tawny Grisette |
Scarletina Bolete |
 |
 |
I always enjoy my walks in Strathclyde Country Park and would recommend the park to any lover
of nature. The park is more extensive than the loch and its immediate surroundings and in a future
blog I may report on areas not covered in this blog. As for my favourite sightings this week, I
would have to say the close encounter with the Common Chaser was fun and the NLC’s Mega
flora project was stunning and obviously pleased the many walkers I saw photographing them -
and I always enjoy finding fungi.
Week ending: 18th August 2024: Skateraw, Dunbar Harbour and Belhaven Bay
This Sunday, thick cloud with a threat of showers moving in from the west was predicted for the
whole of Central Scotland. The rain was to reach the east by late afternoon so I decided to head
for the Dunbar area. John was still confined to quarters as he recovered from his recent illness. I
once again was keen to use my new camera, the Nikon Coolpix P950 and I felt that I had
mastered the relatively straightforward techniques of photographing slow-moving, nearby
subjects but I needed to practice flight and close-up (macro) shots.
My initial intention when setting out was to spend the majority of my time at Barns Ness, but,
when I arrived there, strong winds were blowing unpleasant smoke from the Tarmac Cement
Works over Barns Ness. I therefore changed my plans and instead began my trip at Skateraw.
It was a short drive of a mile or so east to Skateraw. Although it was fairly sunny when I arrived, the
clouds soon rolled in, reducing the light level, with only short spells of sunshine. I started my
exploration of the area on the footpath that leads to Torness Power Station. Below is the view of
the bay at Skateraw as seen from the path.
At the start of the path here was a plaque commemorating the WW1 airfield that was sited
in the adjacent field (pictured below). This year’s crop had recently been harvested and a clamour
of Rooks were busy rifling through the straw waste.
At first, I thought the birds in the field were Carrion Crows, but on examining my photo I realised
they were in fact Rooks. I continued along the path, passing the top of the ruin of the
Limekiln which was covered in long grass with a few wildflowers peeking through such as
Knapweed and Restharrow.
|
Rook |
 |
 |
| Common Knapweed |
Common Restharrow |
 |
 |
Below is the view from the path of the field with Torness Power Station looming a few hundred
metres in the background.
Looking down over the sea wall I couldn’t see any birds (probably because there were walkers
moving along the foot of the cliff) but I did meet a Domestic Pigeon that was sitting calmly
watching me as I approached. I’ve identified it as being domestic, rather than feral, because it
was ringed on both legs (feral pigeons are generally not ringed). The pigeon didn’t seemed
distressed or injured so I left it alone and backtracked to the car park. From there I began walking
towards the coast to the west of the bay. As I trekked along the rough paths through the grassy
top of the low cliff, I encountered a large Red-tailed Bumblebee, probably a queen, which was
walking along the path before flying off again. Annoyingly, in the bay there was a speedboat and
three jetskis that scooted about noisily for about half an hour before disappearing out of the bay -
to who knows where. A Linnet swooped up from the cliff and over to a low bush and conveniently
posed for a picture.
| Domestic Pigeon |
Red-tailed Bumblebee ( Queen ) |
 |
 |
|
Linnet |
 |
 |
Eventually I reached the rocky coastline, from which I had a fine view
of the Barns Ness lighthouse, with the Bass Rock in the background.
Around me, the Scentless Mayweeds were in full bloom as I watched
Black-headed Gulls paddling in shallow rockpools, sheltered from the
strengthening wind. A pair of young Herring Gulls flew past - and I
managed to get a nice sharp picture. At Chapel Point, at the west
extreme of the bay, I zoomed the camera lens to 2000mm equivalent to
spot Oystercatchers, Ringed Plovers and Turnstones that were standing
some distance away at the very edge of the rocky point. On my way back
to the car park I disturbed a male Pied Wagtail, which fled to a more
distant perch on the rocks. However, it didn’t realise that
I’d a massive zoom on my camera and I snapped a decent shot
anyway.
Satisfied with my short stay at Skateraw (but frustrated by motorised
water vehicles and walkers with untethered dogs - and did I mention the
campsite on the beach?), I relocated to Dunbar Harbour and Battery.
Below is the view of the harbour as seen from the Battery.
Sadly there were no birds on the harbour waters. I did though snap some
shots of a Herring Gull and a Feral Pigeon (no rings) that were sitting
atop the tall harbour wall. From the Battery I looked out towards the
Yetts, a trio of large rocks (among many other rocks ) which are
about 200m from the Battery. An eclipse Eider surfaced with a shellfish
near the Battery and I also managed a juvenile Kittiwake fly
past.
| Herring Gull |
Feral Pigeon |
 |
 |
| Eider in Eclipse Plumage |
1St Cycle Kittiwake |
 |
 |
There were Shags on the Yetts as can be seen from the
photograph below.
I once again zoomed in on the Yetts Shags to obtain a couple of decent
record shots. Of course if the birds are closer one gets more detailed
shots, as is apparent from the shots I managed from the tall harbour
wall 10 minutes later. These young Shags were at the base of rocks a
mere 40m from east side of the harbour mouth.
Next I sat at the harbour entrance and watched the Kittiwakes that were
nesting on the walls of the ruins of Dunbar Castle. Below is the view
of the Harbour, looking in from its mouth.
Compared to the number of Kittiwakes we saw last June, there
weren’t as many birds on the wall or many flying on and off of
the wall. However I did managed to photograph some adults and juveniles
that were around the walls of the harbour entrance.
Once again pleased with my collection of shots, I moved on to the car
park at Shore Road that overlooks Belhaven Bay and is handy for
Seafield Pond. The view looking out into the bay is very impressive.
Once again note the Bass Rock in the background.
I walked the short distance from the car park to Seafield Pond. On my
way there I noticed female Eiders on the flooded Inner Bay. By the
path, Weld was growing profusely, as were Field Bindweed plants with their pink and white coloured flowers. At the pond,
Carrion Crows were foraging on the short grass.
| Female Eider |
Weld |
 |
 |
| Field Bindweed |
Carrion Crow |
 |
 |
There were Mallards and a large Grey Heron at the far end of the
biggest section of pond. I was pleased to see three Little Egrets and also a Grey Heron perched in the trees on the opposite side
of the pond. The big zoom on my camera produced a good record shot of
one Little Egret. I was delighted to find a fourth Little Egret
foraging by the water’s edge below the other three. Again the
high magnification of the camera produced a good image.
A rather grey-looking eclipse Mallard paddled past, as did a juvenile
Moorhen. A rather ruffled Woodpigeon watched me carefully as I made my
way back to the car park. An Elderberry tree was loaded with berries
and reminded me of the Elderberry wine my mother-in-law used to
make. By my car, a Bittersweet plant was in flower, and on Sow Thistle
flowers, Buff-tailed Bumblebees were hard at work gathering pollen and
nectar.
| Mallard In Eclipse Plumage |
Juvenile Moorhen |
 |
 |
| Wood Pigeon |
Elderberry |
 |
 |
| Bittersweet |
Buff-tailed Bumblebee |
 |
 |
It was a very satisfactory outing with plenty of notable moments. My
favourites were: my face - to - face meeting with the Domestic Pigeon, the
performance of my new camera used, a) for flight shots (once I decided
on an appropriate method), and b) for high magnification shots such as
with the Little Egrets. Hopefully the weather will be more like summer
next week as this week you’d think it was autumn.
Week ending: 11th August 2024: Doonfoot
I was on my own this week, as John was recuperating at home. The best weather was predicted
for the west of Central Scotland so I headed for Doonfoot, Ayr, a location last visited in March this
year.
The Sun was shining as I parked at the Castle Walk car park and I was soon walking the sands by
the mouth of the River Doon. The tide was very low and the shoreline was over 200m out, as the
view towards Greenan Castle clearly indicates:
As always I had my Lumix TZ70 camera for macro shots, but I was using a new, lighter camera, a
Nikon Coolpix P950, for the first time on a Watchingnature outing, and was excited to find out
how it matched up to my Nikon D500 with (now faulty) Sigma 600mm zoom lens. My first shot
was of a Woodpigeon I encountered on the foreshore. Looking across the river, there were
Mallards and Black-headed Gulls and foraging Carrion Crows by the water’s edge.
| Wood Pigeon |
Mallard in Eclipse Plumage |
 |
 |
| Black-headed Gull |
Carrion Crow |
 |
 |
Further out along the shallow river estuary, there were many gulls,
mainly Herring Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls along with good
numbers of Redshanks and Lapwings.
| 1st Cycle Herring Gull |
Lesser Black-backed Gull |
 |
 |
| Redshank |
Lapwing |
 |
 |
Below is the view from the estuary looking towards Ayr.
A little further out still, my impressive Coolpix
on 83x zoom (equivalent to that of a 2000mm lens) allowed me to pick
out a distant Curlew, as well as smaller waders such as Dunlin and
Turnstones. I also photographed Jackdaws.
| Curlew |
Dunlin |
 |
 |
| Turnstone |
Jackdaw |
 |
 |
A far-off large group of Jackdaws were bathing in the shallows.
The picture below shows the relative sizes of the Turnstones compared
to the Lesser Black - backed Gull and juvenile Herring Gull.
My final shots, looking at distance along the estuary, were of a Curlew
with a crab. As I trudged back along the riverside, there were House
Martins in the air and swooping low over the water. A few landed very
briefly on the damp sand, where I was just able to photograph them. On
the foreshore vegetation I spotted the greenbottle, Lucilia sericata , on Ragwort (the first of many insects I’d find on
Ragwort). Just before I reached the car park I checked out the wee pond
which is behind the car park, however, it was mostly overgrown with
vegetation. I did though find Corn Mint in the damp ground near
the pond.
| Curlew |
House Martin |
 |
 |
| Fly - Lucilia Sericata |
Corn Mint |
 |
 |
At the footbridge over the River Doon I got a little excited when I
heard passers-by mention that there was an Octopus out there on the sea
- until I realised that they were referring to the luxury yacht,
Octopus , that was anchored in the Firth of Clyde off Ayr.
I crossed the bridge from which I looked out along the beautiful
estuary:
I expected to find some birds lurking in the shrubbery that borders the
sands and seawall, but sadly I didn’t. I did manage snaps of a
trio of Brown-lipped Snails and a bush of Lesser Burdock. Also I found
my first butterfly of the day, a Large White on Sea Radish flowers, as
well as a closeup of some Sea Radish fruit.
| Brown-lipped Snails |
Lesser Burdock |
 |
 |
| Large White Butterfly |
Sea Radish |
 |
 |
Next I relocated to the Greenan Castle car park and set off on my usual
circuit of the site of the castle ruin. A House Sparrow seemed to greet
me as I set off along a rough path through the low grassy, sand dunes.
On almost the first Common Ragwort flower I passed there was a small,
but fairly interesting fly, Eriothrix rufomaculata, known
commonly as a Red Spotted Parasite Fly. A handsome Meadow Brown
butterfly fluttered in and landed on the grass in front of me.
The grassy dunes were peppered with Ragworrt and Wild Carrot plants. It
was on flower-heads of Wild Carrot that I found Pimpla rufipes,
another greenbottle, Lucilia Caesar (subtly different from the
one I saw earlier) and Tenthredo arcuata, a.k.a. the
Yellow-sided Clover - Sawfly. On Common Ragwort there were Buff-tailed
Bumblebees and hoverflies, namely, Helophilus pendulus, a.k.a.
the Sunfly, and the dronefly, Eristalis horticola .
| Wasp - Pimpla Rufipes |
Fly - Lucilia Caesar |
|
 |
 |
|
| Sawfly - Tenthredo Arcuata |
Buff-tailed Bumblebee |
|
 |
 |
|
| Hoverfly - Sunfly |
Hoverfly - Eristalis Horticola |
|
 |
 |
|
I eventually came off of the dunes and walked along the shore beyond
the cliff at the castle. I photographed the only bird I saw there, a
Black-headed Gull. As I did so, I could hear the familiar, and very
welcome call of a Yellowhammer. It was coming from bushes by the wheat
field adjacent to the beach. As I tried to locate it, I noticed some
Bittersweet flowers below Hawthorn bushes. The Yellowhammer was in the
same row of hawthorns and was very obliging, allowing me the
opportunity to snap it as it sang.
Next I made my way onto the narrow plateau on which Greenan Castle
lies. Below is the view to the south, showing the field I had just
traversed.
Near the castle, a Knapweed flower
hosted a fine Large White butterfly. Moments later a Greenveined White
tried to dislodge it, but, after a brief few flutters, the Large White
chased it away. I finally walked down off the castle area onto the
heathland between the castle and the car park. Common Ragwort plants
were growing there in great abundance, and I decided to spend some time
looking for insects that were on these flowers. I was delighted to find
a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly. In 2024 so far we’ve seen fewer
butterflies than we’d have expected, but this trip has yielded
four butterfly species, so maybe we’ll see an improvement during
the weeks to come. I was pleased also to find Cinnabar Moth
caterpillars clambering over a few of the Ragworts.
| Large White Butterfly |
Green-veined White Butterfly |
 |
 |
| Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly |
Cinnibar Moth Caterpillars |
 |
 |
I found another moth (as yet unidentified) on Ragwort (Note the
partially hidden snail). A Honey Bee visited the same flower, and as I
gradually made my way back to the car I photographed a Red-tailed
Bumblebee and another Bumblebee which, like the moth, awaits a firm
identification (I’m wondering if it is a Great Yellow Bumblebee).
| Moth - TBC |
Honey Bee |
 |
 |
| Red-tailed Bumblebee |
BEE - TBC |
 |
 |
My new camera got a good workout during the first half of the visit -
and performed to my satisfaction (although I’ve still to learn
how to get the best from it). On the second half of the trip I was
mainly taking macro shots of insects and I’m pleased with the
results. My favourite shots were of the butterflies and bees and, of
course, the Yellowhammer. Hopefully the weather next week will be as
kind as it was at Doonfoot - it was almost like summer
Week ending: 3rd August 2024: Hogganfield Park LNR
The weather at the coasts was predicted to be showery and the tides low, so I visited one of
Glasgow’s finest Local Nature Reserves (LNR), Hogganfield Park. John was unable to join me and
I missed out our usual breakfast and headed directly to the east side of Glasgow where the park
is the first loch on the Seven Lochs Trail. (I hasten to add, I left the other 6 lochs for future
trips).
Once parked, I set off on a circuit of the loch, which, at a leisurely pace, takes less than an hour.
My first shots were taken at the lochside by the car park, a popular spot for both water birds and
people feeding them bread (although seed is preferred by wardens).
Most prominent birds on view were the Mute Swans and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Also,
Canada Geese are infrequent visitors and Mallards and Moorhens are omnipresent.
| Mute Swan... |
|
 |
 |
| Lesser Black-backed Gull |
Canada Goose |
 |
 |
| Mallard In Eclipse Plumage |
Moorhen |
 |
 |
There were mainly Greylag Geese accompanied by gulls and mallards on the raft parked off the
shore.
As I continued along the west side of the loch I photographed a few eclipse Tufted Ducks and
spotted a Coot hiding in vegetation on one of the artificial islets. I was pleased to see a Great
Crested Grebe chick and its very attentive parent that was repeatedly diving for fish to feed its
ever-pleading chick.
| Tufted Duck |
Coot |
 |
 |
| Juvenile Great Crested Grebe |
Great Crested Grebe |
 |
 |
The edge of the loch was lined with an assortment of wildflowers: tall flowers like Purple
Loosestrife and Wild Angelica, medium sized ones such as Michaelmas Daisies and small plants,
for example, Water Mint. I also came across a trellis upon which lovely Honeysuckle and violet
Clematis flowers were blooming.
| Purple Loosestrife |
Wild Angelica |
 |
 |
| Michaelmas Daisy |
Water Mint |
 |
 |
| Common Honeysuckle |
Clematis ( Species Unknown ) |
 |
 |
Also, Black-headed Gulls were standing along a near-submerged wall at the water’s edge. There
wasn’t much to report on the south side of the loch other than a juvenile Grey Heron that flew
briefly onto young willow branches. I left the lochside road, along a path that would take me past
a rather concealed pond at the east end of the reserve. I met a Green-veined White butterfly along
the way, as well as snapping Yarrow and Sneezewort flowers that were growing in good numbers
in the grassland left and right of the path.
| Cormorant |
Black-headed Gull |
 |
 |
| Juvenile Grey Heron |
Green-veined White Butterfly |
 |
 |
| Yarrow |
Sneezewort |
 |
 |
There were a few Woodpigeons on trees around the pond where a mature Grey Heron was
foraging along its edge. Near the pond I photographed an Emerald Damselfly and then a Common
Darter dragonfly. Near the end of the path, before the exit to the Avenue End Road, there were
several Eyebright wildflowers, small plants with tiny flowers. And beneath the trees right beside the
exit, I found some Broad-leaved Helleborine, orchids with columns of brown flowers.
| Wood Pigeon |
Grey Heron |
 |
 |
| Emerald Damselfly |
Common Darter Dragonfly |
 |
 |
| Eyebright |
Broad - leaved Helleborine |
 |
 |
I exited the park briefly until I’d walked to a second entrance and a path that leads to the lochside
road. Halfway along that path there’s a seat set in a very pleasant position.
From that seat I observed the many wildflowers blooming there and the insects that visited them,
such as Marsh Woundwort, Meadow Vetchling and Self Heal. A flowerhead of Hogweed was
hosting house flies, probably Phaonia Angelica and a true bug, probably Grypocoris stysi. I also
snapped a Honey Bee feeding on a Knapweed flower.
| Marsh Woundwort |
Meadow Vetchling |
 |
 |
| Common Self Heal |
Fly - Phaonia Angelicae |
 |
 |
| Bug - Grypocoris Stysi ( A.K.A. Calocoris Stysi ) |
Honey Bee |
 |
 |
I returned to the lochside road and walked along the north side of the loch. A pair of Mute Swans
were sharing one of the artificial islets with at least 20 Coots. Probably most of the coots were
juveniles.
Halfway down the north side of the loch a Carrion Crow was watching me from its lofty perch as I
approached a Small White butterfly that had settled of a leaf near the waterside. Next, a Wild
Carrot flower head caught my interest, as did the blossoming bud on the same plant.
Back at the car park there were 7ft tall Sunflower plants in bloom, with White-tailed Bumblebees
in attendance. At my feet, a black snail beetle, was racing for the cover of the grassy
bank at the other side of the fence. My final shot of the trip was of a Greylag Goose drying its
feathers with vigorous flaps of its wings, immediately clearing a birdless space around it.
It had been a short, but satisfying visit to one of my favourite haunts. With 39 species
photographed I think it was also a successful visit. My personal favourites are the Great Crested
Grebes, the butterflies, damselfly and dragonfly, and the imposingly beautiful Sunflowers. The
weather was sunny and warm and not in the least wet. More of that next week please.
Highlights - August 2024
We present this month’s gallery of my
favourite pictures I’ve taken during August 2024. They are
not listed in the order they have been taken, but according to a series
of themes. I’ve kept
commentary to a minimum, preferring to let each picture talk for itself.
BIRDS IN WATER
| Avocet |
Barnacle Goose |
 |
 |
| Coot |
Little Egret |
 |
 |
| Little Grebe |
Juvenile Moorhen |
 |
 |
| Mute Swan |
Pink-footed Goose |
 |
 |
| Shoveler |
Tufted Duck |
 |
 |
FUNGI
Artist's Bracket
|
Rooting Bolete
|
|
|
Scarletina Bolete
|
Tawny Grisette
|
 |
 |
MAMMALS
| Grey Squirrel |
Otter |
 |
 |
| Roe Deer... |
|
 |
 |
INVERTEBRATES
| Broken Belted Bumblebee |
Buff-tailed Bumblebee |
 |
 |
| Common Darter Dragonfly |
Common Hawker Dragonfly |
 |
 |
| Hoverfly - Eristalis Arbustorum |
Fly - Lucilia Caesar |
 |
 |
| Speckled Wood Butterfly |
Hoverfly - Syrphus Ribesii |
 |
 |
WILDFLOWERS
| Chicory |
Cosmos |
 |
 |
| Monkey Flower |
Musk Mallow |
 |
 |
| Spearmint |
Square Stalked St John's Wort |
 |
 |
| Tufted Vetch |
Water Mint |
 |
 |
| Wild Angelica |
Wild Carrot |
 |
 |
BIRDS GROUNDED
| Juvenile Barn Swallow... |
|
 |
 |
| Carrion Crow |
Curlew |
 |
 |
| Green Sandpiper |
Juvenile Grey Heron |
 |
 |
| Jackdaw |
Juvenile Magpie |
 |
 |
| Mallard in Eclipse plumage |
Wood Pigeon |
 |
 |
Back To Top
|
