Monday 22 July 2019

The Cranford Park Kestrels and more

On July 13th I led a guided Butterfly Walk and Talk - it was very successful with a good turn out and we saw all eight target species plus the added bonus of a Purple Hairstreak
 
After the walk ended my friend Sue and I loitered by the buddleia and were lucky enough to see a Silver-washed Fritillary - only my second ever time of seeing one at Cranford Park
 
Yesterday (21st July) I decided to see if it was still there
 
There were plenty of the usual suspects
 
Small Skipper

Comma (underwing)

Comma

Comma
 
Peacock

Peacock

Red Admiral

Red Admiral

Red Admirals (female at top with male underneath)
 
Red Admiral
And then came along the unmistakable large Silver-washed Fritillary
When Sue and I saw it last week we just took a couple of record shots on our phones - but today I was ready with my camera
 
This is a male and he was behaving in a very territorial manner chasing away any other butterfly species and also having a go at a patrolling Migrant Hawker
 
He is looking a little tatty now with a chunk missing out of one lower wing (possibly an attempt by a bird to catch it) It is not necessarily a rare butterfly - they are fairly common in the south - but according to my UKBMS mentor (Paul Busby) this is only the third recorded sighting in 21 years at Cranford Park
 
So now for a complete overload of photos
 



 










 
The buddleia was also attracting a number of hoverflies including the huge Volucella zonaria




 
 
Other species were seen too - ids under photos
 
Volucella pellucens

Eristalis sp
Syrphus sp

Chrysotoxum bicinctum


 
The Migrant Hawker also favouring the buddleia posed for me nicely


 
Dragging myself away some time later I made my way to the meadows
Last week I had forlornly walked around the meadows for some time looking for any fledged kestrels but to no avail - however at the Family Fun Day on Saturday I got talking to Trevor and Karena and they confirmed they had seen four kestrels that same morning
 
Whilst I searched with my binoculars I had three Common Buzzard go over and this tatty Red Kite
 

 
The Kestrels are fairly predictable - just like previous years they do like to sit on the tree guards and watch the world go by - it's also a handy perch to watch the grasshoppers and crickets on the grassy paths
 
I could see the adult male and three juveniles but no sign of the adult female - she was probably watching her brood play fight and hone their hunting skills from the safety of a nearby tall tree
 
So now for an overload of Kestrel pics - the ones of them on the paths aren't that clear - I had the wrong lens on the camera - that's my excuse anyway :)
 












 
A very productive visit to the park and again a reminder that even though Cranford Park is surrounded on three sides by Heathrow and the M4 and the A312 - it is still rich in wildlife
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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