A brief visit to Cranford Park

Yesterday (Friday) I went for a brief stroll around Cranford Park. It was sticky and humid, overcast and threatening to rain for most of the day. There wasn't much in the way of bird-life to see, though plenty could be heard.

 

Back in late May a tree had come down across one of the main paths in Cranford Woods. I had spent quite a bit of time sitting on the fallen tree and realised it was a great place to listen to the birds around me. I emailed Alison Shipley about the fallen tree, and during our email conversations she said she would arrange for the tree to be cut up but the logs left at the side of the path, not just for the wildlife to make their own, but also so I could continue to sit there.

 

 

The local Park Officers went one better, and made me a proper seating area complete with foot rest, which I was chuffed to bits with and named it  'Wendy's Perch'......

 

But sadly when I went there Friday morning I was dismayed to see 'Wendy's Perch' has been cut up......

 

 

The foot rest is still there but my comfortable seat has been sliced up !!

 

Pfffffffft !

 

Luckily I have my second favourite area, the wood circle, so retreated there and watched the Stock Doves....

 

 

The pair of resident Magpies also joined me for some cheese...

 

and a Buzzard went over low...

 

 

Although it was warm, the sun didn't really show itself, so spotting any butterflies was quite hard work. I did find the two below though....

 

Holly Blue

my first Cranford Park Small Heath of the year

However it was a good day for critters. There were loads of Scorpion Flies around on the brambles and nettles. All of my photos below are of male ones, but I did spot a few females too. The males have the bulbous red tail end, whereas the females 'bottom' isn't bulbous but is still red.

 

Panorpa communis - male Scorpion Fly

 

My favourite little beetles, the Thick-legged Flower Beetle were very abundant. Instead of just seeing lots of males as I have been, there were good numbers of females around too...

 

Ischnomera cyanea - Thick-legged Flower Beetle  (male)

Ischnomera cyanea - Thick-legged Flower Beetle  (female)

It was also a good day for seeing the 7 Spot Ladybird...

 

Coccinella septempunctata - 7 Spot Ladybird

 

The one below was in prime position for a feast of aphids...

 



 

Another beetle I can watch for ages is the Sailor Beetle. They are bigger than the Flower Beetles, and much quicker when moving. When they fly they are often mistaken for Ladybirds....

 

Cantharis rustica - Sailor Beetle

Cantharis rustica - Sailor Beetle

The jury is out for an identification for this critter below.....

possible sawfly sp.

It was also a good day for bumblebees and hover flies......

Bombus lapidarius - Red-tailed Bumblebee

Bombus lucorum - White-tailed Bumblebee

Chrysotoxum bicinctum - Hoverfly sp.

Like the butterflies, the damselflies and dragonflies were also hidden. I spotted a huge dragonfly at one point, but it didn't land so I couldn't get a proper identification. There were also some Banded Demoiselle damselflies by the river, but again it wasn't the right weather for them to settle so I couldn't get a photo.

 

Bird-wise, the Skylarks and Meadow Pipits were heard in their usual area, and I heard a Hobby alarm calling at one point but couldn't pinpoint it's location. The Kestrels were also vocal, usually the female calling to the male when a food pass was being made.

 

Still no sign of the Little Owls or their young yet, but looking back over my blog records it is still quite early. In 2013 the first sighting was on the 28th June and in 2014 the first sighting was on the 30th June. At other sites I visit, adult Little Owls are generally visible all year round but for some reason at Cranford Park they are only seen when the owlets have fledged.

 

The park was fairly quiet on Friday but I did bump into one of the Cranford Friends regulars, Edwina, and her two dogs, Dotty and Chalky. It's always nice to put a face to a name.



 

Dotty

Chalky

and while we were chatting a Red Kite flew over.....

 

Rhyl and a brief visit to RSPB Conwy

I've spent a few days staying with my cousins in Rhyl, a trip that I make at least twice a year.

My cousins understand my hobby and fully expect me to disappear for a few hours with my camera and bins. Usually my wildlife forays see me travelling just two roads away on to the beach at Rhyl, but on Monday I decided to make the very short train journey to  Llandudno Junction and visit RSPB Conwy.

 

The sky was alive with Swifts, House Martins and Swallows.....

 

 

I have already seen a Bee Orchid this year, but RSPB Conwy has got several patches on site where both these, and Southern Marsh Orchids, are thriving.

 

As regular followers of my blog know, I have been having some problems with my favourite zoom lens recently. It's the 75-300mm lens that I use the most often, primarily for bird photography but also for butterfly, insect and flower photos as the lens is also capable of macro photography when standing at least 1.5m away from the subject. On Sunday the lens was working fine when I tested it, yet at RSPB Conwy, within an hour of being there the lens had malfunctioned again. I can't really complain as I've had that lens for over eight years and it has certainly earned it's way. It's just a shame it decided to malfunction for the third time whilst I was away.

 

I consoled myself with a bit of scenic photography.....

 

 

 

and even managed to grab a half decent shot of a Common Whitethroat singing in a nearby patch of scrub...

 



 

RSPB Conwy has three trail walks you can go on. There is a downloadable map on their website but basically the Blue Tit Trail is an enjoyable short circular walk through reed beds and a wildlife garden, the Redshank Trail incorporates the Blue Tit Trail and also takes you a little further onto the reserve covering the first two hides, and lastly the Grey Heron Trail covers both of the above and then takes you all around the perimeter of the reserve including another four hides. As my zoom camera lens was malfunctioning I knew I would be frustrated walking the Grey Heron Trail as there would probably be loads that I couldn't photograph, so I stuck within the Blue Tit and Redshank Trails and spent a fairly happy few hours before wandering back to the café for a very tasty coffee and toasted teacake.

 

 

 

I resigned myself to the fact I probably wasn't going to see the stunning Bee Orchids as they were dotted around the Grey Heron Trail, and also resigned myself to the fact it was going to be a shorter visit than anticipated. I had just left the reserve and found a log in the car park to sit on while I packed away my camera and bins, when I happened to glance to my side and there in full beautiful glory were four separate spikes of Bee Orchids.....

 

 

The car that had parked in front of them obviously hadn't seen them either, as it's bumper was just a couple of feet away from these lovely little flowers.

 

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Back at my cousins home in Rhyl, I was incredibly fortunate to have four days of good weather. My cousin and his wife aren't die-hard gardeners but they do have an interest, and the grounds of Chateaux Marks were looking really good....

 

 

The Wisteria (above and below) has just gone over, but having it's roots in sandy soil and being in a sheltered area is obviously good for it....

 

The same can be said for the Raspberries (again above and below). The sandy soil is again certainly to its liking.....

 

On the decking my cousins are growing Peaches and Oranges....

 



Peach

Peach

Orange

I spent most of my last two days sitting out on the decking and being kept company by Kiera the cat and Buster the dog...

 

 

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On Monday after school, Aimee and I took Buster for a walk along the prom. I took my camera with it's smallest lens, and after a quick tutorial on how to get a photo in focus, Aimee was off snapping away, and the best thing was she really enjoyed herself....

 

 

All of the photos below were taken by Aimee. The only thing I have done is crop them. There has been no other enhancement made to them.

 

 

Meanwhile her little brother Jack was just happy being a cool dude....

 

 

I got lots of little pressies whilst I was with my family, including a funky hip flask, perfume, body lotion and chocolates, and also my very own bottle of three month aged homebrewed rose wine....

 

which was absolutely delicious !

 

Next visit will be in a couple of months for the grand opening of my cousins 'man-cave pub' where more homebrew will no doubt be consumed.

 

As always when I visit my family in Rhyl I have had a great time. The only sour note was my camera lens malfunctioning, but there's always next time for another visit to RSPB Conwy and a wander along Rhyl beach.

Lost camera bag, south London

I have had the following email from a very kind gentleman:-

"Hi there
Just found your bag on the floor near South Walpole Way in Mortlake, plus an Oyster card"

The bag was empty (the camera is missing) but the names P & E White were also found inside, along with one of my blog cards, which is how the gentleman contacted me.

If anyone knows P & E White, can you please contact me at wendywinomarks@Hotmail.co.uk as I have the finders name, mobile number and email address.