A new juvenile bird family and a Hoverfly lesson at Cranford Park

The forecast was going to be hot and muggy so I knew I wouldn't be at Cranford Park for long today. I'm not a hot sun lover.

 

Walking down Roseville Road to the park this morning I could clearly hear the Hobbys calling, but despite hanging around the area their nest tree is in, I didn't see them today.

 

First thing I checked on was the Swallows nest. It's still there and an adult is still sitting on it. I had to be a bit careful today. The homeless guy that sleeps here had fortunately decided to sleep out in the open, but he'd left all of his belongings under the nest, so I had to tread very carefully and very quietly. One quick snap of the bird and I left both of them in peace.

 

 

Even the Kestrels were feeling the heat. Only saw one flying but spotted two more perched in trees on the outskirts of the meadow, and one perched on one of the tree guards.....

 

So we still have all four juveniles at the moment.

 

I checked the area around the oaks for any signs of Little Owls and found nothing, but I did notice that the owl box looks like it's been recently used. There's fresh bird poop on both the box and the branch. We know the Little Owls never nest in this box but in previous years they have used the box for roosting and a place to hide when they've spotted my camera lens on them. So maybe, just maybe, we do have some Little Owls around after all......

 

 

In Cranford Woods it was much cooler, but it was strangely quiet. Not many birds were singing or calling. Then I heard a familiar noise. Familiar because it was only last Friday I had heard the same noise when I was at Maple Lodge NR. A juvenile Sparrowhawk. And not just one, there were three individual birds calling. No wonder the rest of the woods were quiet !

 Today I lost two hours of my life that I wont get back, by trying to follow the calling youngsters and get a photo. They flew to one tree, I followed, they split up and flew to different trees, I followed the noisiest one, they all sat high in the tree tops, I loitered below trying to get the best angle for a view. Three times I saw them flying to a tree and failed to photograph them. Then one landed just above my head. I nearly fell over backwards trying to first get a view through my bins, then trying to get a photo. And this was the best I could manage......

 

A juvenile Sparrowhawks bottom !!!!

 

So it looks like Cranford Park resident birds of prey have done rather well this year. I expect to see the juvenile Hobbys out in about two weeks if they follow last years schedule.

. Shame the Little Owls haven't been so obliging so far.

 

Up by the river I didn't linger long, it was hot, I was carrying way too much as always, and I was surprisingly approached by a group of seven young lads who asked if I was selling cannabis !!!! I had to laugh, and they laughed back, apologised and went off to play football. Polite young druggies ?

Do I look like a drug dealer, with my sweaty hair pulled back, no make up, bins around my neck, a camera in my hand and a heavy black rucksack on my back, AND old enough to be their Mother ?!?!?

In fact, don't answer that.....

 

Anyway the only sightings worthy of noting on the river was a splendid Brown Hawker that wouldn't settle for a photo, an equally splendid Southern Hawker that also wouldn't settle for a photo and some Ruddy Darters that surprisingly not, also wouldn't settle for a photo.

 

From the stone bridge looking towards the M4, the water levels have dropped enough for the underwater weed to lay across it and the birds were taking full advantage of this floating weed to have a bathe......

This arty farty photo is actually a Blue Tit having a wash......

 

 

By the burnt out Information Centre (which has now been cordoned off by big metal panels - which MIGHT mean work will commence soon on rebuilding) a Magpie had found a bare bit of earth and was doing what it is commonly known as 'anting' or 'sunning'. Whatever it was doing it was certainly working, and the Magpie every now and then stood up for a scratch and a preen. 'Anting' is when a bird purposely lays across an ants nest and lets them crawl all over their feathers. By preening off the ants, the bird can self anoint any secretions the ants have, therefore cleaning up its feathers. 'Sunning' is a similar thing, but by sunning any mites in the birds feathers are drawn to the sunlight and the bird can pick them off........

 

Since acquiring my new macro lens, I have become quite fascinated with hoverflies. I still like bees, butterflies etc, but hoverflies are special and there are so many over looked different species.

 I photographed the commonest ones today, just to show how different each species looks under a macro lens. Some are tiny, just the width of my little finger nail, some are quite large, or to quote my Mum when I showed her her first Volucella last week, are 'big buggers'.....

 

This one is my favourite. It's Volucella zonaria. The largest British Hoverfly and also known as a wasp mimic. Completely harmless as are all hoverflies. We also get its close but slightly smaller relative, Volucella inanis, at Cranford Park and it was that species that Mum called the 'big bugger' at Maple Lodge NR last week.....

 

 

The next one below is Syrphus ribesii. The males form small groups in the woods and are part of that 'summer' humming sound we hear.

 

The next one below is possibly the cutest. The Marmalade Fly, Episyrphus balteatus. It's tiny and I tend to see these everywhere at the moment, not just buddleia or thistle patches, but in manicured gardens too.....

 

The next one below is Eristalis pertinax, one of the first hoverfly species to emerge in spring.....

 

The last one below had me stumped, and I had to call on the knowledge of the excellent UK Hoverflies Facebook page. Graham Watkeys and Ian Andrews confirmed this was a female Sphaerophoria. Exact id not possible unless it goes under a microscope but it could be any of these three, rueppellii, scripta or, interrupta  Females are much harder to id than males. The males all have narrower straighter bodies......

 

Thanks Graham and Ian.

 

Not a bad few hours on the patch. Glad to see the Swallows have kept this nest after their last one was mysteriously destroyed, great to hear and sometimes see the newly fledged Sparrowhawks, and odd to see the Little Owl box is showing signs of use yet there have been no sightings. I also briefly bumped into Edwina and her two greyhounds. With hindsight I should have taken their photo, but they were distracted by an attractive Staffie that wanted to say 'hi'.