Jay vs Woodpecker

No contest really. The Jay had size and aggression on its side but the Greater Spotted Woodpecker has got a fearsome bill and was not showing any signs of being afraid. The Jay retreated once it realised that the Woodpecker was not budging. The Greater Spotted Woodpecker was perched near the top of a Larch and the Jay decided to see it off, probably just to pass the time. Corvids can be like that, they enjoy a good barney. However after a couple of attempts it flew away presumably deciding that discretion was advisable on this occasion.

New species - Common Toad

I am used to seeing frogs in the long grass even though there are no ponds on site but until last week had never seen a toad. While I was cutting and removing growth from the fields I left a few piles of long grass temporarily on the edges of the field. When moving them I came across a couple of small toads sheltering in the heaps. Given that I rarely saw toads when living surrounded by ponds, bogs, woodland and long grass I found that a little surprising. I must get on with the project to create a couple of ponds to encourage the toads.

Baby swallows

Like last year the swallows have ignored the expensive ceramic nests I put up for them in the barn and built their own. I was sure there was a nest there but couldn't find it until the other day. In the gloom of the barn it looked empty but I took a flash photo and can see three young swallows at least. Whilst I was taking the photo a parent flew in and was not best pleased with my proximity to the nest. Given that we have had a decent summer I suspect that this was a second or third brood of youngsters.

Juvenile birds

There are a stack of juvenile birds around at the moment. Hopefully our feeding station has helped with the raising of extra broods this year or at least helped to ensure the survival of more youngsters. We rescued one young blue tit from our boiler flue as it had got a bit too inquisitive and plunged down the whole length of it. A family of seven blue tits arrived on the electricity wire outside the window followed by a juvenile swallow and then a young sparrow - all of them fluffy and new looking. Those birds are all easy to identify as the colouring is similar to the adult birds although I do find that many juvenile birds confuse me momentarily as they don't look quite right at first glance. Pictured is a juvenile green woodpecker. It is unmistakeable as a green woodpecker yet on close examination there are a number of differences to the adult bird, most noticeably the mottled breast.

Blackcap in the Apple Tree

This is a bird I sometimes hear but don't often see as it seems to keep a low profile. Spotting one in the apple tree outside the window I took the opportunity to get a snap of this shy bird which has such a gorgeous song.

New species - Field Grasshopper

It only took me a couple of days to add another Orthopterid to the species list - this time the Field Grasshopper to add the Meadow Grasshopper I found earlier in the week. I had to capture it momentarily to get the photo so please ignore the background and blurring.

New Species - Essex Skipper

My suspicions have been confirmed by a butterfly expert and I can add the Essex Skipper to our buuterfly species list. It seems that contrary to what my butterfly book says the Essex Skipper is found in South Wales and so it is not surprising that we have them here as well as Small Skippers. The photograph above shows the black undersides to the antennae that are the giveaway that it is an Essex Skipper and not a Small Skipper. That makes it 17 species of butterfly this year on site.

New species - Meadow Grasshopper

I hadn't realised how similar some of the common grasshopper species are and how wide the colour variations are but this is a Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus)according to Google images at least. The policy of leaving some grass uncut each year seems to be paying off in terms of inverterbrate numbers. I shall be looking to see if I can spot at least one more Orthopterid this month.

Red-tailed bumblebee

Having picked up some bee identification sheets I thought I ought to make a start. So here's my first ID - a Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius). Excuse the lack of sharp focus - I was having camera issues yesterday.

Small Copper

One of my favourite butterflies has made its appearance at last this year - the Small Copper. That makes 16 species (or perhaps 17 depending on how the Essex Skipper ID pans out). Apologies the picture was overexposed so the colours are not accurate. It does have a new-agey vibe about it though.....

Slow worm

I posted a picture of the end part of the tail of a slow worm a while back. Now I have a proper picture of a slow worm so it is time to reprise this particular lizard. Found whilst haymaking hiding in the cut grass.