WORKS A BITCH SOMETIMES...NOT!

Out in the deepest depths of Lincolnshire and there's an abundance of wildlife if you've got some patience. This little fellow was playing hide and seek in the grass by the roadside...

one juvenile Little Owl minus tail!

and there's more, I'm casually scanning the distant horizons for MRs (that's Marsh Harriers to the layman) when I notice this wee dude creeping up on me...

its a hard life but someone's got to do it.

MOSS SIDE STILL THE MECCA

A bit of reminiscing was called for as I headed down to Moss Side my old stomping ground with the bike in the back of the car. It must be 20 years since I pedalled round my old patch in search of wayward strays and birds (and sometimes both!!!). I headed for Halfway House, that bit of land that's 20m wide where the River Mersey gets oh so close to the famous Manchester Ship Canal. Bang! one Little Egret out on the mud. 20 years ago I would have been wetting myself at finding such a bird...now its just a regular occurrence, how times have changed. I met up with Moss Side's own David Attenborough namely Mike the Mull Holland. He'd just found a summer plum Med Gull yet another mega 20 years ago.
As is, Mike updated me on the goings on for Moss Side this past month and Jesus Christ!! if not only one but two mega butterflies were showing right NOW!!! gen passed on and absorbed I raced off on my ageing two-wheeler.

White-letter Haistreak with a non showy 'W'

Purple Hairstreak as per so I'm told wings shut tight.

What a result, two lifers on the old stomping ground...still the MECCA!

NOT SO COMMON TERN

With 'Terns' of all sorts being seen on the Patch it was surely only a matter of time before someone located a nesting pair or two. With Sandwich Tern bagged by the Insomniacs (some with radar I think!!!) and flocks of Common Terns with youngsters in tow all eyes have gone on 'Commic' watch. A mega rare breeding bird for Cheshire, Sandbach holding the only pair this year...apparently?
Cruising past the well cared for Marston Pools I happened to notice a white blob sat on one of the two artificially rafts on the West Pool. Low and behold its a Common Tern (female, red bill with black tip) sat on what looked like a nest whilst another Common Tern circled (male, full red bill).
 Out came the camera...(this is probably a protected species at the nest but not a schedule 1 jobby) and from a public road here's some record shots...

lets hope their successful and for once well done Maggot Danglers!

HARRY AND HARVEY

MORE BUGS

Seeing as Groucho just can't get enough of my bug blog here's some more photos of some new additions to my ever growing Butterfly and Dragonfly lists...

A duo of White Admirals found on a rare foray down south to Kent, they even made it on to YouTube.

What a beautiful sight a White Admiral feasting on a tasty dog turd...nice!!

Nearby in the same wood a very blue Azure Damselfy (not a newey but nice to id all the same)

Just North of Kent up in bimbo land  Essex a male Ruddy Darter skulked in the grass, bit of a naff piccy but I'm trying (some say very). And with a bit of help from the UK butterflies website plus the local Essex branch I managed to track down a couple of South-East megas (butterflies that is)..

 Heath Fritillary

The Essex boy himself...Essex Skipper...oh bugger its actually a Large Skipper..whoops!!

Changing the scene a little and travelling up over the Jock border a brief foray up Glen Nevis, yes that far up North whilst waiting for the start of the 3 Peaks Race I found a Common Lizard basking by the roadside.

more to come hopefully so stay tuned readers...surely we'll get some hot balmy sunny days for sure..??

NBA

No not that naff bouncy ball game played over the pond by tall dudes but another addition to my butterfly list - NORTHERN BROWN ARGUS doing the business on the cloudy slopes of Arnside Knott the North West's premier butterfly site.
I joined what seems to be a rather nice easy going clan of like minded people scouring this Cumbrian hillside (the lowest Marilyn in England) for the latest butterfly to brave this awful summer. Within minutes of leaving the car park I was in amongst the thick of it with butterflies everywhere even though the sun refused to shine.
I personally counted/id'd 10 species - NBA, DARK GREEN FRIT, SMALL PEARL BORDERED FRIT, MEADOW BROWN, GRAYLING, COMMON BLUE, LARGE SKIPPER, SMALL TORTOISESHELL, SPECKLED WOOD and SMALL HEATH...what a place.

 SMALL PEARL BORDERED FRITILLARY

DARK GREEN FRITILLARY

GRAYLING

AND THE NEW EDITION TO THE LIST

add to this a couple of mammals in the shape of WEASEL and SHORT-TAILED VOLE (seen up near Workington) plus a rather difficult to id dragonfly which turned out to be an 

immature male KEELED SKIMMER 

the day was better than an Attenborough nature programme.

ELBOW

Got soaked wet through standing in a muddy field being barged into every minute straining my neck muscles drinking over priced wee (carlsberg) watching a band called Elbow under the daunting shadow of Cheshire's finest scientific monument Jodrell Bank....great stuff!!

spot the Corrie celebrity...non other than world famous Kevin Webster, what a nice chap

That's another one off the bucket list...bin there done that but didn't buy a t-shirt

GREAT CRESTED GREBE

Been ages it seems since something happened on the Local Patch (remember the patch?) with the good old weather in turmoil we were hoping something might pay us a visit. With the UK's best bird for a while just down the road at New Brighton (yes the little feckers still there) most patchers except for the obvious have gone and whapped it on their Cheshire lists and why not.
The Great crests on the mere have been trying for ages to nest but constant battering by wind, waves and rain has prevented them from even building a nesting platform. Now with a lull (fingers crossed) they've gone for it big style with six pairs all nesting in Coward Reed bed Bay...

The mere has also played host to a wee flock of 5 Common Terns, now if Cawos FOAM
could sort out that platform that's gathering weeds below Bittern Hide we could have another patch breeder.

terntastic

LARGE SKIPPER

When the sun shines now its a treat so when it does decide to show itself there's only one thing to be looking for...butterflies. Up yet again in deepest darkest Cumbria I stopped for a quick search just on the off chance something might be showing and low and behold...

One rather cute LARGE SKIPPER

and nearby in amongst the bracken were upto 5 DARK GREEN FRITILLARIES

neither new for the list but great to get some good photos and nice to find one's own for a change.

YOU AIN'T SEEN ME!

Have now little fella