Buff Ermine moths

Buff Ermine moths

I came across this pair of  Buff Ermine moths mating amongst the reeds in my garden pond today.

Never one to miss a chance of a shot although I had to use flash to get enough depth of field to get both reasonably sharp.

St.George's Island Looe.

Great black backed Gull

I had a full day on Looe island on Monday with members of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust and the CBWPS who were ringing Great black backed Gulls as part of an ongoing project on the island.

We ended up ringing 68 Great black backed Gulls - 61 with colour rings. 30 Herring Gulls and 3 Oystercatchers.

So if you come across a GBB with a colour ring then please try to read the number and then get in touch with either CWT or CBWPS.

Here are some other images from the day including the 3 oystercatcher chicks ringed from the same clutch.

Herring gull chicks

 

Herring gull

Cormorant and young

Oystercatcher

Oystercatcher chick about to be released back onto the beach

Oystercatcher chicks about to be released back onto the beach

Small Pearl bordered Fritillary butterfly

Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary on Southern Marsh Orchid

 I found this fine specimen of a Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary butterfly at the Cornwall Wildlife Trusts' reserve at Breney Common on Tuesday.

The weather was warm but breezy and dull and I only saw 3 fritillaries flying for the whole afternoon and not a single dragonfly on the wing!

However the conditions suited the photographer and the butterfly posed in several good positions out of the wind.

Here are a selection.....

Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary on Knapwwed

Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary on Knapweed

Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary on Knapweed

Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary on a grass stalk

More Woodpeckers

Male Great spotted Woodpecker at nest

This is as close as I reckon I'll get to the image that I've wanted for many years of a Great spotted Woodpecker at the nest with the chick with its head out of the nest hole and the adult sharp. I've got so many pictures where the chick is a blur as it is always in a frenzy to be fed that it never keeps still.

I had to push the ISO up to 1600 to get it but with the full frame Nikon D600 the file size was huge and I'm pleased with the results. Ultimately some sunshine and a lower ISO would give better quality but this is Cornwall and we all know there are no 2 days alike where weather in concerned!

Female Great spotted Woodpecker at nest

 

Great spotted Woodpecker chick awaiting a feed

More seabirds off the North Cornwall coast.

Puffin

 

Some more seabirds from today's trip on the North Cornish coast

Razorbills

 

Razorbill

Nesting Auks

Guillemot

Immature Guillemot

 

Guillemot

Guillemots

Gannet off the North Cornwall coast

Gannet

 A Seal survey trip out from Rock in the Camel Estuary gave us good views of seabirds today despite the poor light and windy conditions.

Thanks to skipper Matt we got to see several species of seabirds and over 30 seals.

I'll post some Auk photos on the next blog.

Gannet

 

Gannet

Gannet

Gannet

Gannet

Great Spotted Woodpeckers

Male Great Spotted Woodpecker

 

These Great spotted Woodpeckers were feeding young in a hole in an oak tree on the outskirts of Wadebridge this morning.

Dappled light didn't make it easy for exposures but I guess we need to make the most of this beautiful sunshine when we can!

I'm hoping to have another session when the chicks put their heads out of the tree.

Female Great Spotted Woodpecker

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Pied Flycatchers

Male Pied Flycatcher

 

I took advantage of the fine weather and took a trip up to Yarner Wood on Dartmoor today to try to find Pied Flycatchers and Wood Warblers.

I was happy after finding several pairs of Pied Fly's merrily feeding away and carrying food to and fro to their nestboxes.

They took virtually no notice of me although I did come with copious amounts of camo material and scrim to break up my otherwise attractive outline!

There were 3 pairs nesting along on bit of path in almost every other box. Those without Pied Fly's had great and blue tits in residence and I also found a nesting pair of Coal tits but they were in a natural nest hole in a stump of hazel.

As for the Wood Warblers they were vocal and it was great to hear but they were high up in the canopy and I couldn't get the camera on them.

All in all a successful day!

Female Pied Flycatcher

 

Male Pied Flycatcher

Male Pied Flycatcher

Male Pied Flycatcher

Female Pied Flycatcher

Male Pied Flycatcher