I've just come to the end of my first week as a Trainee Reserve Officer at Rutland and to celebrate such a momentus feat of human endurance a photographic representation of the week is in order;
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| Monday morning was a tame affair - just wrangling 40-odd Hebridean Sheep and injecting them with eye medicine |
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| This was found on some Elm on Lax Hill and I'm relying on you good people (Mr Skevington, please step forward) to identify it for me as I haven't a clue! |
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| 360 Hide is now fully open to the public on Lagoon 5 |
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| But if you had visited it on Tuesday you wouldn't have seen much as our work party was on the Lagoon giving all of the islands a haircut. |
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| Same story but Lagoon 8 on Wednesday |
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| Where I found this track by the waters edge, prevailing opinion is Badger at the moment, not the hoped for Otter |
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| Some reconnaissance of Eyebrooks Tern rafts was also undertaken |
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And finally, meet Timothy the Shield-bug who joined me on Lagoon 6 today, miles away from any Hawthorn!
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Oops, just realised I've nearly written a whole post centred around Rutland Water (one of the best birding sites in the Midlands) without mentioning any birds! Haven't birded the reserve properly all week but have picked up a few bits along the way.
Marsh Harriers are now being seen daily, there are certainly two "cream crowns" present and have been for some time. Wader passage has been slow this Autumn but Lagoon 4 has been good for a few
Dunlin and
Ringed Plover recently, along with the odd
Greenshank and
Green Sandpiper knocking about on the new Lagoons. Grilling the duck flotillas and Lapwing flocks are also worthwhile at the minute with a few
Pintail and
Golden Plover starting to trickle in. No sign of the Black-necked Grebe in the North Arm for the last few days though, not that I've been looking particularly hard for it.
The larva is a butterfly - a Comma. Really ought to come and look around the new lagoons some time - haven't been anywhere near them yet.
ReplyDeleteNice images! Sounds like a pretty varied and interesting week to me! I think your caterpillar is a Comma (but I'm no expert!) - based on my 1979 Observer's Book of Caterpillars!!!
ReplyDeleteI see Skev just beat me to it! Pleased I got it right though!
DeleteThanks for the I.D gents, my Butterfly book is useless and upon revision doesnt have a picture of comma larva in it...no wonder I struggled to I.D it!
ReplyDeleteSkev - yes the new Lagoons are starting to bed in and are actually holding a few birds at the minute - a decent gull roost and probably the best chance of waders on site at the moment except Lag4 and Snipe Hide on the Wet Meadow.
Richard - thanks for the kind words about the images, all taken on my phone as I'd certainly break my proper camera if I brought it along on workdays! And yes, there was a nice amount of variation although im told island cutting on lagoons will be a regular activity for the next few weeks - we've got a lot of lagoons now!