Damsels and other pretty things at rspb langford lowfields

Hoverfly on a Dog Rose

Unidentifed purple flowers past their best

Common Blue Damselfly on the Wing

Unidentified hoverfly close up - Poss Crysotoxum Festivum

Common Blue Damselfy

Striking unidentifed insect

Little green caterpillar - found it on the back of my neck

Abortive visit to RSPB Langford Lowfields

THis was a new adventure to me...up nice and early, stymied by the dary, so had to sit on my hands for a bit before I could set off on my first ever winter cycling trip to Langford Lowfields. I announced thus on twitter, and headed off, underneath an excited flock of twently long tailed tits  off Barnby Gate; past a kestrel rising from the woodland next to Beacon Hill and trying not to look at it for fear of being involved in an accident; and along the road in Winthorpe and Langford, with Great Tits, Blue Tits and Chaffinches baubling the hedgerows.

Large flocks of pigeons rose from the Somme like muddy fields, crows dotted an electricity line. I turned onto the N64 route through the boingy gate, and just enjoyed being out on my bike on a supposed winter's day. I was even sweating.

Uh oh. Bad news. Alarm bells as I tuend a corner on the path, and found that the sandy field on the west side of the site was almost entirely underwater as four swans glided over (no way of telling if they were the Whoopers on site!). I carried on, through more boingy gates hoping I'd be able to get onto the east side of the site, but it was as boggy as hell. And then, the new path works had closed the entirety of the east side path - minor quibble about this being a bit excessive as I couldn't see anyone working for two hundred yards at least and I'm not sure how a new hardcover track would fall on my head.

Sad. But not a wasted journey, because being outside for free is never wasted. I look forward to seeing how the site improvements pan out.

It turned out to be sluggy the slug

Random picture post coming up. 

No idea what is going to come out...

...oh look it's SLuggy the Slug at RSPB Langford Lowfields!

Bitten to Death in Langford Lowfields

So, yesterday, tired because of aforementioned late night meteor and rum sessions, got upon my bicycle and headed out for RSPB Langford Lowfields in my denim cutoffs and on my non Wiggins issue mountain bike.

Out at Langford Lowfields, the weather was beautiful...and the reed bed was deserted! Aside from a Swan, an Egret and a Great Crested Grebe.

The Egret however must have known I was there though, and put on a great show for me as I watched through my 10x50s...strutting elegantly through the reed bed, crest drooping right down its neck, and obligingly spearing a small fish as I watched its Max Wall stylee perambulations.

An Egret's plumage by the way, is the whitest thing I've ever seen in the Bird kingdom, and among the whitest things I've ever seen ever!

A Common Tern - think clean seagull that doesn't steal your Rick Stein Fish and Chips in Padstow - then turned up and had a little mosey round.

The Langford bods have refilled the feeders, and flocks of Tree Sparrows and Greenfinches were having a munch, in the non BDSM sense of the word. And also having a munch, on me, were the Vulcan bombers of the insect world, these camo winged flies that take great delight in biting me - I watched one actually make my arm bleed.

Research at home indicates that they are Twin Lobed Deer Flies, and yes they are vicious biters! Today, my arms and legs are starting to come up with the familiar big hot hard lumps. Why can't insects all be like the lovely Common Darters, Common Blue Damselflies and a big Southern Hawker that buzzed me, it's body hooped in turquoise.

Way out over the water, in my 10x50s, I even saw an Emperor, it's body big enough to be seen at 75 plus meters, and glowing blue over the water!

So the bites don't spoil it that much!

A Hot Day at RSPB Langford Lowfields

Today, I got on my bicycle and headed out for Langford Lowfields on what I knew would be a beautiful day.

At last!

And old chap with a biycle told me that he had seen a couple of buzzards overhead shortly before, but typically I missed the raptors as I always do, so I thought.

Reed Buntings were in evidence by what I think is referred to as Phase 2

Arrived at the hide, settled in, and had a look round. The feeders were quiter than my march visit, but during my time today, Greenfinch, Goldfinch - beautiful in my 10x50s - Chaffinch and Blue and Great Tits all paid a visit.

At all times, the hedgerows, Hawthorn bloom rampant, were alive with birdsong. The most distinctive was a throaty, crackling rasp - god only knows what that is.

Out on the very sparse looking reedbed, it didn't look like whole lot was happening at first, but close inspection and patience was rewarded. The most obvious residents are the big Canada and Greylag Geese, the obligatory mallards and a large population of Cootes. But in the distance, behind a pair of swans, a Shelduck, the first I have seen here, was crusing the waters.

Black and White flashes in the sky seen naked eye, revealed themselves to be a number of lapwings with their distinctive broad wings and tumbling flight. The two buzzards eventually appeared flying towards the river at the north end of the site, and flocks of sand martins continually worked the reed bed south to north.

But the most exciting sight gave itself away when a bug immature herring gull came over. As I followed it in the 10x50s, a black and white sleepy bird I had assumed to be ye olde Tufted Duck suddenly erupted off a sandbank, and went for it making a furious piping alarm call. It was joined by another, and plain as day, the giveaway angled black and white wings and long red bill of a pair of oystercatchers.

They are fierce!!! A black headed gull got savaged a little later, and as that Herring Gull found out, they will take on anything no matter how much bigger.

I figured that there must be a nest with eggs, and could see where one oystercatcher was carefully sitting. Eventually it went probing in the mud, dirtying it's scarlet beak in the process, and yes, I could see a chick!

A lovely visit, although not so for the young rabbit on the path with it's throat torn out.

Tonight the swifts are all over Newark, screeching with the joy of flying

ash keys on a hot day

Last of the warmth at Langford Lowfields

So, I was a good boy and did indeed make it out of bed early enough.

The trip out was pleasant, not too hot, bit of sun, and a beautiful big flock of goldfinches on the sustrans 64 corner where the field of sand is.

Was that where the excavation was? Major Roman remains have been found on this site, well we are near the old Fosseway, and there is a villa at Brough village a mile or two away.

On site, the first two lakes were well populated with Tufted Ducks, back from breeding wherever - I have never seen a Tufted Duck family. As ever, there was a good opportunity to lie on the ground and try and stalk Common Darter dragonflies for a picture. Looking a fool comes easy to me.

As easy as flying away just as I'm about to take a picture is to the Common Darters, who I think are all sworn to drive me mad. Still, I had two long close up views of these prettty insects. The warm red abdomen really stands out from the grass, and there seemed to be all sorts of interesting structures on the back of the thorax.

At various times I noticed cheeky red eyes turning to glance at me, obviously calculating the most irritating time to fly away.

Lot of activity at the hide, a guided party walking round the reedbed and a few unattached visitors came to the hide with their big telescopes and 200mm lenses overpowering my puny little 10x25 field glasses. They were spotting kestrels miles off, I felt rather pathetic. But with all the work on the bed there was very little to see, apart from birdwatchers and rangers clearing reeds and burning stuff.

The great tits were in the hedges behind me in, presumablyly munching the large amount of haws and sloes around the site.

So I had a nice trip out, but it did seem strange for there to be so many people there!

Cold wind at Langford Lowfields

Luckily I had the wind on the way there! Surprised to see plenty of my fellow humans, a birder with big binoculars, a couple with a very friendly bike loving Collie, and a warden ranger guy of whom more later.

Even before I entered the reserve area proper, the 64 path was littered by "Common" Darters, both male and female. Seem to keep lower to the ground than other dragon fly, still can't photograph them for toffee though. I tried stalking one, looking like an idiot in the process to passing birdlife. Many Yellowhammers flitting in and out of the hedges.

On the path, more "Common Darters", only they might be ruddy! And some common blue damselfly too. As soon as I arrived at the hide and looked out, the Hobby did exactly the same dragonfly noshing scything flight along the bed as it did last time, but aside from that not a lot to be seen and a freezing cold wind blowing.

Then a nice warden gave me a heart attack by popping up as I had a look at the flowers and scanned the ground for damselfly. He was really helpful and listened to my imbecilic observations with a lot of patience. He told me that yes the Common Darters were Common, but could be Ruddy and they are damn difficult to tell apart, something to do with waisted abdomens that captain slow eyes here is never going to see! He also said that there were bigger Brown Darters, and Brown Hawkers common too - I'd thought I'd seen these bronzey metallic looking things and was glad to have it confirmed. On the way out, as I spotted a couple of Egrets and a Heron on Lake 1, and did I see a couple of bright blue Emperor Hawkers? Maybe...Also some quacking ducks flying in echelons round and about and I'm not sure they were Mallards either. Couldn't get the field glasses onto them.

One thing I noticed as I left the site. On the corner past the portaloos, on a big weedy bank of earth, a big flock of 50 plus little birds erupted startled by my bike and circled round and about. Don't think they were finches, maybe a flock of warblers getting ready to head off? No idea!

hawthorn berries

mixed flowers at langford lowfields

sloe berries at langford lowfield

A Hobby - Today's Big Attraction

And what came out to feast on the dragonflies? While taking in the sun and scanning the trees behind the hide I noticed a falcon rising up from seemingly the farmers field - where there had been a lot of clanking and whirring from some sort of baler or harvester - and then disappear out of my view as it headed out behind the tall hedge onto the river end of the reed bed.

Ach, probably another Kestrel, I thought to myself.

But then looking out from the hide, it suddenly veered into view high from the right, not hovering like a kestrel and with I think a slimmer body shape with narrower tail and wings, sickle like wings in fact.

Very evidently it was hunting for prey on the water, until as it made its way round to where the RSPB hut was, it suddenly stooped, dropping like a stone almost onto the water, a process it repeated a couple of more times as it followed the water course away to the left.

I've read about it often enough, it would appear that finally I've seen the Langford Lowfields Hobby.

And not before time, it can't be long before it scuds off down south for the winter and was presumably stuffing itself with dragonflies by way of preparation, which are very numerous at the moment.

It wasn't done with me, as I cycled back up the path it was working over Lake 1 before heading into the wood. Excited, its a magnificent fast flier, it seems to be barely moving and then you realise its another hundred metres further away!

Late Summer at Langford Lowfields

A beautiful morning clouded over the second I climbed on my bike, which is typical. As soon as the sun came out when I arrived on site, I took my shirt off in the heat and immediately attracted every biting insect within 132 miles. This is also typical.

What was not typical was seeing lots of interesting things before I even got to the hide. The air was alive with damsel and dragon flies, in particular some very vivid red specimens. Not so many butterflies now, but a peacock was on the path, unusual for me to see one here.

And on Lake 2, an Egret was settled on the bank, had a good watch through my field glasses at this pure white elegant little heron, sinuously striding about looking for fish and frogs.

It would have had more chance there than on the main reed bed by the hide, because the water level there is really low. A rather landlocked swan was just about visible behind the hedge, and no herons anywhere - water level must be too low. But another Egret was visible in the middle of the bed, and a little later another one was stalking in front of where the RSPB hut used to be! They've moved it!

One thing I've learned to do, is now pay attention to the ground and the hedges behind me, as well as the reed bed. Well worth it too, as today lots of Small Blue Butterflies, these little flying parma violets were feeding on the birds foot trefoil. Far too wary little things to let me get near enough to photograph them though!

Again there was a Common Blue Damselfly, but a short time later, I spotted an unfamiliar specimen of similar size but with a mainly blue black abdomen with a neon blue tip at the end. Research indicates that this was a blue tailed damselfly.

They are all blue somethings, aren't they?

And back on the path on the way back up, I was able to get a decent look at the red dragonflies that were so numerously out today. One landed nearby, wings spread, not folded. Definitely a dragonfly then. I vaguely remembered about certain darter species being this vivid red colour, and indeed I believe it to  have been a Common Darter. I think I saw a broad bodied chaser as well, despite the RSPB reckoning they aren't common at Langford, and there a few of the big ones that look like WW1 Albatros D5 german biplanes. Emperors?

All these dragonflies about must have been the reason I finally got a chance to see today's main attraction...

Insects at RSPB Langford Lowfields

Golly gee. Got some lovely pictures for you in a bit.

Today headed off for Langford Lowfields, as usual when I choose to do this it was windy as hell, and one of those special winds that is always blowing hard in your face no matter which way you are travelling.

Noticed all the way across from Winthorpe that after the swallows and the martins, the finches are gathering in flocks - saw separate flocks of chaffinch, goldfinch and greenfinch, but no metal detectorists this time. Everyone is feeding themselves up on insects before winter I guess. There's certainly plenty of them around.

As I found out when heading down the path to the hide. Dragonfly were everywhere, and lots of different species. Erm, really big ones; not quite so big as the really big ones, metallic looking yellow brown ones, ruddy brown looking ones that also look a bit furry, and, um, some quite smaller ones.

I really need dragonfly lessons! To be less facetious, reckon I saw an Emperor and a Common Hawker, but nowhere near certain, as for the others, well *scratches head*.

And when I reached the hide on this warm day, I was being treated as a mobile drinking fountain by every buzzy thing in the known universe. I was a little irritated, and a bit disappointed to see that the reed bed was seemingly devoid of life. And the water level was low too.

But it was a nice day, I decided to be patient.

Sure enough, eventually a whitethroat appeared on a nearby bush before making it's way off down the bed towards the river. But then a bright flash of white was seen in the distance. That bright, even I know there's only one thing it could be, and sure enough, through my field glasses a snow white Egret made its way down the sort of valley that forms the reed bed, right across in front of the hide, before seeming to settle out of sight at the river end of the bed.

Turned around, and a  vivid fuscia pink Bullfinch was sat on top of the hedgerow. But it was down amongst the grass and the Ransome (?) that I managed to score my biggest prizes. Lying down, like a fool but warm in the sun, I managed to wriggle in close enough to get some nice pics of two different species of hoverfly on my Samsung mobile phone.

And then, spotted a Common Blue Damselfly - I think, I couldn't tell this apart from an Azure - and sneaked up and managed to get a pic of that.

And it came out fantastic. So, the insects are not so annoying...

You'll see the pics in a minute.

Langford Lowfields Part 3

So, after an unscheduled interruption to take a wallet I found in the road to the police station - now where's my karmic reward you powers that be? - headed off on the Sustrans 65 on a lovely bright morning, with rare decent temeperatures.

Upon arriving at Langford, found for the first time I had company on the path, a nice woman with a pair of bigger field glasses than mine, who kindly pointed out that the bright red T-Shirt I was wearing might not be the most sensible thing to be wearing birdspotting in a reed bed full of shy birds...

Yep, dud! doh! My bad! But to be honest, at midday, on a hot day, there was not a whole lot of activity down on the bed. A couple of lapwings, a cormorant, and unusually just the solitary heron. The most exciting prospect was a falccon I'd seen far down the reed bed by the river, but the hovering gave this away to be kestrel, and not the hoped for hobby!

Would have been a good day for Hobbies actually, as there were a lot of dragonflies about, the same large yellow brown species - they are by the Devon in town as well as I saw when out running in the afternoon - brown hawker? Common hawker? 4 Spot Chaser? I have no idea. They aren't Emperors, of that I am sure.

So, after taking in the sun for a bit, headed back up the path and reported my rather negative findings to the woman - she said she'd seen nothing much either, one heron, couple of kestrels, on the lakes.

On the way home, the House Martins and Swallows are flocking, almost looking like gossping neighbours as they sit with their little heads cocked on the telephone wires. And on a telephone wire was where I spotted what to me was the best spot of the day.

A fairly drab, light and dark grey bird sitting outside a pretty house in Winthorpe village, and making some high pitched little "zeeeeeeee" noises. Straight away figured this as a Spotted Flycatcher, and looking at "the books" at home, pretty sure I'm right!

So, a quiet day on the bird front, but to cycle out to Langford is never a waste of time!

RSPB Langford Lowfields, another trip

It was a fine start to the day - I didn't have a hangover, the sun was out and the presence of a Hollyoaks omnibus on the TV would be enough to drive anyone from the house screaming.

But I wasn't screaming, the events of the last few days have taught us that mainly, things are not so bad really, so I headed off on my rattletrap through Winthorpe and then on the back road Holme-wards towards the N64 off road route to RSPB Langford Lowfields to see what I might see today.

When I got to the screen over the reed beds, I see the local RSPB folk had put out a newsletter, which gave me something to read while I untangled the strap of my dinky 10x25 field glasses, and tried to take a picture of one of the Gatekeepers that seem to have taken over as the dominant butterfly of the moment out in the sticks. As ever, the butterflies didn't want to hold still.

But the Gatekeeper really is a very pretty little butterfly, like a little brown and orange paper cutout. In fact, if you gave a kid a bit of paper and some paint and told them to do one of those "paint on one side, then fold over" butterfly paintings, the Gatekeeper is what it would look like.

Out over the reedbed, as usual for me, the Hobbies and Marsh Harriers and interesting waders weren't there, but I had a great view of some herons doing their Max Wall struts amongst the shallows, and a big dragonfly hove into view but not slow or long enough to get a really good view.

The newsletter reckons Emperors are common here, all I can say is that it seemed to have a bright yellow head and thorax.

Scanning the reedbed with my glasses, under a bright sun, there wasn't much to be seen, maybe a bit late in the morning. But then, much nearer to hand and out of focus, a small bird was sat unselfconsciously on a bush.

Focussing the glasses revealed a pretty, and very un-shy little bird with a grey head, white throat chestnutty back and seemingly a very pale russet pink breast. It's tail was long, and edged with white, and when it stretched out its wing like a japanese fan for a spot of preening, it's wing was very white underneath.

Occasionally it sang it's little heart out, rapid trills, but my hearing is a bit crummy and I'm far better with Bowie than birdsong, so this is no help. But initially I mentally tagged it as a whitethroat - because it had an..err...white throat. But when it flew to another bush smack in front of me, I started to doubt myself, the breast looked very pink, the beak quite powerful for a warbler and the white striped long tail wasn't the stubby tail I associate with most warbler species.

But googling it later, I'm pretty sure a Whitethroat is what it is - the langfords people write that there are plenty of warblers about on the site after all and the images suggest I was right. A new spot for me. Yeah, I know compared to you proper twitchers I'm a heap of the proverbial. But I'm trying.

I had a real good look at the pretty little bird for a fair few minutes, before cycling back up, passing another couple of unidentifiable dragonflies - bronze and metallic looking in the sun; Brown Hawker? Four Spotted Chaser again? - but the curious sight was a couple of brown waterfowl scuttling away from my bike before diving into the hedge at the left. They moved like a coot or a moorhen, but I'd swear they were brown. Wonder if they were water rails, or whether my famous imagine was getting the better of me again??!!

Close up wildflowers Langford Lowfields

RSPB Langford Lowfields Reedbed

At last - Langford Lowfields

Bicycle trip today - I was too damn lazy and kneesore to run, so figured on a mild day with not too much wind and lightly grey skies, the much mooted not cooted trip to RSPB Langford Lowfields could take place.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/l/langfordlowfields

This means a 6 or so mile bike ride out of town, along the Sustrans 64 bike route along Winthorpe Road and through the awkward tunnels to Winthorpe Village. You have a choice of two routes here - on the quiet road by the river and lake, or on the Gainsboro road - I fancy the latter is a bit quicker. Take the turn off to Holme, and just after the railway crossing you rejoin the off road 64 as it pleasantly switchbacks through some fields and industrial sandheaps. Meadowbrown, Ringlet, White and the odd Small Tortoisehell were disturbed out of the hedgerows by my second rand rattletrap. A buzzard, talongs dangling, was circling low overhead.

Eventually you cross over the works entrance road, and go for another half mile or so skirting a wood - as the 64 heads right to Collingham, take a left into a wood and follow the path through the wood until you get to the various lakes and reedbeds that mark the site.

This path is a bit awkward for a mountain bike, but ok if its not too overgrown. All sorts of flapping things launch themselves out of the trees and hedges far too fast for me to identify (not difficult) and eventually I paused to photograph a pretty pink flower - pic later! - and take a little bit of stock. I'll admit to being naughty and jumping the fence to try and get a better look at the reedbeds last year, but I got sent off with a flea in my ear by the volunteers and now I'm a responsible RSPB member, I would never contemplate doing such a thing ever again, oh no. Instead, I bike down to the sort of hide further down the path that overlooks the reedbed.

I think to the newcomer to the nature game when they arrive at a reserve, I guess there is a feeling that the birds should come flying out of the vegetation to greet you personally, emitting coloured smoke like the red arrows and trailing a placard telling you what it is. The reedbed just looks so inpenetratable, you think you are never going to see a damn thing, and the little laminated note telling you that a Purple Heron was seen from here twice seems like a kick in the teeth from the proper birdwatchers!

But, I decided to be quiet, and patient, and all those other things that don't come easily to me, and scan with my little 10x25 field glasses. OK, the mute swans are boring! Where are the Avocets? Where are the Egrets? I think noisily - but it isn't so easy as that and lets be honest it wouldn't be fun if it were. Eventually, a hunting heron revealed itself a couple of hundred meters away, stalking through the water like Max Wall, and large red brown dragonfly buzzed over my head. And then, a little nearer, but a lot smaller, a small bird danced upon a reed stem, swaying in the wind. A black head, a black bib, pale front and a sort of black and white striped tail. After the usual exagerrations, I figured this for a Reed Bunting on my way home and a little wiki proves me right I reckon!

As I watched this little reed dweller, the heron in the background suddenly lunged, and caught a silverly flashing fish which it seemed to struggle to swallow, taking a few backwards tilts of its head to do so.

Then a small group of Common Terns, 5 or 6 strong, came across the reed beds, working them left to right before heading riverwards, I guess. Now, as the afternoon wore on, I was mooting not cooting again, a visit to Besthorpe reserve, so lay on the ground to take one of my idiot photos of a nice group of clover, birds foot trefoil and another yellow flowering plant, and headed back up the path.

On the way back up, another mousy little bird passed before me into a tree, and I figured I'd try and see if I could eyeball it properly and stopped. Once the bike had stopped its deathly creaks, another sound could be heard, that of a broken down rattlesnake, or a wonky band saw grinding through metal. I immediately thought "Grasshopper Warbler" but on getting home and listening to the call, that doesn't sound deep enough. At the same time, another warbler could be seen flitting in the tree, one of the prettier, yellower ones - and not a grasshopper warbler. As I tweeted, I decided this was a Woody Willow Warbler Chaff, but the Lowfields website says there are a lot of Garden Warblers in these hedges and trees by the path, so maybe it was one of them. Or another of these pesky avian jokesters put there to fool me.

After being accosted by another flock of preening, knowing gorgeous Goldfinches, I did indeed head to Collingham and an attempt to find Besthorpe reserve, but abandoned this when I realised just pleasantly cycling around wasn't going to find the reserve, which, ya know, is called a reserve because it isn't in the car park of the village bloody One Stop!

Anyway, after a light soaking on the trip home, here I am having learned two things. 1) Patience on a trip to an RSPB reserve will be rewarded and 2) Trying to write a blog post while playing air guitar to "The Queen is Dead" by the Smiths takes forever.