Week 24: A Novel Use of Nettles & Family Wagtail

The first week of July and yet, applying my mind is like trying to rouse a tiny dormouse, snuggled up in a downy nest, seeing out the winter. That is to say, the creative juices have run dry. I’m adopting the less is more approach when it comes to words and will perhaps rethink things from week 26 onwards. By that point, the project will have been going for 6 months and might be worth tweaking/reworking/abandoning. Who knows.

Ok, first up, it’s a female Banded Demoiselle.

This one was fluttering around the common nettles by the river, east of Station Road on Harding's Moor. At one point it looked as though it was ovipositing some 15 metres from the river (pardon?!). That had me scratching my head until someone suggested that perhaps the Demoiselle was using the bristles on the nettle leaf to clean itself. That made perfect sense, especially when I noticed that apart from the mating claspers (cerci) and ovipositing appendages (stylus), the damselfly had a foreign object hanging from its rear end (nice!)!

After the Broad-bodied Chasers, I’ve seen an additional 3 species of dragonfly this week on Trust land. A few Emperors (river Bulbourne, Gadespring cress beds and Preston Hill pond), a Southern Hawker around Fishery Moor and a Common Darter (photographed, left) at the Preston Hill pond.

Most noticeable this week, though, has been the number and variety of butterflies out and about. Marbled Whites, Commas, Small Tortoiseshell, Meadow Browns, Ringlets, Red Admiral and Small Whites to name but a few. Add to that, Small and Large Skippers out in good numbers now. I have attempted a Skipper ID comparison (below) from photographs taken at the Brickworks this week.

Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris) (left); Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus) (right)

3 Key Differences

1. Size (wingspan): Small Skipper 27-34mm; Large Skipper (male) 29-34mm, (female) 31-36mm. Their wingspans overlap but the Small Skipper is noticeably smaller in the field.
2. Shading on the wing: Large Skipper - dark shading/patterning on forewing
3. Antennae: Small Skipper - orange/brown rounded tips; Large Skipper - hooked tips. I’ve not found an Essex Skipper (yet) so don’t have to worry about that!

Up on Further Roughdown, I came across a pair of mating Ringlets (Aphantopus hyperantus). Their larval foodplants are grasses [Cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata), Common Couch (Elytrigia repens), False Brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum), Meadow-grasses (various) (Poa spp.) and Tufted Hair-grass (Deschampsia cespitosa)].

And, near Old Fishery Lane, a Gatekeeper butterfly (Pyronia tithonus) was warming itself, perched on nettles. This is another species that relies on grasses as larval foodplants [Bents (various) (Agrostis spp.), Fescues (various) (Festuca spp.) and Meadow-grasses (various) (Poa spp.). Common Couch (Elytrigia repens)].

Early on in the week, Monday, I think it was, I was walking across Station Moor when I suddenly heard the distressed calls of a Grey Wagtail. I looked up to see a Sparrowhawk lazily flying south, carrying something in its talons. The diminutive Grey Wagtail was in hot pursuit as if its yellow go-faster-stripes were sufficient protection against such a predator. I did wonder if the Sparrowhawk had made off with a young Grey Wagtail. Anyway, on Thursday, I was able to get back to the area and was pleased to discover that, whatever had been going on with the Sparrowhawk, it had not prevented the Grey Wagtail pair from successfully fledging at least 2 youngsters this week by the Fishery Road canal bridge. I’ve put together some video footage of the parents and one of the fledglings. It was a task and a half to capture significant moments when the wind wasn’t gusting and making the footage unusable. Some clips are a little ropey (to put it mildly!) but hopefully that doesn’t detract too much from enjoying the events.



Finally, this week's Oak photograph.

Week 23: Damsels on the Moor

Thankfully all these damsels (bar one, I think) were male and they weren’t in the least bit distressed, as far as I could tell. Me, a camera and a pair of binoculars wouldn’t have been much use as a means to securing a rescue, I can assure you. This week, I decided to walk the moors (that sounds like something out of Great Expectations but you know what I mean). I ended up spending most of my time opposite the reflecting willow (photographed below), although, out on Harding’s Moor, it was great to see a family party of 4-5 Jays and a male Kestrel drift through. Down at Two Water’s Moor (east), an adult Song Thrush was stuffing its bill with juicy worms to feed to its youngsters.

Back at Bulbourne Moor, I arrived at the willow at the same time as a Kingfisher zoomed up to perch in a branch. From there, it plunged into the water, emerged with a fish and darted off, back down river, to feed its growing family or, perhaps, to sustain the nesting process all over again. Also downriver, I could hear the Grey Wagtail pair calling to one another. I wonder if they’ve bred nearby this year?

Much of my attention was directed towards the small clumps of vegetation, in the river, by the north bank, almost opposite the willow. In one small 1-metre-square area, I spotted 5 different species of damselfly! There were Red-eyed, Large Red (2), Common Blue (2), Blue-tailed (2) (all males), and a single female Banded Demoiselle. In total, along the stretch of river between the willow and where I stood to take the photograph, there were 2 Red-eyed, 1 Banded Demoiselle, 4 Large Red, 10+ Common Blue and 3 Blue-tailed damselflies. A little further down river (just behind me in relation to the photograph above), were 3+ exquisite male Banded Demoiselles. They really are breathtakingly beautiful.

Banded Demoiselle (male)

Banded Demoiselle (female)

Large Red (male)

Common Blue (male)

Blue-tailed (male)

Red-eyed (male)

Photographing all of them without a pair of waders, a swimming costume(!) or a boat was a precarious business. Countless times I nearly ended up as Kingfisher food. The Red-eyed and Blue-tailed damselflies were particularly tricky and simply would not perch within optimum photographic range (anyone would think they were wild and free!). Regardless, they were peaceful and mesmerising to watch, fluttering over the water; taking their time to decide which perch was best; settling and then unsettling; “bumping into” one another and finally settling for longer, before starting the whole “which perch is best” deliberation all over again.

Dragonflies and damselflies belong to a group (or “order”) of insects known as Odonata. Within this order, there are two main types (or “sub-orders”): damselflies (Zygoptera, meaning "paired-wings") and the true dragonflies (Anisoptera, meaning "unequal-winged"). According to the British Dragonfly Society, in damselflies, "[a]ll four wings are near enough equal in size and shape. They are usually small, weakly flying insects that stay close to the water margins or water surface. When at rest, most species hold their wings along the length of their abdomen. The Emerald Damselflies are an exception and usually hold their wings partly open when at rest. They are therefore known as Spreadwings in North America. The eyes are always separated, never touching. The larvae have external plates (lamellae) at the end of the abdomen, which act as accessory gills.” So, there we go. If you'd like to read more about their life cycle and breeding process, there's a lovely article written by Scottish Natural Heritage here.

Eventually, it was nearly time for lunch but, just as I was about to leave, a female Mallard swam up with her 5 ducklings (one was hiding behind the vegetation in the photograph below). Always irresistible!

This week's Oak photograph is a little different. No reason, I just fancied a change.

Finally, as I was crouching by the river this week, it was nice to be greeted with a friendly hello by a local dog owner. A timely reminder that in a couple of weeks, 12th July, there is the fun Box Moor Trust event, Paws on the Moors, aimed at the canine carers who enjoy the land, come rain or shine.