Muntjac Buck - Literally Barking Mad!

Muntjac Deer Slots

 

Roe Deer Slot 

Popped out with the Nikon for an hour today, Mr. Fox put in a brief showing but I was unable to capture a picture.  Two Muntjac deer broke cover out of the treeline by the bounday fence and one of them was kind enough to stop, look back at me and then 'bark' to sound his discontent at my disrupting his day. Yesterday there were approximately six Roe deer in the adjacent field which I had seen taking a drink from around my pond before moving on into the open countryside.

Close but no cigar...

Low light conditions in my little wood/copse but have been able to see two Goldcrests flitting from tree to tree in search of insects, spiders etc. Only managed this one grainy and out of focus image as birds were mostly hidden behind branches and twigs and never sat still for more than a second. 'Slightly better' pictures taken in 2023 are here on this blog Goldcrest

Better news from today however was that walking in search of Goldcrests, I put up a woodcock RSPB Woodcock Information on the boundary ditch next to the wood; it was sadly too fast for me to get a picture but its the first one I can confirm a sighting for at Longbeach farm and flew away showing that classic woodcock outline of wings, beak and ; it has been added to my species list of birds in the left sidebar.  That's one new species added to the list in January, so I can't complaint about that. 

Sparrowhawk Death Stare...

Sadly my camera has been put away over winter but on Saturday morning I just happened to spot this Sparrowhawk [Female] out of the window as I was going down for breakfast.  It's far from a great picture and the twig crossing her face does not add to the aesthetic, but given that it had been so long since I 'clicked' a picture, I wanted to capture this as a reminder of the potential nature photo opportunities that Longbeach Farm will yeild in 2024. 

Let's hope the phtography imporoves along with the weather and that I find the time to get out and about again on my little piece of Fenland soil to capture all creatures great and small.   

Longbeach Farm Moth Hunters!

Last year (2023) I was lucky enough to be introduced to two brilliant Moth enthusiasts Ian and Jeremy (Jem) who were keen to spend some time on my little 6 acre plot, looking for all things moth related.  Having the opportunity to have an expert catalog the species found at Longbeach was an opportunity too good to miss - it was a win-win situation, Ian and Jem had the opportunity to search in a new location, and I got to benefit from their dedication, expertise and time.   

The document showcases the findings and is the result of a lot of meticulous recording and identification by Ian. 687 moths of 118 species were recorded over the three nights in total. - Amazing! 

Having had the benefit of this experience, I am hoping to find further opportunities to have experts/dedicated enthusiastic amateurs record other flora and fauna at LBF so that I can compile a comprehensive catalog of wildlife on my little plot and add to my own observations.  Hope you enjoy the report!

Macro Tryouts 3

 Dock Beetle

Earwig

Slug

Macro Tryouts 2

Twin-lobed Deerfly

 

Red Soldier Beetle

Hoverfly

Flesh Fly eating carrion (Dead Bird)

Common Darter headshot

Random Macro Images from today @ LBF

Unidentified (tiny) spider - Morning rainfall & Small Leafhopper larvae

Common Blue Detail

Inkcap

Red Admiral 

Small Red Eyed Damselfly

Small Copper

Spotted Wolf Spider with egg sack

Wild Borage

Snail hiding in wild carrot flower cluster

 

Had the Macro lens out today

 Small White (top) and Large White Bottom Caterpillars enjoying my veggie patch

Cinnabar moth caterpillar on its favorite food plant (Ragwort)

Chicory 'fireworks' in flower meadow

Large garden Bumblebee on Sainfoin in the wildflower meadow

Tiny fly made large - Click for true macro detail

 

Nothing 'common' about either of these two delights...

Female Common Blue Butterfly 

Lots of Blues today enjoying the plentiful Birdsfoot Trefoil in the wildflower meadow.

Moorhen eggs from the Common ubiquitous but striking black, grey, red and white birds with oversized feet; the beautiful eggs yield rather unfortunate looking chicks, the type that only a mother could love, before they transition into the rather more refined adult birds. 

Female Tufted Duck and Dabchick/Little Grebe

 Another late evening picture in poor light but beautiful to see none the less!

Female Tufty

Female Dabchick

Barn Owl & Kingfisher (BOGOF) - Two for the price of one!

Popped out to the pond for a last walk around as the sun was slowly making its way to bed.  I got to the bottom of the garden and saw what I thought were two Kingfishers at the top of the pond, I quickly walked back to the house to grab the camera as I had never seen two kingfishers on the pond at the same time and wanted a picture to mark the occasion.  As I walked back up to the top of the pond, a Kingfisher perched on the jetty and then jumped off to sit on the edge of the boat. The light was fading, but I took a few pictures anyway. At this stage I'm now convinced that there was only one bird and I had imagined the second... 

As I crouched by the reeds watching the Kingfisher, a Barn owl swept across the pond from the meadow and dropped right onto the log and branch pile that  I had built by the pond last year. The owl could clearly see me, I was sitting just a few meters away; I'm certain it could hear the  'click-click-click' of my Nikon, she seemed unphased and posed for me for several minutes before making her exit. 

Quality Alert ;-( Images are cropped and rather grainy due to low light and higher than optimal ISO settings but I'm still pleased to have recorded the event. - Click images for larger views. 

Here are the pictures of the Owl and Kingfisher who went to sea on a beautiful pea green boat.

Time to go... amazing just how long Barn owl legs are!

...and equipped with those menacing talons!

and the Kingfisher that I originally went out to see. Now pretty sure there was only one. 

Tea for two...

 No sign of a Kingfisher for about two weeks and then this evening this chap showed up.  I think its a different bird to the one I photographed previously; the blue color seems greener and he, dare I say it, looks a little more rotund!  Perhaps he was eating the 'fish pies' since our last encounter.

Quick shot of the Kestrel again today, those talons look deadly already!

Mini Beasts in the fading evening Sunshine.

 Meadow Brown - Click for enlarged image.

Large Skipper Butterfly - Click for enlarged image.

Large Mimic Hornet Hoverfly - Click for enlarged image.

Lacewing - Click for enlarged image.

Like buses... You wait all day for one to show up, then WHAM!, two come along at the same time... These two beauties graced me with a sighting today.

The Green Sandpiper has been visiting the new pond over the past few days but had been rather reluctant to being photographed (until today). The pond is  still being filled with water, but it seems that does not matter to the Piper who seems to like open dirt and mud banks rather than grassy margins. The Green Sandpiper unlike other waders and shorebirds, unusually nests in trees! - It uses old nests from other birds (crow, Thrush etc.). It is a very rare breeding bird in the UK with just two or three known nesting pairs identified in Scotland.

The Kestrels had raised 1 chick in the barn Owl box; when I came home from work today, the bird was up on the next box entrance platform and quite happy to introduce itself.