Shrike Revisited!!

Last Wednesday I was the first photographer to have a go at the fabulous juvenile Red-backed Shrike at Tide Mills. It was a really relaxing and enjoyable session with only 3 others joining in the fun that day. Since then of course, the bird has become a bit of a celebrity with many others from all over joining in the fun. I decided that my first session was so good I wouldn't call back. Today though, with not a lot else around the temptation became too much and I decided to call back, mainly just to watch the bird but also to get a few different shots if the opportunity presented itself. It was strange watching a couple of younger photographers that almost ran every time the bird settled to run off lots of shots each time. I dread to think how many photos one of them took and he will still probably be sorting them out at Christmas!!

Autumnal scene with Blackberries.

Just after these were taken there was a massive rainstorm. The bird sheltered in the middle of a bush whilst we tried to protect the equipment by standing by some Pampas Grass!! The rain soon passed but by now the bird looked a bit forlorn with soggy feathers.

Bedraggled Shrike looking as if its going to sneeze!!

Out pops a pellet!!

Oh no. Did I just do that. How rude!!

More Moths.

Following the excitement of my first Convolvulus Hawk Moth last week there were a couple of other moths worth a closer look. Last night I also put the trap out but this time there were no stunners. Maybe the cat ate all the best ones!!

I still improved on a couple of shots of 3 common moths, so along with the 2 from last week when the trap had a lovely Pink-barred Sallow as well as the Hawk Moth.

Pink-barred Sallow.

Common Marbled Carpet.

Beaded Chestnut.

A Pair of Black Rustic.

Lunar Underwing.

More Shrike!!

It's unusual for me to keep many shots of one subject, but the juvenile Red-backed Shrike was a bit special. It was great being the first photographer to have a go at the bird and it was so confiding with it flying and landing very near several times. James was also there but he only had a macro lens, which he managed to get some good shots with, but he also borrowed my telephoto for some closer shots. Since then it has apparently been quite busy with others at the site enjoying the spectacle of this beauty. A few more shots of that original session follows, it has been quite hard deciding which are my favourite shots!!

Juvenile Red-backed Shrike.

Convolvulus Hawk.

After returning from the excitement of the Shrike on Wednesday evening I decided that luck was with me so, with a few reports of Convolvulus Hawk Moths about, I decided to put the trap out and hope to catch my first one of this Mediterranean species. Thursday morning saw me going through the trap and seeing an enormous moth looking up at me amongst all the normal common insects. It looked exactly like a Privet Hawk Moth from this angle, but of course it's the wrong time of year, so once again lady luck was shining down on me as it was a really well marked and fresh individual Convolvulus Hawk Moth.  Amazing that it had flown across from France. Looking at the books I believe it to be a male as these have strong markings and a thicker antenna.

Convolvulus Hawk Moth.

Convolvulus Hawk Moth revealing it's colour.

Before seeing the Shrike on the Wednesday I was hoping to show James a Wall Brown egg. Once again luck was on our side when we saw a female fly into a Rabbit scrape and lay an egg in a position where it was quite easy to photograph it. When first laid the eggs have a light green tinge which it soon loses to become white.

Female Wall Brown nectaring moments before laying an egg.

Wall Brown egg.

Juvenile Red-backed Shrike.

A short search for Long-tailed Blues soon came to an abrupt halt yesterday when Paul, a butterfly enthusiast from London informed me he had seen a juvenile Red-backed Shrike during the morning. He also mentioned it was approachable as well as happy to approach him!! He showed me a couple of pictures he had taken on his macro lens which was enough for me to forget the butterflies!! Following this I spent many hours enjoying this fabulous bird with other birders joining in the spectacle during the afternoon. The bird was totally oblivious of anyone nearby, even flying to within a couple of feet to catch a Bee. It was also seen to catch Grasshoppers and Beetles.

Showing well!!

Red-backed Shrike with Devil's Coach Horse Beetle.

With a Bee.

A Fantastic bird!!

Another Brick In The Wall!!

With such a strong 3rd brood of Wall Brown showing at the moment I was tempted out again yesterday. Already, with so many battling males, the butterflies are showing some wear and tear but there are still a few decent ones about. The best 2 I saw were at the beginning and the end of the session. All those seen today were males, although that was not unexpected as the area I was concentrating on is well known for territorial battles, whereas most of the females are seen in the egg laying areas. It was good to get a decent shot of one off the ground, where they normally sit and soak up the heat.

Male Wall Brown.

With times when there were 5 in the air at the same time battling away. I then had a brief look at a different area. This was not on a South facing area so I wasn't expecting to see many, but the 2 that were seen were a little fresher than the majority at the other site. Once again there were several other species seen as well as a nice male Migrant Hawker.

Male Migrant Hawker.

Wall to Wall.

With the early part of the season being poor it is good to see that the end of the season is continuing with some great butterfly sightings. With my Norfolk trip last week clashing with the start of a 3rd brood Wall Brown emergence I was keen to get to my local patch to see if it was a good emergence or just a small number, as is often the case with the 3rd brood. Straight away it was clear that this is a strong emergence with over 20 butterflies seen in quite a small area. Even better was the fact that at least 5 were females, so some serious egg laying will be going on over the next few days and perhaps weeks. 2 years ago was the largest 3rd brood for many years and butterflies were on the wing for over 50 days, in fact that year the 3rd brood went on longer than both the 1st and 2nd brood!! It is obviously too early to see if this will be as big as 2014. Although I don't often try to get Wall Brown photos I did manage some shots of a nectaring female. Strangely Wall Brown don't generally nectar too much but the 3rd brood do seem more prone to it, maybe they feel their life is going to be a bit short this late in the season so they try to fit it all in quickly.

Female Wall Brown on Scabious.

Female Wall Brown Opening Wings.

Resting after nectaring.

It was also good to see 3 Small Copper, a couple of late Meadow Brown and 4 Clouded Yellow including a very smart helice form. A very late Peacock was a surprise as most of these should be hibernating by now. Red Admirals were numerous on the Ivy flowers.

On the way back to the carpark a Robin performed for me as it dropped into foliage but kept watching me above the leaf line.

Robin Watching Me.

Robin Showing Off.