Welcome to my account of 30 Days Wild – The Middle 10 Days. A bit later than planned, but hey ho!
11th June 2022 – a walk around the garden to find wild flowers in bloom. Some of these I grew from seed many years ago, others have arrived naturally. I’m no botanist, but I think they are: Mexican Fleabane (just turned up by the front garden wall), Ox-eye Daisy, White Campion, Green Alkanet (despite attempting to eradicate it, it just keeps coming back – bees love it, so what the heck), Red Campion, Creeping Buttercup (checked the sepals and they are upright), Cat’s Ear, and Herb Robert. There are many other plants in bloom through the seasons, but I thought this was a nice set.
12th June 2022 – apart from a cultivated, tidy(ish) area close to the house, most of the garden is allowed to run wild (within bounds). The live hedge boundary is now full of bramble blossom which is a veritable magnet for bees, hoverflies, butterflies and other insects. I reckon we have proportionately more bees visiting our little patch than many a garden of much greater size. The buzzing is pleasantly audible. Clockwise from top left – Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum), White-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lucorum), Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum), and Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera).
13th June 2022 – an evening session at a very quiet and tranquil Strumpshaw Fen. I produced a separate blog about this for the RSPB which you can read here. A few pics didn’t make that cut, so I include them here. As you can see the Barn Owl chicks are very well grown.
14th June 2022 – Minsmere, where interest was provided by a Carrion crow that stood expectantly above the Sand Martin cliff. It perched there for quite some time, presumably waiting for an adult Sand Martin to betray the whereabouts of its nest burrow which would contain well grown chicks. The Sand Martins were having none of this, and wheeled around the intruder until it eventually gave up. As soon as the black marauder flew off, the martins zoomed into their burrows to feed their offspring.
Also on this day, a book for which I had produced the written content was published. The book, entitled Dangerous Animals, is available from Amber Books who produce a range of works that introduce children to nature in an exciting and informative way. A point to note: despite the sensationalist sounding title, Dangerous Animals champions the amazing attributes of the subject matter, together with a clear conservation message. For example, the text for Grey Wolf reads ‘Historic persecution dramatically reduced the range and population of this ace predator, which found refuge only in the vast forests of Russia and Eastern Europe. Changes to rural economies, together with conservation activity over the past few decades, has allowed wolves to naturally recolonise many former territories. Wolves are intelligent, social animals living in packs with a hierarchical structure. They hunt deer, goats and wild boar, but will also attack livestock if natural prey is scarce. They feature strongly in mythology, where their howls portent the unleashing of dark forces. In fact, attacks on humans are extremely rare. ‘
15th June 2022 – once again the garden provided lots of interest. First up was noticing that one of the wife’s prize hostas was looking less than replete. The culprit for this neat, if unwelcome, vandalism is a leaf cutter bee. A couple of years ago I watched such a creature seal its nest chambers with circles of freshly cut leaf, (click here for more detail). Sure enough, upon inspection, I found some patchwork leafcutter bees were using the bamboo canes for the intended purpose.
16th June 2022 – Duck feeding with the grandson at Pensthorpe Natural Park, where between being surrounded by hungry waterfowl and feeding ourselves a hearty picnic, we were able to watch a hummingbird hawk moth up close. What fascinating creatures they are, and so fast as they seek nectar from every available bloom.
17th June 2022 – a weekend break to Kent in search of butterflies. In the 30 degree swelter we eventually managed to find East Blean Woods, where a walk through the dappled shade allowed excellent views of heath fritillaries and newly emerged white admiral butterflies. The fritillaries were present in good numbers, with many courting couples flitting around in the sunshine. Beautiful insects, and a life tick for me. In one of the stills, you will notice the female rejecting the males advances by adopting a raised abdomen posture. This shows she has already mated and is basically not interested.
18th June 2022 – After a very enjoyable walk around Canterbury, we motored to the National Trust facility overlooking the White Cliffs of Dover. It was quite cool and windy at first, but presently the skies cleared and the sun shone forth bringing with it lots of gorgeous butterflies. I was in my element of course, happily strolling around the chalky grasslands snapping away at whatever I could find. Marbled whites were out in force, and after about an hour or so I eventually spotted a stunning male Adonis blue shining like a jewel from low in the sward. I also watched an impressive speckled bush cricket feast on some aphids. It was a shy creature, shuffling behind a stem when it detected my movements, but once engrossed in munching its way through the succulent food on offer, it became a little more camera friendly.
19th June 2022 – Final day in Kent, and a visit to the RSPB reserve at Dungeness. It was a cool, overcast day with light rain, so not much on show. However a 5-spot burnet moth was good to see, as were plenty of Reed Buntings and Whitethroats. The whole geology of the reserve is quite impressive, supporting impressive stands of vibrant blue and purple flower spikes of viper’s bugloss. On the way home I spotted a rather rare bird, details of which I will include in the June 220 for 2022 update.
20th June 2022 – the cherry trees around the reception area at RSPB Strumpshaw Fen are laden with ripe fruit. This constitutes an irresistible lure for the local Blackbirds and Song Thrushes. I caught one of the latter tucking in to some windfalls. Later a Hobby was hunting dragonflies low over the broad – exhilarating to watch.
There you have it, my exploits during 30 Days Wild – the Middle 10 Days. Hope you enjoyed it, if so let me know in the comments below.