As soon as I started to wander along the footpath I couldn't help but notice how many Gatekeepers was on the wing.
Photographing the wildlife was not easy as the sun was in the wrong position for most of the time, also I tend to have a problem with balance.
From there on until I got to the bottom of Marsh Road I saw the following butterfly species:
Speckled Wood.. Small Copper.. Holly Blue.. Comma.. Ringlet.. Small White.. Green Veined.
Other wildlife seen was as follows: Greenfly.. Meadow Grasshopper.. Ruddy Darter.. and what i think is a Common Darter. I wasn't sure how to distinguish between that and a Southern Darter( help please).
Here are a some of the photo's taken on of the walk.
PS. Thanks to Greenie and Shysongbird for confirming that the female dragonfly was a Common Darter. After seeing a Southern Darter I then began to doubt myself. It seems as if my first identification was right.
PS. I have now realized that I have made a huge gaff thanks to my fellow bloggers coments. I knew that the photo was a Greenbottle, when I wrote the post, why I wrote Greenfly I have no idea. Has anyone ever seen a greenfly that big before? I wouldn't like them eating my roses!
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| above and below: Small Copper Butterfly |
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| Green Veined Butterfly |
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| Comma |
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| Speckled Wood Butterfly |
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| Holly Blue Butterfly |
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| Ringlet Butterfly |
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| Meadow Grasshopper |
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| Greenbottle |
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| Male Ruddy Darter Dragonfly |
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| Female Common Darter Dragonfly |
DUNGENESS RSPB RESERVE, 19TH JULY.
Common Tern photo's taken from the Denge Marsh Hide.
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| 3 Common Tern photo's |
Hi Ken, You saw a very nice selection there and got some good photos too. I haven't seen a Small Copper at all yet this year and only one Comma although there should be some of both around in the next few weeks hopefully.
ReplyDeleteI'm not too hot on Odonata but your dragon does look like Common Darter to me and as far as I know there isn't a Southern Darter. The only other I wondered about was a female Ruddy. I'm sure someone else will be more definite :-)
Lovely tern flight shots too!
Having looked Sothern Darter up I see it is a vagrant but there are no confirmed British records of it.
ReplyDeleteKen ,
ReplyDeleteGood to see you managed to get out in the better weather .
As ShySongbird said , you managed to find a good selection of wildlife , but I thought greenfly was pushing it !
Would say your white is a Green-veined .
As regards the two Darters , the first is a male Ruddy Darter , NOTICEABLE WAIST ON ABDOMEN & ALL BLACK LEGS , and the second a female Common Darter , NO WAIST ON ABDOMEN AND YELLOW STRIPES ON LEGS . Had it been a Southern Darter , the last one recorded in 1901 , by a chap named Phil Sharp , or so I'm led to believe , he would have been able to tell you all about the sighting .
As regards your greenfly , it looks like one of the Blow-flies , Lucilia caesar / Common Greenbottle .
Nice in flight shots of the Common Tern too .
I'm glad i'm not the only one making gaffs Ken. Sometimes it's just all too complicated for me. Although I did get it right once, in 1901 apparently, not surprised i'm feeling my age lately!
ReplyDeleteNice post by the way.
Shysongbird.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your lovely comments Jan.
I hope it isn't too long before you see a Small Copper Butterfly.
Greenie.
Thanks for explaining the Odonata info to me. I actually read the rest and if I had done that before I jumped the gun I would have got it correct.
Phil.
You look really good for 111 years old, LOL.
I am sure you dont make as many gaffs as me.
Stunning Buterfly collection Ken,love the Common Tern flight shots,superb captures.
ReplyDeleteJohn.
ReplyDeleteHi Ken great Blog and photos my friend.
http://amblingowl.blogspot.co.uk/