Mostlymacro

A diary of both my sightings & photographs from my interest in the Natural World, Garden Plants & occasionally other stuff. All pics are copyright of me.

Name: Dean Stables
Location: Barnsley/Rotherham, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Tuesday 31st July 2007

Sunny, Light W
Todays Highlights ;
WOMBWELL GARDEN : Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch ( calling ), Sparrowhawk, Herring Gull ( soaring along side the Sprawk ), Swift 10+, House Martin 3, Swallow 2, Stock Dove ( pair with 2 young )
Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Comma, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood ;

Stock Dove ( squabs, in the owl nest box )


Holly Blue




Speckled Wood




Leafmine of probable Phytomyza cytisi ( Diptera ) on Laburnum


MY GARDEN : Grey Heron 2 SW, Swift c60, Magpie 4, Wren ( singing ), Sparrowhawk ( over )
Common Darter, Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Gatekeeper ;

Magpie ( digiscoped )


Greenfinch ( digiscoped )


Gatekeeper ( despite the wing damage, this individual could still fly )


Copyright Dean Stables

Monday, July 30, 2007

Monday 30th July 2007

Sunny, Blustery NW
Had a few finishing touch`s to do to the living room, ready for our new corner suite being delivered tomorrow, so i did`nt venture away from home today. Anyway, here`s a few sightings from my garden ;
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 W, Wren 2, Swift ( quite a bit of movement with about 50 birds over heading W + several birds lingering ), Swallow 5 W, House Martin 10+.
Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, Comma, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Gatekeeper ;

Small White


Peacock




Hopefully i`ll get to stray a bit further than the garden tomorrow.

Copyright Dean Stables

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Sunday 29th July 2007

Sunny, Blustery N/NW



As it was Pony Club today, i took the chance to have a look around the Roman Banks area of Rawmarsh. Not a great deal about, with the highlights being : singles of both Common Buzzard & Green Woodpecker + several Swift overhead. Not much variety among the butterflies, with only Green-veined White, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown & Speckled Wood being seen.

Meadow Brown`s






During the afternoon, i turned my attention to photographing Storm & Saffie during the 10 & unders Gymkhana ;


Warming Up


Bending Race ( Slalom )


Flag Race


Cup Race

Unfortunately Storm did`nt get placed in this event, but made up for it by coming 4th in the 10 & unders jumping. Rudi on the other hand got 2nd place in her Gymkhana age group.

Copyright Dean Stables

Friday, July 27, 2007

Friday 27th July 2007

Sunny, Patchy Cloud, Breezy W
Again, not a great deal to report. A visit to the Wombwell garden produced only 4 species of butterfly, with Large White, Green-veined White, Red Admiral & Peacock. A Silver Y was found resting in the greenhouse and there were quite a few leafmines of the micro moth Mompha raschkiella found on Rosebay Willow herb. These patterns are the result of larvae feeding between the upper & the lower surface`s of the leaves ;







Another poor day in my garden, with about a dozen House Martin & c50 Swift feeding overhead this evening, being the most noteworthy sightings.

Hope the weekend proves to be better than the last few days. But saying that i have got a carpet to fit tomorrow in our living room and Pony Club to attend on Sunday. Hopefully i`ll find time to squeeze a few sightings in ( if there`s any to be had ).

Copyright Dean Stables

Thursday 26th July 2007

Cloudy, Heavy Showers, Breezy SW
I was a bit too busy to update yesterday evening, so here it is, for what it`s worth.
A visit to Cortonwood during the morning only produced 4 butterfly species : Green-veined White, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper & Speckled Wood ;


Green-veined White

+ a couple of Fungi species ;





Did`nt get much chance to record anything from home, apart from a double rainbow at about 20.30hrs ;



Copyright Dean Stables

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Wednesday 25th July 2007

Early Rain clearing to Showers, Breezy S/SW
A visit to Cortonwood this morning could`nt produce anything better than a few Gatekeeper & Speckled Wood butterflies ;


Speckled Wood


Teasel


Blackberries

Back at home the sightings from my garden were`nt much better. The best of the birds were a single Stock Dove over, a couple of Swallow, about a dozen House Martin & 70 > 80 Swift over, with the majority heading S.
The best of the Inverts were : Common Darter, Large White & Gatekeeper ( 2 ) ;


Common Darter - female

Copyright Dean Stables

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Tuesday 24th July 2007

Sunny, Blustery W/SW
Todays sightings ;
WOMBWELL GARDEN : The main highlight from here this morning was my first Purple Hairstreaks ( 2 ) of the year. Unfortunately they would`nt descend from the canopy of one of the Oaks.
Other sightings were, Common Darter 3, Large White c10, Green-veined White 2, Holly Blue 2, Red Admiral 2, Comma, Speckled Wood 2, Meadow Brown, Phycita roborella ( micro moth ), Large Twin-spot Carpet ;

Common Darter


Large Whites - female


male


Holly Blue - male


HB & Hoverfly ( Volucella pellucens )


Comma


Phycita roborella


Large Twin-spot Carpet


MY GARDEN : The main highlight this afternoon was an adult Hobby that passed overhead heading SW at 15.25. Other sightings, Cormorant 1 S, several Swift, Swallow & House Martin, Common Darter, Large White 3, Small Tortoiseshell 2, Speckled Wood ;

Small Tortoiseshell




Copyright Dean Stables

Monday, July 23, 2007

Monday 23rd July 2007

Cloudy, Bright Spells, ( Showers pm ), Light E
Todays highlights ;
WOMBWELL GARDEN : Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral 2, Gatekeeper, Engrailed & Clay ;

Engrailed


Clay


Red Admiral


Fungi sp


CORTONWOOD : Grasshopper Warbler 1 reeling ( only my 2nd of the year & a site first ), Green Woodpecker 2, Willow Tit 2+, Emerald Damselfly, Gatekeeper ( many ), Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood ( several of both ) ;

Gatekeepers - female


typical male


aberrant male


MY GARDEN : Swift c20, House Martin c10, Peacock ( butterfly ) ;



Ah well!!!, birthday nearly over and i don`t even feel a day older than yesterday :)

Copyright Dean Stables

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Clumber Park ( Sunday 22nd July 2007 )

Sunny, Light SW
It`s not my birthday while tomorrow, but we thought we`d have a small celebration today. Anyway, we went to Clumber Park for a picnic. Very pleased we did, as it was a wonderful day in more ways than one.
It did`nt start too well regards sightings, with the best being Green Woodpecker, several Nuthatch & a calling Buzzard.
We then went to a spot where Common Lizards are virtually guaranteed to be seen. Although both me & Jakki saw quite a few they were just too quick for Rudi. That soon changed, when after dinner i noticed one basking on the same log that we were sitting on. Rudi could`nt believe her luck ( nor could i ) and Rudi being Rudi it was`nt long before she had it in her hands.
And to cap it all off, in the same place i found my first ever Forester moth. A stunning little macro species, and yes it really was that colour. Here`s a few pics ;

Clumber Chapel


Grey Squirrel ( digiscoped )




The Forester




Common Lizard






And then what a better way to end than to stop off on the way home to pick a few Strawberries. BLISS!!

Copyright Dean Stables

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Saturday 21st July 2007

Cloudy, Rain turning Showery, Light NE
Todays highlights ;
WENTWORTH ESTATE : Little Owl ( calling ), Lesser Black-backed Gull 2, Grey Wagtail 2, Great Crested Grebe 14, Common Tern 3 ( 1 juv ), Willow Tit 3, Reed Bunting 2 ;

Harebells




Common Stinkhorns




GREASBOROUGH : Sparrowhawk, Swift c40
MY GARDEN : Sparrowhawk 1 N, Swift c80, Song Thrush ;


Song Thrush

We`re off to Clumber Park tomorrow for a ( my ) birthday picnic ( we must be mad. Hope the weather improves, whatever happens i hope to get some blog fodder :)

Copyright Dean Stables

Friday, July 20, 2007

Friday 20th July 2007

Cloudy, ( Rain - late afternoon ), Blustery E
Not a lot today folks.
Wombwell garden, highlights ;

Toad(let)


Buff-tips




Fungi sp


The only highlight from my garden, was of c30 Swift blogging overhead before the rain came. EDIT - Swift c50 present at 20.00hrs
Hope tomorrow`s better.

Copyright Dean Stables

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Thursday 19th July 2007

Sunny, ( 1 thundery shower ), Light SE
No exciting raptors today, can`t expect good stuff everyday. Anyway, here`s todays highlights ;
WOMBWELL - Large White 3, Red Admiral 3, Gatekeeper 2, Common Carpet & Clouded Border ;


Common Carpet


Clouded Border


Gatekeeper

MY GARDEN - Sparrowhawk 1 W, Small Tortoiseshell 2, Gatekeeper ;


Small Tortoiseshell


Gatekeeper ( yes!!!! another one )


Cinnabar Moth ( larva )


Opium Poppy

Copyright Dean Stables

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Wednesday 18th July 2007

Sunshine & Showers, Light SW
To carry on the theme of good raptors ( after yesterdays Honey Buzzard ) i had an adult Hobby over the Wombwell garden this morning. The bird was quite low and the excellent light made the red "trousers" visible with the naked eye. Excellent stuff!!!
The other " lesser" highlights from here were : Brimstone Moth, Slender Brindle, Speckled Wood & Red Admiral (3) ;

Brimstone Moth


Slender Brindle


Speckled Wood


Red Admiral




The highlights from the walk home along the western edge of Cortonwood included Green Woodpecker ( only my 2nd of the year from this site ) & a male Emperor dragonfly. This species still eludes my camera as does Brown Hawker :(
The pick of the Leps were an aberrant Gatekeeper & a single Latticed Heath that was minus a hindwing ;





Apart from plenty of Swifts & House Martins over my garden, there were also a couple of Swallows heading S & 2 Sparrowhawks over.

Copyright Dean Stables

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Tuesday 17th July 2007

Sunshine & Showers ( Thundery later ), Light S/SW
CORTONWOOD ;


Soapwort


Puffballs sp

Apart from the above, todays visit was pretty much the same as yesterday ;




Gatekeepers

HOME ;



All the usual birds ( Swift, House Martin etc ) were seen from my garden during the afternoon. But then at 17.25, i noticed a large raptor over to the south. With the naked eye it resembled a very large Accipiter ( hawk ), so i ran in to get my bins. When i got back outside, the aforementioned bird ( which i could now clearly see was a Buzzard sp ) had drifted closer, enabling me to clinch it has a HONEY BUZZARD. The protruding head/neck, longish tail and flat-winged gliding action seperated it easily from its commoner cousin. The bird was watched for about a minute before it slowly drifted W. Wow!!!! what a bird.
On the Lep front a couple of white butterflies were seen along with a single Comma, and while packing the hammocks away ( not got much use out of them this summer ) i disturbed a Mother of Pearl ( a micromoth of the Pyralid family ) ;



Try and get back into recording the birdlife again, now that things are starting to move.

Copyright Dean Stables

Monday, July 16, 2007

Monday 16th July 2007

Sunny, Light S
An hour at the Wombwell garden this morning produced a handful of butterflies :
Large Skipper, Small White, Large White, Green-veined White, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Gatekeeper & Meadow Brown ;

Large Skipper


Large White


Green-veined White


Red Admiral




Gatekeeper


Nothing new at Cortonwood, with just the usual stuff seen. I could`nt be bothered photographing anything that i`d already photographed earlier at Wombwell, so here`s a Meadow Brown & Perforate St Johns Wort ;





My apologies for no updates from the previous 3 days. There was ( honestly ) nothing at all to report.

Copyright Dean Stables

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Wombwell ( Thursday 12th July 2007 )

Did`nt think i was going to get out today, what with the heavy rain this morning. However, it brightened up for a while, so i had an hour at the Wombwell garden before it clouded over ( again ).
The only highlights were - Tawny Owl 2 ( calling ), Great Spotted Woodpecker and very fresh single specimens of both Holly Blue & Red Admiral ;







( painted )




Copyright Dean Stables

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Scraping the Barrel !!!!

Can`t believe it. It`s the middle of July ( is`nt it ? ) and the moth trap in my garden produced just 6 moths overnight. This Scalloped Oak was the only one to merit a photograph ;





Nothing from the Wombwell garden either, apart from a tatty Red Admiral ;



Scraping the Barrel, YES INDEED.

Copyright Dean Stables

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Tuesday 10th July 2007

Sunny, Light SW
A ( calling ) Redshank flew over the garden heading East at 07.15 and the only other highlight was this Marbled Beauty that was found on the kitchen window ;



Not much from the Wombwell garden either, with the highlights being Large White 2, Red Admiral 2, Meadow Brown 1 & this stunning Common White Wave ;





A walk along the western edge of Cortonwood produced all the usual inverts, but this Comma was the only one photographed ( & painted ) ;



Also here were ;


Hoary Plantain


Fungi sp

Gonna try the moth trap in my garden overnight. See if i can get motivated again after such a long break.

Copyright Dean Stables

Monday, July 09, 2007

Southern Hawker @ Wombwell

Spent about an hour waiting for this flighty male to settle this morning and my patience paid off ( i think ) ;









Copyright Dean Stables

Sunday, July 08, 2007

Sunday 8th July 2007

Sunshine & Showers, Light W/SW
Could`nt be bothered to venture away from home today, where the only highlight was the sight of 2 Partridge sp whizzing over the garden this morning. Did`nt get enough on them to get a positive id as i was in the kitchen at the time, but it was still a strange sight to see such birds flying across the garden in the middle of a council estate.
It went downhill from then on, with just the usual species seeen ;

Collared Dove


Blackbird




Jackdaw


Starlings


Greenfinch


( all the above were digiscoped )

Not much on the Invert front with just singles of Common Darter, Blue-tailed Damselfly & this Large Yellow Underwing that was disturbed from the vegetation ;



Copyright Dean Stables

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Saturday 7th July 2007

Sunny, Blustery W
Had an hour around the Gypsy Marsh/Knollbeck area this morning, all the usual inverts seen as well as a couple more flowering plants ;

Small Skipper


Greater Spearwort


Sneezewort


Chicory




Copyright Dean Stables

Sandscale Haws ( Friday 29th June 2007 )



The last full day of our week in Cumbria, and Jakki & the kids went off to see Shrek the 3rd at the cinema in Barrow. There was no way i was going to sit through garbage like that, so i opted for 3 hours of superb solitude at Sandscale. Two of which were spent wandering around the dunes, where i saw several Grayling & Dark Green Fritillary butterflies. The Graylings were very difficult to locate especially when they settled on the bare sand, the Dark Green Fritillaries on the other hand stood out like a sore thumb, in comparison ;

Grayling






Dark Green Fritillary






To finish off with, i added 2 more plant/flower lifers with ;


Sea Storksbill


Common Sea Lavender

All in all, it was a very enjoyable week. Already booked next years hols, we`re off to Seton Sands in East Lothian. Just 340 odd sleeps to go :)

Copyright Dean Stables

Friday, July 06, 2007

Wombwell ( Friday 6th July 2007 )

Sunny, Patchy Cloud, Blustery W/NW

Light Emerald




Large White


Red Admiral




Amanita sp


Also saw a male Emperor ( dragonfly ), Ringlet and a pair of Stock Dove have 2 eggs in the Owl nest box.

Copyright Dean Stables

Thursday 28th June 2007

Just a few scenic shots from our next to last day in Cumbria ;

Ullswater








Aira Force






Kirkstone Pass - 1500 ft asl ( ear popping stuff )




Copyright Dean Stables

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Thursday 5th July 2007

Sunny, Clouding over, Light W

A few pics from the Wombwell garden this morning ;

Eudonia mercurella


Clouded Border


Red Admiral


Comma ( got a little bit arty with this one )






Pleased it settled on top of the greenhouse