Luckett wildlife survey

23rd May

A visit to Luckett in S.E Cornwall to help with a survey of the old mining sites in the area with the Launceston wildlife group, I was listing birds but managed a few photographs of some of the insect life found.

Cardinal Beetle (Pyrochroa serraticornis)

Wasp Beetle (Clytus arietis) One of many harmless insects that imitates a more dangerous one to protect itself .

Lobster Moth. (Stauropus fagi )One of the many Moths caught in a Moth Trap.

Poplar Hawk Moth (Laothoe populi )

 A Cricket nymph.

Enjoyable day.

Dingy Skipper

22nd May

Joyce and I visited RHS Rosemoor for the day , which was nice, and on the way back passed Meeth DWT reserve , so had a very quick look around to see if we could spot any Butterflies. A few species were on the wing including a couple of these Dingy Skippers, which was a new one for me.

Dingy Skipper

Dingy Skipper

Emperor emerging

20th May 2017

Good to find and witness this Emperor dragonfly emerging from my pond. I donned my waders and spent a bit of time watching and photographing this wonder of nature. Dragonflies and Damselflies go through three stages in their lives, the eggs which are laid in their hundreds on aquatic vegetation or directly into the water, the nymph or larva which are voracious underwater predators and shed their skins a number of times and, depending on the species spend up to four years beneath the surface .Eventually the nymph emerges from the water and climbs up a plant stem where in its final moult the skin splits and an adult Dragonfly is born, this can take from one to three hours to complete. The life of an adult Dragonfly is short, usually between two and four weeks.

Noctule Bat

May 2017

A super little Noctule Bat, Nyctalus noctula. ( being handled by a licensed bat  handler) at a Wildlife Trust reserve.

Noctule

Green Carpet Moth

I found this mating pair of Green Carpet Moths (Colostygia pectinataria) low down in the vegetation at my home, so had to get a record shot, apparently the bright male very quickly fades, so nice to find a fresh one.

Green Carpets Moths mating

Dippers

Enjoyed spending some time with a pair of Dippers as they went about feeding their young, taking no notice of me . I was sat on the bank with my old cloth hide draped over me and my tripod and camera. Cant beat watching wildlife like this.

Treecreeper

Watched this pair of  Treecreepers  busy nest building, in what will hopefully be a successful site.

Treecreeper with nest material

Treecreeper

Treecreeper