Whooper Swan

If you come across a couple of Whooper Swans Cygnus cygnus at the Tring Reservoirs complex don't get too excited, as chances are they are the feral pair that have visited the area periodically for the last three years. I am not sure of the exact provenance of these two birds, but they may have originated from a private collection in Bedfordshire. The photos below were taken on a dull, grey day in September 2008, but I saw what are probably the same birds a few days ago at Wilstone Reservoir. The pair were engaged in a raucous greeting or bonding display with entailed a lot of neck bending and stretching accompanied by loud honking and trumpeting. Wherever they come from it's good to have these elegant swans around for a few days and to hear their evocative calls echoing across the water, like the first breath of Winter.

Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus. Wilstone Reservoir 06/09/2008

Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus. Wilstone Reservoir 06/09/2008

Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus. Wilstone Reservoir 06/09/2008

Mint Moth

I came across this pretty little moth resting on some Thyme in my back garden on a sunny late afternoon a few days ago, grabbed my camera and managed to take this picture before it flew off. I had seen this species earlier in the year and struggling with the identity, mailed some rather poor photos to my friend Jeff Higgott for help. He soon identified it as a Mint Moth Pyrausta aurata. Incidentally if you are interested in moths check out Jeff's excellent website, UK Lepidoptera, (it's in the links), which contains a vast collection of photographs of the moths he has seen, many of which have been trapped over the years in his Suffolk garden, where he has recorded an astonishing 994 species to date.

Pyrausta aurata is tiny, with a wingspan of around 18 mm and flies both by day and night in May and June, and again in July and August. The larvae feed on members of the Mint family including popular garden plants such as Lemon Balm, Catmint and Apple Mint and the adults can be seen throughout England, Wales and southern Scotland. The Mint Moth can be easily confused with Pyrausta purpuralis as both have similar bright crimson and gold markings. They can be distinguished by the differing pattern of gold markings on the forewing, with Pyrausta aurata having a round golden spot near the costa, although this can be variable, and Pyrausta purpuralis having three marks that sometimes form a continuous band. Pyrausta purpuralis is less likely to be seen in gardens preferring chalk downland and dry grassland.

Mint Moths, when fresh have beautiful rich markings, but when worn like the individual below, fade to a duller brown and yellow colour.

Mint Moth Pyrausta aurata on Thymus (22/08/2010)

The photograph below, taken in early June is of a fresh Mint Moth, and clearly shows a richer crimson and gold colouration, although this individual has weaker gold markings on the forewing.

Mint Moth Pyrausta aurata on Thymus (06/06/2010)

Common Frog

Common Frog Rana temporaria

Wandering around Ashridge Forest early one damp March morning last year on my annual, fruitless search for Lesser-spotted Woodpeckers, I was happily diverted by hundreds of Common Frogs Rana temporaria that had gathered to breed in a tiny pond near Monument Drive. At times the water was a boiling mass of frogs, but the slightest movement sent them all diving under the surface making it necessary to lie perfectly still in the mud and wet leaves at the dark waters edge and wait for them to pop up again. Often one or two would swim closer to the bank and stare intently at me with large, curious eyes, and I was able to take these pictures, which I think convey something of the endearing and comical side to these wonderful creatures.

Common Frogs are able to breathe through their skin allowing them to hibernate in leaves or mud underwater, as well as in compost heaps and under logs and stones on land. In the early spring they travel to ponds to mate and spawn, often the same sites where they originally developed from spawn into adults. Interestingly Common Frogs have the ability to lighten and darken their skin to blend in with the surrounding environment and in Scotland completely red or black individuals sometimes occur.

I made a return visit to the same pond in early spring this year but was disappointed to find a much reduced number of frogs, perhaps as a result of the long, harsh winter.

Common Frogs Rana temporaria

Pair of Common Frogs in Amplexus

Common Frog Rana temporaria

Common Frog Rana temporaria

Common Frog Rana temporaria

Pair of Common Frogs in Amplexus

Snail Shell

This photo taken in March last year shows a Snail shell floating in Common Frog Rana temporaria frogspawn in a small pond near the Monument in Ashridge Forest. The shell may have belonged to a Ramshorn Snail Planorbarius sp., but it is hard to be certain which species as they are notoriously difficult to identify.

Possible Planorbarius sp. Snail Shell and frogspawn. (14/03/2009)

Elephant Hawkmoth

Looking for all the world like the result of giving an over imaginative child some crayons and telling it to colour in a moth, this Elephant Hawkmoth Deilephila elpenor was photographed in my back garden in early July. Actually it was a bit of a cheat as the stunning pink and olive-green creature was actually found whilst I was working in a garden in Hemel Hempstead. I put the moth into my empty sandwich box and carried it around with me for the rest of the day until I returned home in the late afternoon. Carefully placing the moth on a Peony paeonia I took some pictures before hiding it deep in the shrub out of harms way, where it remained until later that evening. Elephant Hawkmoths which are found throughout Britain, flying from May to July and are commonly seen in gardens at dusk where they visit tubular flowers such as Honeysuckle, Red Valerian and Petunias.

Elephant Hawkmoth Deilephila elpenor. (02/07/2010)

Holly Blue

This obliging Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus was found nectaring on Bramble flowers and basking in the mellow late evening sunshine behind the hide at Wilstone Reservoir on Tuesday last week. I have always found this pretty little butterfly tricky to photograph as it tends to spend much of its time high up in the foliage of trees feeding on aphid honeydew, similar in habit the hairstreaks and rarely seems to settle for long. The Holly Blues found in Britain are of the ssp. britanna and appear as early as March with a second brood flying until late September. The males of both broods are identical but the females are seasonally dimorphic, the second brood a deeper violet blue with wider dark wing borders than the paler early butterflies.

Interestingly, unlike so many butterflies the Holly Blue is expanding rapidly, and is now found as far north as Cumbria, although it's stronghold remains Southern England.

Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus - female, second brood. (17/08/2010)

Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus - female, second brood. (17/08/2010)

Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus - female, second brood. (17/08/2010)

Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus - female, second brood. (17/08/2010)

The picture below which was taken in May 2008 is of a first brood female Holly Blue and shows the paler blue colouration and reduced black borders to the wings.

Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus - female, first brood 912/05/2008)

Collared Dove

Last Saturday after spending the day at the Birdfair at Rutland Water, I arrived home after the two hour drive, feeling tired and light of wallet to be confronted with an obviously sick and distressed Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto on the lawn of my back garden. I picked up the forlorn bird to examine it and my heart sank when I saw that the right eye was red, swollen and closed over and what appeared to be part of the brain, was protruding grotesquely from the side of the head. My first thought was that the unfortunate bird had been struck by a Sparrowhawk or possibly a cat. Resigning myself to a 40 minute round trip to St Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital near Thame I put the dove in a cardboard box, jumped back into the car and raced off. Arriving at the hospital I joined the queue behind a juvenile Common Tern and a baby Edible Dormouse and waited my turn. As soon as the Dormouse was dealt with the Nurse had a look at my casualty and immediately exclaimed, "oh it's only a tick!", much to my relief and mild embarrassment considering my rather dramatic diagnosis! What I had assumed was part of the dove's brain was in fact a blood bloated tick and the horrible state of the eye was the result of an infection caused by the bite. I was told that the tick would be removed and the dove given a course of antibiotics, and stood a very good chance of making a full recovery. Apparently Collared Doves are prone to tick bites and are often brought in to the hospital for treatment. I drove home pleased that this story would hopefully have a happy ending.

If anyone finds a sick of injured Bird or Mammal the address of St Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital is:

Tiggywinkles, Aston Road, Haddenham, Bucks, HP17 8AF

Tel: 01844 292292

Email: mail@sttiggywinkles.org.uk

www.tiggywinkles.com

Pitstone Hill

Pitstone Hill, on the Ridgeway Path is a superb chalk grassland on the edge of the Chiltern escarpment on the Hertfordshire/Buckinghamshire border just south-west of Ivinghoe Beacon. It is an excellent site for butterflies including Chalkhill Blue and grassland flowers such as Autumn Gentian (Felwort). The occasional Ring Ouzel and Whinchat turns upon migration and the area is good for farmland birds such as Corn Bunting, Yellowhammer and sometimes calling Quail in the summer. Pitstone Hill, once the site of an ancient village or settlement is also an interesting archaeological site.

The view from Pitstone Hill looking north towards Mentmore

Long-winged Conehead

This Bush Cricket was photographed on the 27th of July at Brush Hill near Monks Risborough. Although I initially identified it as a Long-winged Conehead Conocephalus discolor my field guide gave its distribution in the UK as restricted to the South Coast. I have since found out that these interesting crickets, which were first discovered on mainland England in 1945, have spread rapidly and are now widespread across Southern Britain and into Wales. Although in Europe they are found in a variety of habitats including marshes and reedbeds, in England they prefer drier rough grassland. This individual is a female, identified by the virtually straight ovipositor almost as long as the body and is also an extra long winged form with wings extending to the end of the ovipositor. Short-winged Conehead Conocephalus dorsalis, which is found in reedbeds, bogs and damp grassland is identified by its very short wings and a sharply curved ovipositor. There is also a long-winged or macropterous form burri, sometimes found in hot summers, which could cause confusion with Long-winged Conehead.

Female Long-winged Conehead Conocephalus discolor

Black-necked Grebe

I spent an enjoyable hour in the hide at Wilstone Reservoir on Tuesday watching this juvenile Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis which showed really well in the late afternoon sunshine. It was actively feeding in between bouts of sleeping and eventually swam close enough to the hide for me to grab this photo. The upended Mallard in the background gives a good idea of the tiny size of Black-necked Grebe, only slightly larger than a Little Grebe.

Juvenile Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis - 17th August 2010

The supporting cast included this Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis which perched for some time on a branch close to the hide. Kingfishers must have had a terrible time in the hard winter so its great to see a pair regularly at Wilstone at the moment. Frustratingly the bird was in the shade, just out of the sunshine that would have brought it's stunning colours to life.

Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis

Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis

Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis

Working their way busily through the shallows were the 2 juvenile Black-tailed Godwits of the ssp. islandica that have been present at the reservoirs for a few days. These Icelandic birds have shorter bills and legs, and darker summer plumage than ssp. limosa from the rest of Europe. Also present was the rather drab eclipse drake Garganey that has been around for a while and, just as I was leaving, a Greenshank which must have flown in unnoticed popped up on the mud to the left of the hide.

Red-crested Pochard

This pair of Red-crested Pochards Nettia ruffia stayed at Startops and Marsworth Reservoirs for a few weeks from March 19th to April 9th 2008 and the female was briefly seen later in June with one small duckling which did not survive. Like many Red-crested Pochards in this country these birds were fairly tame and approachable making them easy to photograph. This year a pair bred sucessfully at the reservoirs with one young bird surviving from the original brood of nine with the rest probably falling victim to predatory Pike or Mink. Sadly this is the fate that befalls many of the duckings and young Moorhens on the reservoirs.

Red-crested Pochard Nettia ruffia, male and female

Male Red-crested Pochard Nettia ruffia

Female Red-crested Pochard Nettia ruffia

Female Red-crested Pochard Nettia ruffia

Carline Thistle

Carline Thistle Carlina vulgaris is flowering all over the grassy slopes of Ivinghoe Beacon at this time of year. It's a common plant of short lime-rich grassland flowering well into September and the dead plants, which look much the same as when they are in flower often remain standing throughout the winter. Chalkhill Blues are very fond of them and often settle and nectar on the photogenic flower heads. The pictures below were taken a couple of years ago on Wendover Downs.

Carline Thistle Carlina vulgaris

Violet Helleborine var. rosea

Here are some pictures of the very striking rosea form of Violet Helleborine Epipactis purpurata growing by the roadside under Beech trees near Princes Risborough. The plant is large and robust but completely lacking in chlorophyll giving it a strange ghostly appearance. The plant is tinted with purple but really stands out in the dark woods, almost appearing to glow. There is another ghostly plant, much smaller, on the other side of the road and two conventional plants growing nearby. Orchids are dependant on mycorrhizal symbiosis and this allows some species to grow with reduced leaves and little chlorophyll. Violet Helleborine can survive with no chlorophyll at all and these plants are usually more heavily suffused with purple, rather than violet.

It was quite breezy and the light levels very low making it a real challenge to get any reasonable shots of this amazing plant.

Violet Helleborine var.rosea

Violet Helleborine var. rosea showing no chlorophyll

A normal Violet Helleborine Epipactis purpurata taken in July 2006 in South Buckinghamshire

Chalkhill Blue

Chalkhill Blues Lysandra coridon are out in huge numbers all over the sunny slopes of Ivinghoe Beacon at the moment. Although many are starting to look slightly tatty there are still plenty of lovely fresh specimens about. I have made a couple of visits up to the hills on sunny late afternoons and was amazed by the clouds of males flitting over the lime rich grasslands occasionally settling on Greater Knapweed and Field Scabious. Although photographing the beautiful silvery-blue males was fairly easy, the brown females are more secretive spending much of their time crawling around in the short grass and proved much harder. In the end I had to settle for the shot below of a pair mating. The picture shows the much darker underside of the female. The males seemed to be very fond of the numerous Carline Thistles Carlina vulgaris which are flowering all over the slopes.

Mating pair of Chalkhill Blues

Male Chalkhill Blue Lysandra coridon

Male Chalkhill Blue on Carline Thistle

Two male Chalkhill Blues on Carline Thistle

The race of Chalkhill Blue found in Southern Britain Lysandra coridon coridon is also found across most of Europe, except Spain where the races asturiensis and caelestissima are found. These races are sometimes accorded specific status and are known to hybridise with Spanish Chalkhill Blue Lysandra albicans.

Apparently the numerous aberrations of Chalkhill Blue were highly prized by Butterfly Collectors in the 18th Century.

Chalkhill Blue should be around into September so there is still time to try for more shots of those elusive females!

WildlifeTring

WildlifeTring is a mainly photographic diary recording the wildlife and landscapes encounted on my ramblings around the varied habitats in the Tring area. The lime rich grassy hills of Ivinghoe Beacon and Wendover Downs are excellent for orchids, butterflies and migrating birds. The Tring reservoir complex hosts huge numbers of wintering wildfowl, attracts migrant waders, terns and gulls and occasionally an exciting rarity, while the deciduous woods and coniferous plantations of Ashridge and Wendover provide good habitats for mammals and breeding birds. Then of course there is my tiny back garden where I put out mountains of food for the birds!

Although WildlifeTring will usually cover a fairly limited area centred on Tring I will occasionally break the rules and post sightings and photos from favourite haunts a bit further afield such as Bernwood and Otmoor in Oxfordshire.

WildlifeTring is an chance to share my photographs and sightings and provides an opportunity for me to learn more about the wildlife of the area that I have enjoyed living in for the last 10 years.

I hope you enjoy it!