Close Up

Toad pool.

/ Andy Finnegan / 5 Comments

Today was the best nature spot of the year so far. Nature never fails to surprise me. Even today, new sightings of events or species are thrilling. I have been viewing nature and the environment for a long time. Since drawing my pension, I have more time to conduct my observations.

I have only ever seen single Common Toads in the wild in the past. Today, we took a chance walk around a New Forest pond. It was off the beaten track. We came across a mass of mating toads.

Several 1st :- mating toads, toad spawn, toads in a pond, toads calling, frog mating with a toads

Toad spawn is in long strips rather than clumps as seen with frog spawn.

A Common frog mating with a Toad! Records show this happens but they can not hybridize.

On the downside of this event was seeing probably a hundred toads. The same amount piled up dead. It seems a Heron stabbed and then fished them out, not fully consuming them.

Big Bucks.

/ Andy Finnegan / 5 Comments

A few big Fallow bucks gave me the eye. They seemed to be without any obvious care in the world. Then they wandered off deep into the forest. It is always a treat to see these animals at close quarters and have eye contact with them.

 

 

 

 

 

Dragongfly spotting.

/ Andy Finnegan / 1 Comment

I spent a couple of days concentrating on getting pictures of dragonflies, both at Titchfield Haven and in the New Forest, it will not be long before they are gone until next year they do not survive the fall in temperatures as we move into autumn.

Southern Hawker [female.]

Migrant Hawker.

Southern Hawker [male.]

Catching lunch.

/ Andy Finnegan / 5 Comments

Watching Dragonflies today reminded me of the 1969 film The Battle of Britain with those airmen engaged in aerial combat in the blue sky over Southern England. There were no Spitfire flights over the Solent today. In flight, combat was taking place, an “Emperor Dragonfly” was on the hunt on the wing chasing and then catching a smaller dragonfly a “Common Darter”. Taking it to a nearby perching stick first killing it by removing its head then eating the contents of the darter’s insides Nature is both cruel and fascinating at the same time. I have witnessed this hunting and killing before of wasps and bees but this was the first dragonfly catching another dragonfly observation for me.

Forest stream.

/ Andy Finnegan / 4 Comments

Another hot weather walk in the New Forest this morning found us following a small stream on the flat which helped us keep cool. There were many Dragonflies – Emperor Dragonflies were “dipping”. An action where they lay their eggs.

Another Dragonfly that was about in good numbers was the Golden-ringed Dragonfly.

A few bird spots.

Nuthatch.

Blue Tit.

A lucky spot walking back to the van was a young Grass Snake.

Dragons in the sky.

/ Andy Finnegan / 5 Comments

Yesterday we spent time at Titchfield Haven around one of the small ponds looking for Damselflies and Dragonflies.

With a warm morning, there were many to see.

Four-spotted chaser dragonflies out in large numbers.

 

Female blue form Emperor dragonfly “tail dipping” – egg laying.

Azure damselfly mating.

Close encounter.

/ Andy Finnegan / 3 Comments

A freshly emerged male Golden-ringed Dragonfly in the New Forest today, her wings have unfolded but not yet dropped into the open flight position so it will be an hour or so before he will fly.

I put my hand down to pick up an empty dragonfly nymph exoskeleton which was on the ground and the dragonfly walked onto my finger.

A damselfly empty nymph exoskeleton.