Thursday 25th March 2021 - Private Farmland, Stone/Summerfield
What initially seemed to be a quiet visit to the farm actually turned out to be very productive. Raptor movement was the order of the day. On walking the track I was treated to views of a male Merlin as he went low through the field heading NNE flushing 12 Meadow Pipits. Sadly it was all over too quick for photos. The raptor magic didn't stop there though, as 10 minutes later whilst walking between the barns a Red Kite drifted over heading north. Luckily this time I was able to capture some record shots.
Red Kite (Milvus milvus) - 25th March 2021
Tuesday 30th March 2021 - Pound Green Common
With today's sunny/mild weather I decided to pay a visit to Pound Green Common in the Wyre to look for reptiles. Sadly I had no joy on that front but the trip wasn't a waste as I was treated to seeing a female Goshawk up over the Forest. The warm weather had also bought out a few invertebrates with Pine Ladybird, Dark-edged Bee Fly, Tawny Mining Bee and Peacock butterfly all of note.
Pine Ladybird (Exochomus quadripustulatus)
Dark-edged Bee Fly (Bombylius major)
Walking back from Pound Green Common I also observed 2 Fallow Deer in a field at the woodland edge. Always a pleasure to see in the wild.
Fallow Deer (Dama dama)
Tuesday 30th March 2021 (late afternoon) - Hartlebury Common
As the weather was so good I decided to drive over to Hartlebury Common late afternoon to see if any male Emperors were on the wing. I popped out my pheromone lure and within 10 minutes I had 2 Emperors Moths flitting around it. I was lucky enough to get one to settle and get a few photos before it continued it's patrols of the heath. For those of you that are unaware the pheromone lure recreates the scent of a female and attract in the dayflying males that a patrolling a site. Using this method through the season allows for recording if the species is present and also builds up a picture of the abundance of the species at the site
Emperor Moth (Saturnia pavonia)
Also of note at the Common this afternoon was the number of Green Tiger Beetles now active across the heath.
Green Tiger Beetle (Cicindela campestris)
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