Paxton Pits 4th August

The Great Crested Grebes still have their two young which are growing fast though still riding on the back of the adult some of the time. Fingers crossed they avoid predation by the many Cormorants around Heronry South Lake. I couldn't resist a few more images of the Migrant hawker though the light was not as good as on Sunday. 

Dodder Fen Invertebrate Survey

Although the sun stayed behind cloud for quite a bit of the morning, it was very humid and hot hunting among the reeds and rushes on Dodder Fen for insects etc for our August Wildlife Survey. The Dodder plant at Paxton Pits is one of the special species that gives Paxton its SSSI status. It is parasitic on Nettles and grows over quite large areas at Paxton. 

I will take a day or so to collate everyone's invertabrate images and IDs but here are a few of mine that I like, including this wonderful Field Grasshopper with its amazing marking on every area including the eye. Hairy flies were the commonest sighting - nearest identifications at end.

Paxton Pits Macro Day

Ten RPS Nature Group Members together with four Volunteers from Paxton Pits Reserve enjoyed a surprisingly varied selection of wildlife photography considering the recent ongoing hot arid conditions. We started in one of the large Meadows which was full of Grasshoppers, Crickets, Damselflies though very few Butterflies but we soon needed to find a shady spot along one of the trails where we could watch Darters and Dragonflies from the cool shade of the trees. After a welcome drink and lunch back at the visitor centre, some of us braved the Bee-wolf site which was busy with female wasps carrying in bees, trying to remember where their predug burrow was. I was also pleased to record Astata boops, the Shield-bug Stalker Wasp (without Shield bug unfortunately), a new record for the site I think and such a wonderful latin name.

Everyone appreciated the cool of the hides and a lot of time was spent trying to capture the Migrant Hawker in flight, Brown Hawker laying and also the birdlife (images to follow)

Toft Garden Moths

The last time I did moth trapping in my garden was 2010 when I compiled a website of my findings (Moths in a Cambridgeshire Garden). I am keen to find what changes there are in the populations and species. Here are the first batch of results. Obviously the most striking new species is the Jersey Tiger, which is present in very large numbers at the moment.

Sunny Afternoon at Paxton

Just about the full cast performed for us in front of the Hide yesterday - the Great Crested Grebes are guarding their two chicks well at the moment while Cormorants, Little Egrets and Herons flew in and out at regular intervals. The chicks are beginning to make short dives and also appeared to be catching damselflies. As the sun came round and lit the perches, we were entertained by Ruddy Darters (body shape, black legs), Willow Emerald Damselflies (yellow spur on the thorax, no blue pruinescence), Tachina fera Fly, Migrant Hawker and Green-Veined White Butterflies.