Paxton Miscellany

A warm sunny day for a walk at Paxton Pits hoping for lots of interesting subjects to watch, identify and photograph but wildlife was in very short supply, we are presuming as a result of the long drought conditions. There are still Common Darters on the wing, a very few butterflies all looking rather tatty (single Common Blue, Small White, Small Copper, Speckled Wood and Red Admiral), abundant Ivy Bees wherever the Ivy is in flower and a Kite-tailed Robberfly. From one of the Hides, the young Great Crested grebes are catching fish for themselves now.

Saturday Walk Paxton

The theme for yesterday's monthly public walk at Paxton Pits was 'Conservation at the Reserve'. Mike and Carina took the party into one of the restricted conservation area and explained very clearly the work that needs to be done constantly to maintain the breeding areas for small birds, including the Nightingale, and to create new habitats for birds and insects etc. While walking round, I photographed any insect activity, which was restricted to a resting Red Admiral butterfly, hoverflies, Honey bees, a few small solitary bees and still a large number of Common Darters with smaller numbers of Migrant Hawkers and Willow Emerald Damsels. I called in at the hide on the way back and was rewarded with a late-migrating Hobby (in the distance!!) and a delightful trio of Great Crested Grebes (plus young Coot).

Paxton Pits Fungi

The recent rain has encouraged plenty of fungi to start producing fruiting bodies at Paxton Pits - not sure all the IDs on the included sheet are correct as some of the specimens are a bit nibbled etc! 

Preparing for Dragonfly Day at Paxton

Today is our Dragonfly day at Paxton Pits reserve with walks in the morning and afternoon - thankfully in cooler conditions according to the forecast. Yesterday we did short walks in the heat just to check on what is around. Certainly the Migrant Hawkers are the stars with their stationary hovering as well as frequent perching but there are Brown Hawkers, Common and Ruddy Darters and some Damselflies on the wing as well as some incomers this year such as the Lesser Emperor and Southern Migrant Hawker though with a reserve as large as Paxton, sightings cannot be guaranteed!! Plenty of other insects if the flying conditions are right such as the Beewolf Wasp.

Guided Walks – Dragonfly Day – Paxton Pits Nature Reserve

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.