ANOTHER TRIP TO KETTON AND A FEW OTHERS??

We decided as having no Osprey duty this week to have another visit to Ketton Reserve for another afternoon with some Butterflies, Richard arrived at 15.00 hrs and we got on our way and made a direct route straight to Ketton as we intended to go through our Little Owl sites on our return journey. We arrived at approximately 16.20 hrs and commenced our walk about. We decided to take a different route to our last visit but for a start went into the small quarry area where we saw some of the Orchids but these are all over. We then started our new route and very soon were seeing lots of Butterflies but none seemed willing to land, so after some following and slow advancing towards them we eventually managed to get an image of a Green Fritillary, this even though taken at a reasonable distance appeared to disturb the Butterfly, whether this was the noise of the shutter or almost a shock wave of noise, the weather was very humid, and we found for all the time we were on site this happened. Richard managed to see a Lizard sat on the end of a log and called me up to see it, even that disappeared by the time I arrived, it was going to be one of those afternoons. So after an hour or so we decided to give it best and head for Eyebrook Reservoir to look out for the Shortie or an Osprey and most importantly have our tea.

After our teas we got on our way around the Little Owl Sites hoping to see some of birds. We firstly visited Site no 12 and saw a bird firstly sat on the Barn Roof, these birds are extremely nervous even though the nest site is adjacent to two public footpaths, so when we stopped to try for some record shots the bird was away into an adjacent tree but we had at least seen a bird. We then followed on through our sites and at Site 9, the bird appear to have moved some 40 metres down the hill into an old dead tree and Richard spotted two birds going in an out a hole towards the top. One flew down onto a fence post and from the image looks like an advanced juvenile. I had visited the site on the previous Monday evening and could hear two birds calling but never once saw them. These were the only two birds we saw but to be fair it was getting late and the light was going fast.

KETTON RESERVE.
20th July.

Comma Butterfly .

This was one of the few Butterflies we managed to get reasonably close without it flying away as soon as the shutter fired.

Green Fritillary Butterfly.

Past its best with the wings but the only one I managed to get a little closer to. 

Head shot of the same Butterfly, love the eye.

EYEBROOK RESERVOIR.

20th July. 

Banded Demoiselle  Female.

This spotted by Richard sitting on the reed below the bridge at the inflow and was a good 6 metres away so not bad for a record shot.

RUTLAND WATER.

EGLETON RESERVE.

WOODLAND WALK.

24th July.

Common Blue Damselfly, Male.

Taken on the walk from the Centre to the Woodland Walk. 

Black Tailed Skimmer Dragonfly.

Again on the path walking down the site. 

Ruddy Darter. Woodland Walk. 

Comma Butterfly, Woodland Walk.

LITTLE OWLS.

Little Owl Site No. 9.
20th July .

This we thought to be an advanced juvenile, we saw two birds in the tree farther down the field than the previous nest tree, the other bird had disappeared into a hole in the tree.

Have had a comment from Paul who says the bird is a adult.

Sitting on a post this time up hill from the previous Nest Tree.
24th July.

This bird is our previous Mr T with the wide stripe on its chest.

KESTRELS.

OUR GARDEN. 

Taken Over the Week.

The three all together, least advanced to the right,.
How these birds have really come on during this week.

We've had lots of wing flapping and eventually flying. 

Not all with text book landings.??? 

The bird to the front ducks as the second bird does a far from perfect landing behind it. 

Who moved the roof, another not so good attempt.

Getting better.

Not sure as to what they were after but all three flew onto the ground and completely ignored me snapping away. 

Could not get all three together on the floor but managed these two. 

And managed this one of a perfect take off.

All three of the young are becoming very adapt at flying and are up and down our garden and a little farther at times, but only seem to land on the ground of an evening.

Unknown Wild Flower from three weeks ago Blog.

Thanks to Margaret who has found the flower to be "Viper's Bugloss".



Thank you for your visit, I hope you have enjoyed these images as much as I did in getting them.

ON DUTY WITH THE OSPREYS AGAIN.

These Osprey duties come round so quick, but this week we had to have a change round as no body was available to do the 09.00 hrs to 13.00 hrs shift so Richard opted to carry this out, I arrived at about 13.20 hrs to take over from him and after a chat he got on his way for another visit to Ketton and I settled in for another duty. I had a very busy afternoon with visitors arriving on a regular basis from a babe in arms through to some very elderly ladies who had a wonderful afternoon and were asking questions virtually continuously. With the young Ospreys all flying about, which after a lazy morning with Richard, they made up for it in the afternoon. We had great problems in keeping check on them and when new people arrived in the hide. it was very difficult to point them out all the while. The problem being you are talking to the visitors and answering questions, but during this period you take your eye of the Ospreys, when you look next they have gone, they never move when you are looking. 

At the moment it appears that one of the juveniles is poorly T6 and is being watched to see if any one needs to help, young have been taken to the vets previously. It appears she has damaged her right leg but is getting better and feeding and flying. Todays comment on the Web site  says she is improving and hopefully with some rest as she is doing all will be well. 

At the end of my shift I had a quick visit to Eyebrook in case the Shortie was still about but all I saw was an Osprey on the far side of the reservoir and left after my tea to look through the Little Owl sites. On my return I saw Owls at Sites 6 and what I am calling 8A, Site 8 is about 200 metres farther down the road and we only have seen the bird occasionally in this pollard ed tree and we have for a while {probably about three years} been trying to find the actual nest site which it appears is somewhere within the field.T

RUTLAND OSPREYS.
14 th July.

Female on the Camera Post, two Juveniles at the nest. Waderscrape Hide.

Unsure as to the numbers on these two, such a long distance shot impossible to read the rings even through the scopes in the hide.  

You can see the white edges to the feathers on the juveniles. 

Female Juvenile T7 having a fly about in the bay.

Mum joins in and leads the way. 

All three Juveniles sitting on a fallen branch, a very long distance shot.

Black Tailed Dragonfly.

Not the best of images, saw several but every time I tried to approach, they flew away, this taken on the side of the track going to Waderscrape Hide. 

Small Tortoieshell Butterfly, Waderscrape Hide.

Saw several to the front of the hide sitting on the top of thistles.   

Moorhen with Young. Waderscrape Hide.

She had four young all together but the other three were in the reeds all the while so only got an image of her with the one. 

Little Owl Site No. 6.

First time seeing a bird at the site for a long time.

KESTRELS OUR GARDEN.

13th July.

Adult arrives with some food and chaos erupts, smallest in the doorway and two on the front. 

Least advanced of the three. 

Next in line and coming on well. 

Most advanced but still with the odd bit of fluffy feather. 

Most advanced and is flying by the time this post is up.

The three enjoying the last of the sun.




Thank you for your visit, I hope you have enjoyed the images as much as I did in the getting of them.

OUT SOMEWHERE DIFFERENT.

We decided for this week to go out later and look for owls and also have a different visit for a change and a change in subject. So Richard arrived at 15.00 hrs and we got on our way through to our Little Owls sites. On our outward journey we saw no birds at any of the sites. So after leaving our last site we headed for the village of Ketton which is not far from Rutland Water. Richard had a visit to this site a couple of weeks ago on a Volunteers outing with Sarah Proud on a Butterfly hunt and was very surprised at the area so we had a return to give it a look on our own. This reserve is a worked out Limestone quarry near to the Ketton Cement works and is open to anybody. We arrived at about 17.20 hrs and entered the site to be hit by a wall of wild flowers, a beautiful blue hue covered the area and then Richard spotted the first Marbled White Butterfly. We followed this particular individual for a considerable time trying for images but every time it landed and we approached, it was up and away. We soon saw others and in the end where ever we went in the reserve we were coming across these wonderful Butterflies. We saw several varieties of Butterflies but the only ones I got a reasonable image of were the Marbled White. We also saw Wild Orchids and numerous other wild flowers some of which I have no idea as to what they are so I am open for comments on these. We walked around the site until about 18.40 hrs and then decided to head towards Eyebrook Reservoir as a Short Eared Owl had been seen several times over the previous day or two.

We arrived at Eyebrook at 19.10 hrs approx and headed for the bridge at the inflow as on my previous visit a gent told me he had been watching an adult and two juvenile Kingfishers just below the bridge, so we stood at the bridge and devoured our tea. After about 10 minutes we moved up to an  area where I usually park and see the Ospreys and the odd Red Kite. I was just having a quick cup of tea when through the corner of my eye I saw a bird fly through, my first thoughts were it was a Buzzard but then we saw in was the Short Eared Owl. We both dived from the car but the bird was hidden by a very high hedge, by the time it came back into view it was a long distance from us and all my images are rubbish. I had another visit on Saturday evening and saw the bird again but only for a few seconds as it flew over the hedge and turned round and went back whence it came.  We eventually left at about 20.15 hrs and got on our way for some owling. Our first site to visit was Little Owl site No. 12, at this site the week before Richard had seen an adult with two juveniles but we saw nothing so on our way towards sites 15, 10 & 9. We saw no birds until Site 9 when I spotted to our joy a bird a little farther down the field, our first Little Owl in this area since March. We then headed towards Sites 6 & 7 but as we drove up a hill and around a corner a Little Owl sat on top of the hedge to our left, we drove past and turned round in a gateway but could not see any bird. So back on our way towards Sites 6 & 7, we saw no birds at either so we headed towards Site 5 where we saw a bird in the nest  tree but as the light was going fast we got on our way towards Sites 1 & 2, no bird seen at 2 but we saw a bird in the nest tree at Site 1 at 21.45 hrs. This has been my best Little Owl day for a considerable time with seeing four. Plus a Shortie so our plan worked.

   

KETTON QUARRY.
7th July.

Marbled White Butterfly, Male.

What a stunning butterfly this is, as we walked around the site we were seeing them all the time.

Marbled White Butterfly, Female.

We appeared to see more males than females.

Males head.

ORCHIDS AND WILD FLOWERS.

Common Spotted Orchid.

Even though the plant had no spots on its leaves, I think it is still a common spotted. 

We found several areas like this, all the flowers you can see are Common Spotted. 

Bee Orchid.

Spotted by Richard, what a stunning flower but not very big. 

Common Spotted Orchid.

These were Common Spotted Orchids as they had spots on the leaves.

 Unknown Wild Flower.
Anybody any ideas???

  A beautiful flower that was covering a large area and the aroma in the area was wonderful.

Unknown Wild Flower.

This was near to the entrance and the whole area was covered with these delightful flowers.

  

LITTLE OWLS.

It has been so long since I have seen many Little Owls, today was a delight in finding some again.

Little Owl Site No. 9.

This bird in the next tree down the field to the nest tree and looks like our bird we called Mr T with his wide light breast stripe. 

Little Owl Site No. 5.

This bird was well hidden after flying up into the tree from the ground.

YOUNG KESTRELS, OUR GARDEN.

10 th July.

All three young with the most advanced out on the front of the box. 

Bird went back into the box and then had a wing stretching exercise in the doorway. 

Second most advanced juvenile.

 They on a regular basis were looking up so I was thinking an adult was returning with food, after about two hours of waiting I gave up and will have to try in a morning when they seem to feed them on a regular basis.

Here the juvenile had moved to the other end of the platform to the front of the box.



Thank you for your visit, I hope you have enjoyed the images as much as I did in the getting of them.