Small Copper.

This is my fourth year of walking the same 1770 metres transect through ancient oak woodland and on Tuesday I recorded my first ever sighting of the Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) on this walk.

Their appearance can only be attributable to the continued hot, sunny weather. A bonus find that lifts my transect specie tally to 25.

Black Darter.

Flying relatively late in the season I always look forward to finding our smallest resident Sympetrum, the Black Darter (Sympetrum danae) also known as the Black Meadowhawk to my North American friends.

During a very recent stroll along the boardwalk at Thursley Common I initially saw several males erratically flying and then disappearing into the vegetation. Eventually I spotted this immature female hiding amoungst the grasses but she was being buffeted by the stiff breeze so capturing a well focused image was a challenge.

The territorial males briefly use the same perch in-between their forays so with a bit of patience I eventually grabbed a few images.

The blackest species of this genus and the only one in which mature males do not become reddish but display an extreme colour change from their distinctive contrasting yellow-with-black to wholly black. 

These last three shots were taken last August and serve to illustrate this colour change.

Silver-studded Blues.

The Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus) is a rare species that locally inhabits acid heathland which requires habitat management to provide a succession of sparse young heather. All these images were shot at Thursley Common in late June.

Whilst I failed to find a female on her own there were plenty of opportunities to capture mating pairs.

The Hobby.

In a recent post "Fast Fliers" on my main blog I featured the Hobby (Falco Subbuteo). 

I spent another few hours on Thursley Common today mainly to obtain some images of the prey this bird favours, particularly dragonflies and damselflies, but I could not pass up the opportunity to try and grab some more shots of this aerial acrobat. 

There were two birds on the wing and they never came very close to me so I had to use the 70-300 lens at full stretch and all the shots have been cropped.

Typically eating its prey on the wing.

Reed Bunting.

A male Reed Bunting.

Common Whitethroat.

A male Common Whitethroat (Sylvia communis) proclaiming its territory after flying here all the way from Africa last month. FAB.

Inquisitive Doe.

I came across this Roe Doe hiding in one of the local farmer's crop fields recently. She was monitoring all the comings and goings along a nearby footpath by sight, sound and smell and probably had a recently born kid also hiding somewhere deep within the crop.

Spoonbills at Lake Kerkini, Greece.

Another species that I have only ever photographed once before in the UK and at some distance was the Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) so another enjoyable encounter was the 40+ encamped in the drowned forest on Lake Kerniki, Greece.

An adult standing guard over two youngsters in one of the nests situated within close proximity of the very numerous and noisy nesting Cormorants.

The left hand bird (above) of this probable breeding pair was ringed 'V2'. I sent off a report via BTO and received its record history from the Dutch coordinator confirming it was ringed on 20 May 2001 at Lake Kerniki. The only previous reported sighting was in 2010 on the lake.

Linking to:

Night Herons on Lake Kerkini.

One species that I was hoping to get the opportunity to photograph was the [Black-crowned] Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax). 

I had seen this species on previous trips to the Mediterranean, Morocco and in Bulgaria but the views were often distant or the bird was partly hidden by vegetation. 

This was initially the case in Northern Greece during a drive along the eastern embankment of Lake Kerkini but when we took a guided boat trip out to the drowned forest in the north-eastern corner this all changed.

Their Latin name equates to 'Night Raven', referring to its largely nocturnal feeding habits and crow-like croaking call.

On our approach to the forest I quickly grabbed a few record shots.

Nikos Galios our expert local bird guide and boatman then maneuvered us into a more favourable position for some quality close ups.

Typically perched in their hunched resting position this close encounter certainly made my day.

You can check out the various other species seen during this overseas trip by visiting Wildlife Watching with FAB.

Linking to:
I'D-Rather=B-Birdin'
Wild Bird Wednesday 
Through My Lens

Squacco Heron.

During a very recent birding holiday in Northern Greece I finally managed to get some shots of a Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides) a bird I had previously recorded on visits to Bulgaria, Lesvos and Morocco but the views were either distant or fleeting flight memories. 

Fortunately on and around Lake Kerkini this species is a fairly common  summer visitor and passage migrant with around 200 pairs breeding here (2015).

Often located as a buffy brown shape standing still in the waterside vegetation or disturbed into flight as it moves to another location.

When this Heron is stationary there is no hint of the blazing white upper wing colour that is so prominent in flight.

The following shots were all taken at Mandraki Harbour where this individual flew out to perch on the open marsh vegetation fairly close to my viewing position.

And finally a decent flight shot.

You can check out the various other species seen during this overseas trip by visiting Wildlife Watching with FAB.

Linking to:
Saturday's Critters
I'D-Rather-B-Birdin'
Wild Bird Wednesday

Chiffchaff.

In early Spring the patch livens up with buds bursting, the trees green up and the distinctive forceful sound of returning Chiffchaff's (Phylloscopus collybita) can be heard all around the woodland and open common. My first sighting this year was on 23 March just a little later than the norm.

This individual was monitoring the response by a female to his previous singing session.

Great Crested Grebe.

A recent wander around the London Wetland Centre at Barnes provided an opportunity to get a few snaps of an adult Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus).

Little Egret.

A few shots of Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) taken during a recent visit to Farlington Marshes.

Christmas Wishes.

My thanks to all the visitors and regular readers of this blog.

I wish everyone a joyful Christmas and a Happy and wildlife filled New Year ... FAB.

Migrant Hawker.