Does This Post Need A Title?

You know where I've been and why.

3/4 of a Norfolk Hawker.!

I couldn't not go to see them again. Though they're now spreading out across the South West, both locally to Beesands and regionally, having arrived on the Levels. Unlike most large dragonflies they will not only fly up to and around you, but set down and - if you're careful - allow a close approach, as you can see.

I did a little seawatching at two locations; the second doing better than the first, with a close-in feeding agglomeration of gulls joined by seve- no, ni- no, fourt- no, at least nineteen shearwaters, mostly Balearic, too!

Awful pics,

 Balearics

 

Manx and  Balearics

Finally got a steady full-zoom

shot, how many can you see?

[The first had a Guillemot and three Gannets.        Yeah.  But you try.]

Now we have a variety of this and that from here and there..

Red-banded Sand Wasp

Greatest excitement during first seawatching session...

Yikes!

Who says Meadow Browns

are dull?

Black-tailed Skimmer

Blue-tailed Damselflies

Peacock caterpillar

Potato Capsid?

[Antennae long and no black spots]

 

Yellowhammer with

caterpillar and grasshopper

Pterostichus nigrita

or

Platynus assimilis

I can't tell as they are illustrated in Brock by the exact same photo.!?!?

Time for some bees.

[But not IDs, I really need to get this posted!]

I think the same sp.?

And a little scenery to finish.

Ah, dear Devon.

:)

Be Seeing You...

Paying Court

There are, I suppose, really only two places on t'Moor I absolutely have to get to every year without fail.

And I've already been to Wild Tor.

There's a shanty of which I can only recall a brief section, but it always comes to mind when I'm heading that way.

Anyways, the Northwest passage is also a peat pass - probably the only even slightly famous one - and it does indeed go northwest, across Cut Hill, and you take it going from Postbridge to this place;

Fur Tor

All blue skies and green grass and so unlike that New Year's Eve..

:)

You know the way by now, so here are a few pics of this, that, and the other.

The waterfall

In laid-back

Summer mode

Enclosures of differing ages

Bronze Age burial

Spot the archaeology

;)

Flies! Flies!

Beautiful Demoiselle

Small Heath

Big caterpillar!

[Emperor Moth?]

Garden Chafer

Some beetle not in my books

Round-leaved Sundew

English Stonecrop

Wrong sort of Merlin

[dammit]

Oh, birds?

Ok.

Only Wheatear of the day

I blame to cold N wind.

Redpoll gathering wool!

with a friend.

Why do all my Mistle Thrush

photos suck so much?

I almost had the place to myself, too.

Be Seeing You...

Bitty Post

Right then, where to begin?

Oh yeah, clickbait;

"Drr yrr mhnnd??"

Not hiding well enough

Harpactea hombergi?

English Stonecrop

I'd taken an afternoon wander up to Buckland Beacon, which has a fair view, as you'd expect from the name.

Though the place is probably more famous for these;

I'd like to have seen 

Charleton Heston toting these.

The Ten Commandments Stone.

[Yes, your eyes do not deceive, there are two stones. No, it hasn't been split. Yes, that's the official name.]

Ahem.

Nearby, stones of a little more history,

Looking over a

newtake wall to

one a bit older,

Which itself may just

be a repurpose?

Hmm.

Not been there in an age, it was rather nice.

Be Seeing You...