Hotter Stuff. Possibly.

Being Part 2 of the long due Update stuff.

So I'd just been off up norf after naughty butterflies and come away with a score draw.

 

 

It still being all sunny - though a bit windier than I'd have liked - I went after more butterflies, this time a double-header after frits and ads.

Aish Tor had again far too mobile fritillaries, and getting photos - let alone decent photos - proved very dificult. 10+ High Brown and 2+ Dark Green [that's the set! 😁] Fritillary were seen but not shot. Then a lovely Silver-washed Fritillary came down from the treeline and sat and posed for me. Wings shut but I took it! [See BlueSky, it's on there somewhere!]. A large number of Brown Silver-lines Moths had emerged, too.

 

Then I took a small detour on my way home to try Great Plantation, where the wind was even friskier, despite being down in the Bovey basin. Ah well. 

I found a sunny sheltered spot with actual flowers and waited. White Admiral and Silver-washed Fritillary duly appeared after a not entirely short wait and hardly any Horseflies. I even got photos, as Over There has shown 😎  Golden-ringed Dragonflies were out in numbers but not stopping in view, and the Beautiful Demoiselles were posing just out of a good view, the fiends, but a nice Comma - my first of the year - did pose, showing off said comma, even.

 

 

Next day and I got dragged into action by a text from The Teacher; "Woodchat Shrike at Dawlish Warren!"

 

I miss shrikes [anything smaller than them will disagree], and the lovely Great Grey from earlier in the year had if anything sharpened my desire for them. 

But it was a sunny day, Dawlish Warren in the sun in Summer.. Grockles...Hordes of Grockles...::Shudder:: but SHRIKE.

 

I went for it.

 

It was blowing a hoolie, but there was a twitch and after a wait there was the bird. 

 

WOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

 

Only my third Woodchat, but I got some pics and it was Glorious.

 

 

 

And then it was the Solstice. 

🌞

The nigh-inevitable clouds didn't quite extend to the horizon, so I was gifted a half-Sun sunrise, before it clouded up even more. The wind was blowing a bit, and I may have brought the Big Scope along, so I had a look at the sea. As you do. 

I only gave it an hour, as it wasn't exactly ideal for seawatching, and was rewarded with a handful of Manxies, a couple of Med Gulls, and Little Egret - passing by as you do - which was ok. Not dire, by any means. Worth a look, certainly.

 

A re-kitting later and I was up onto t'Moor to have a nice leisurely lunch looking out for soaring raptors, what with assorted Red Kites being seen around and about. I figured the Great Mis Tor would give me an excellent vantage point, with the bonus of not being too far off - in terms of transit or yomp - for me to relocate if things didn't work out. [It's the Solstice, rain is always possible!]

It started very well indeed with not one but THREE Red Kites passing low over the main road at Holming Beam. I skidded [entirely safely and legally, officer] into a handy layby and went for my camera. One kite tarried over a field to the south of the road and I got pics! Woo! 

 

There would be more from the Tor, yes?

No. No less than 17 Herring Gulls of assorted mankiness flew down the Walkham valley, but no kites that I could see.. Oh well.

But there were lots of Wheatears, including extra-cute fledgies, so I was quite content.

On my way home.. Two more Red Kites!!! First by Dunnabridge Pound evaded me, despite a very quick stop, but then at Cold East Cross I was able to get into the car park in time to get more pics. Different missing feathers proved they were all different birds, btw, and all were heading SE.

Another day and what to do? Too sunny and wrong wind for the Nose, too windy for land birds [if you can find any] of insects... Ah, of course!

 

I went to Prawle. 

5 hours from the Point gave a Manxie a minute, a Balearic an hour, a flock of 7 Puffins 😮, and 4 Risso's Dolphins.

[[There was more, but I'm weeks behind as it is..]]  

I stopped off at Slapton on my way home, but the Norfolk Hawkers weren't showing in the er, 'fresh' breeze.!

There we end my summer hollyday, and I am less than a month behind.

I will - no really - I will be catching up the rest, with some seawatching [just a little bit, alas] and tarting about after scarce insects to come. This won't be so hard as a) I'm back to work, so less happy time, b) I slightly pinged something [again...], and now c) it's been too fecking hot to do much. 

Oh, woe is me, what is a Backward Birder to do?

Watch all the cute juvies at Home, mostly.

😄

Blue and Great Tits, Dunnock, Blackbird, Greenfinch, GSW, Tawny Owl, and Swift! all seen [ok, TO only heard, but VERY vocal], with Coal Tit, Wren, Firecrest hoped to be imminent. 

Oh, and be very grateful I can't unleash moths on you here any more...

😇

Anyways, I shall

Be Seeing You...