Nothing spectacular…

…just a few images from Hardwick Park, Clara Vale, Far Pastures and Cragside.

Goldfinch

I have never seen fish (Roach I think) behave like this before. There were dozens of them all at the bottom of the outlet from the lake at Hardwick Park.

Another fish from the lake not sure what it is though.

Mute Swan

Little Grebe

Young Tufted Duck

Common Blue from work

Water Beetle Clara Vale it was well over an inch long

Common Darter

Little Grebe one of two at Far Pastures. The only other bird on the pond was a Moorhen.

Four Buzzards were flying over the fields here are a couple of record shots of two of them.

Male Common Hawker (I hope). All the wrong settings on the camera for this one.

The best I could manage of a female Common Hawker.

Male Black Darter

The males seemed to like the picnic tables

I didn’t see a female when we were there

 

Work & Burdon Moor

In the order they were taken here are some images from work and Burdon Moor.



Agripila Tristella

Udea Lutealis

When you see the sun shining on them you can see why they are called a Small Copper.

Unfortunately, I’m not sure what this is



Wall Brown. 

Common Darter

Roe Deer. One of three seen at work recently

This one was at Burdon Moor

Whitethroat

Blue Tit

Meadow Pipit

I thought this was a Little Owl when I looked at it through my binoculars but I wasn’t sure until I pulled it up on the back of the camera. It was just sitting enjoying the early morning sun. This is a very large crop.

Another Common Darter

Common Blue

And another Small Copper

It has been a good year for the Small Copper at work this year.

 

In The Garden

This is Mrs B as my wife calls her or Stumpy as I call her as she has only one leg. Now Stumpy seems to be a creature of habit she likes to sit in the same place in our garden every day, in my previous Blog you can see her (not) enjoying the sun. She quite happily sits under a Laural bush nearly all day however, she may not be doing that for very much longer as we have just had a visit from this…

…Sparrowhawk. Not five minutes after Stumpy got up the Sparrowhawk landed on the fence three feet away from where she had been sitting. Watch out Stumpy!

Out & About

Here are some images taken locally over the last few days.

Red Admiral

Blackbird in our garden panting in the heat.

Large White

Small Copper

Male Small Skipper (I think)

Reed Warbler

Female Emperor Dragonfly Ovipositing

Common Blue Damselflies mating

Blue-tailed Damselflies mating

Broad-bodied Chaser

Ruddy Darter

Comma

A Wall on a rock

Small White

Common Darter in flight

Peacock Butterfly

Emerald Damselfly

Large White

Green-veined White

Emperor Dragonfly to far away for decent shots

Comma

White-letter Hairstreak. They did not come down to the flowers as they have in previous years but stayed in the trees.