Dragons abound

This is a female Black-tailed Skimmer dragonfly. It was flying around on Arnside Knot a couple of weeks ago.

There is currently a survey of dragonflies and damselflies in progress in Lancashire and Greater Manchester which will continue until the end of 2009.

This lovely thing will not be recorded as she was in Cumbria - just outside the recording area.

Anyone in Lancashire or Greater Manchester can take part. Simply click on the link "Dragonfly Atlas Project" which will take you to the website then click on "Taking Part"

Springwatch

Even more exciting than Big Brother on TV at the moment is Springwatch on BBC every weekday evening at 8.00 pm. (As I have never watched 'Big Brother' it isn't really a fair statement). However if you want new life, sex, intrigue, mystery, exploration, stunning locations, death and fratricide watch this programme. Bill Oddie can be hard to take at times but that is more than made up for by Simon King and Kate Humble. All of them are secondary to the wonderful wildlife on view.

Initially interested only in birds my horizons have been widened to include mammals, moths, butterflies and dragonflies - some of which I'm learning to identify. I photographed the Pearl-bordered Fritillary near Leighton Moss RSPB reserve.

As the presenters keep telling us - all this is on our doorsteps in our gardens and local parks as well as the nearby countryside. I'm off to enjoy my local patch

The Duke is flying

This has nothing to do with the so called nobility of any country except to say that this duke is the noblest I have seen. It is a small butterfly called the Duke of Burgundy which normally flies around this time. It can be found on scrubby chalk or limestone outcrops where the foodplant for its caterpillars can be found. I took this photograph on a nature reserve in the north of England.

Loch Garten

I have been to Loch Garten in the Highlands of Scotland helping to monitor the breeding pair of ospreys.

If you want to know their full story look at the RSPB website at www.rspb.org.uk

This was the view of the area used as a lek by male capercaille as they try to impress the females. There was a capercaille watch every morning from 5.30 until 7.30. This was usually well attended and those who came were rewarded with great views of the birds.

On my day off I went north to the Moray Firth. On the way I called in at Lochindorb to see 4 Black-throated Diver. I then arrived at Spey Bay where off-shore I saw more than 300 Long-tailed Duck, over a thousand each of Common and Velvet Scoter, many eider, gannets and terns as well as 4 Red-throated Diver and a fantastic Surf Scoter. On the shore I spotted 2 ringed plover, 3 wheatear, 2 snow bunting, rock pipit, yellowhammer and linnets. Altogether a wondereful days birding.

On my last morning a totally different sight greeted me than the one shown above.The mist had come down making the whole area a place of wonder

OTTERS!!!

This was the scene from Lillians hide at Leighton Moss shortly after two otters had just dived below the surface of the pool.

I was at Leighton Moss helping to lead the group of RSPB Wildlife Explorers who were there learning about spring migration. We had talked about which birds were on their way and where they had come from. We had seen a few swallows and both the male and female Marsh Harriers which had only arrived there a few days before. As we were about to leave we saw a large group of gulls flying over the mere as if they had been disturbed by something. I looked in the water below them and saw the unmistakeable silhouette of two otters swimming quickly from right to left and being mobbed by the gulls. Most people in the hide had excellent views of them as they broke the surface and disappeared several times. They then reached the far side of the pool and disappeared into the reedbed.

We returned to the centre excited at what we had seen and wanting to see more of what Leighton Moss had to offer.

Forest of Bowland AONB

Went walking with my wife up the Dunsop Valley in the Forest of Bowland AONB.

As we set off it was a beautiful sunny spring morning. Above us we saw buzzards, crows and gulls. In the stream there were mallard and in the trees we could hear goldfinch, goldcrest great and blue tits while a party of long-tailed tits flew in front of us.

As we reached the head of the valley a group of birdwatchers walked quickly by on their way to Whitendale farm. I took the left fork of the stream and very soon saw and heard a dipper in the water singing away. I returned to my wife who as observing four oystercatchers in the field close by. As we returned to the village we saw 50 fieldfare in a tree. After a pleasant walk we went for a snack and cup of tea at the Post Office before driving home.

Signs of winter on the first day of spring

I went for my usual walk around Moor Park yesterday. As I went past Deepdale I saw icicles hanging from the statue of Sir Tom Finney. The weather was sunny but cold. Many lesser celandine were pointing their heads towards the sun although most of the daffodils had been "borrowed" for Mother's Day gifts.

Later we went to the area of Winmarleigh where we saw that someone was doing a controlled burn of bracken or heather on the fells around Fairsnape