Travelrod's Shropshire Wildlife: Orchids and other stuff

Travelrod's Shropshire Wildlife: Orchids and other stuff: I've been both a little idle and quite involved to the extent that there has been no blog entry for some time in spite of all the activity g...

Orchids and other stuff

I've been both a little idle and quite involved to the extent that there has been no blog entry for some time in spite of all the activity going on during the months of May and June. Apologies to my "readership" - huh ! Excuses include a great two weeks spent in Aragon just south of the Pyrenees trying to photograph various vultures. Still not right but getting better ( see Griffon photo ). I've visited Cornwall ( Land's End )  where my daughter lives; this location being the furthest place from Ironbridge which she could find and still live in England. We also went with friends to the Hay Book Festival and now have conclusive proof that the Amazon rain forest is not the wettest place on the planet. I digress. 


We are signed up for a course on wild flowers run by the National Trust and at the last session we saw six species of orchid very close to the National Trust car park in Much Wenlock - common spotted, pyramidal, butterfly, bird's-nest, twayblade and a hybrid marsh / spotted variety. Rather good I thought though I gave up trying to remember the host of other wild flowers to be found at this location. As we were being introduced to the limestone grassland which surrounds the car park a red kite flew other whilst being mobbed by a carrion crow. Nobody paid much heed to this very unusual event being more focussed on the flora.

 A Griffon Vulture hanging around the feeding station in Bierge, Aragon. This is quite a sight as around 250 of his mates joined in and attracted the attention of Red Kites, Egyptian Vulture and a Lammergeier !

A Cardinal Beetle and a Pyramid Orchid ( on left ).






The hybrid - spotted /
marsh on the left and a
butterfly orchid on the right.

Travelrod's Shropshire Wildlife: Venus Pool Nature Reserve activity

Travelrod's Shropshire Wildlife: Venus Pool Nature Reserve activity: There was a lot of activity at the reserve on Monday 5th March and as the birds enjoyed the Spring sunshine. There were large numbers of La...

Travelrod's Shropshire Wildlife: Stop Press ! Sandpiper catches grub scoop !

Travelrod's Shropshire Wildlife: Stop Press ! Sandpiper catches grub scoop !: On a dull and gloomy day at Venus Pool there was a surprise development caught on camera by one of our hidden Paparazzi. A Green Sandpiper h...

Travelrod's Shropshire Wildlife: Little Ringed Plover and an intelligent Rook

Travelrod's Shropshire Wildlife: Little Ringed Plover and an intelligent Rook: A pair of Little Ringed Plover were dibbling about in front of the East Hide on the 10th April though I could have done with this male bird ...

Travelrod's Shropshire Wildlife: Early Purple Orchids and garden Wren

Travelrod's Shropshire Wildlife: Early Purple Orchids and garden Wren: I popped over to Venus Pool last week on a very quiet day for birds. There was very little about though recent wet weather had improved the ...

Early Purple Orchids and garden Wren

I popped over to Venus Pool last week on a very quiet day for birds. There was very little about though recent wet weather had improved the water levels. During a walk to the reed bed hide and I came across many Early Purple Orchids in the field adjacent to the path. Clearly the appropriate management of the meadow has encouraged these flowers and they should be in full bloom by the time I've posted this note on my blog.

We have a noisy neighbourhood outside our back door. It is a Wren which has built a nest - one of many I imagine - under the archway by our greenhouse. I understand that the male will have several nest sites with which to entice females who then choose the one they prefer. It was ever thus.

Little Ringed Plover and an intelligent Rook

A pair of Little Ringed Plover were dibbling about in front of the East Hide on the 10th April though I could have done with this male bird getting a little closer - the photo is heavily cropped. The Rook was both smart visually and mentally. It has found a way of leaping up to the bird table feeder and using it's long bill to get at the food put out for the smaller birds. This gave it a distinct advantage over the marauding Jackdaws.

Stop Press ! Sandpiper catches grub scoop !

On a dull and gloomy day at Venus Pool there was a surprise development caught on camera by one of our hidden Paparazzi. A Green Sandpiper had just caught an innocent grub and was busy cleaning it. Thankfully after all this commotion and excitement there was nothing else to report.

Venus Pool Nature Reserve activity

There was a lot of activity at the reserve on Monday 5th March and as the birds enjoyed the Spring sunshine. There were large numbers of Lapwing and Black-headed Gulls. Ducks were well represented by Mallard, Shelduck, Teal, Wigeon and a handful of Shoveler. Three species of Waders were to be seen - Curlew, Oystercatcher and a pair of Green Sandpiper. The light was superb for watchers and photographers alike being directly behind the hides and devoid of any interfering haze. The birds were also active: a large flock of Lapwing is always an impressive spectacle, Curlew were bathing and preening, Shelduck posturing, flocks of Linnet coming in to drink, and Oystercatchers adding a little "edge" to the proceedings - sort of noisy neighbours.

Birds with Attitude

It seems to me that Oystercatchers are birds with a great deal of attitude and a recent visit to Venus Pool Reserve has confirmed this observation. Last week I watched ( and photographed ) a pair of these birds disturbing the peace at the reserve on a beautiful Spring afternoon. This couple demonstrated their synchronised flying skills with a noisy and hair-raising display of formation flying and, when they were not indulging this passion, made sure that the other visitors to the pool were aware of their presence. A Curlew was chosen as the target for a low level ambush and had to take evasive action. All this activity took place in front of the "South" hide.

Support our Bees

The 1st March brought out Bees in profusion and they headed straight for Crocus flowers. Some seemed so drunk on nectar that they could hardly move - a condition not unknown to some humans, especially on a Friday night. A certain lager is advertised as the "Amber Nectar" but I'm inclined to the view that the best amber coloured ales are served via a traditional hand pump without resorting to gas pressure. And now the bees :

The joys of Spring at Venus Pool Reserve

A gorgeous Spring afternoon at Venus Pool Reserve with lots of bird activity and the most wonderful light for photography. A pair of Oystercatcher were noisily active and busy irritating the rather more sedate Curlew; Lapwing really justified their Green Plover status as they bathed in the Spring sunshine and a displaying Shelduck couple affirmed their bonds. Other than those already mentioned, there was a decent range of water species including Green Sandpiper, a pair of Snipe, Grey Heron, Teal, Wigeon, Shoveler, Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Mute Swan and Black-headed Gull. 

Oystercatcher

Peewit, Lapwing or Green Plover - take your pick

Curlew

Green Sandpiper

Gone all Pre-Raphaelite ?

Coundmoor Valley with Cound in the distance



 Perhaps. Well, the unofficial, and glorious, first day of Spring prompted a visit to Cound and a  beautiful walk along Coundmoor Brook. The sun shone, the sky was blue, the buzzards displayed, the lambs beguiled and the Snowdrops were at their ecstatic best. I imagined       members of that Victorian brotherhood ambling along and recording, in fine detail, the natural beauty of this place. To go there on such a day is to have one's senses assaulted by a quintessentially English scene. This place is easy to find and there are several approaches from the north and east accessed by parking at Cound Church, down the road at Harnage House or further along at the The Green. If you need to refresh the spirit then go there now !

A garden by the Green

Sunbathers on The Green

Snowdrop woodland near the Dingle

Peregrine and Snowdrops

No, this is not the title of my new album though I know that this will be disappointing for many fans. I digress. We went to Attingham Park today to experience the famed Snowdrop Walk. As we approached the car park we happened upon a Peregrine Falcon that was busy dining on what turned out to be a Jackdaw - of which there is a large colony in the grounds of the stately home. The raptor took off once it had been rumbled and flew into a tree some two hundred yards from the roadside and I hid behind a small tree hoping that dinner had been left behind and that the king of the falcons would return. No chance. The Peregrine scrutinised me from a safe distance perched in an Oak tree and then flew off. I wondered whether it was one of the pair which nested on the cliff face at Forest Glen car park or a vagrant just passing through ? Anyway, the evidence is below with the plucking area and a massively cropped photo of the raptor.

The Snowdrops at Attingham are always spectacular but the lack of any winter rainfall has affected the numbers. However they are always a delight and the first sign that winter is in retreat and that life is returning to the countryside.

Lodge Field Buzzards

During the night there had been a dusting of snow in Ironbridge which was rapidly thawing as I emerged from my house and did my usual trek up the hill to Lodge Field. Lodge Field is a historic open area of meadow, woodland, scrub and bog which is maintained and managed by the Lodge Field Group. The Group have developed the field to encourage more varied flora and fauna, a notable success being an increase in the numbers of Common Spotted Orchid plants. There is a decent range of birds to be observed including all the usual Tits, Finches and Thrushes together with Great Spotted and Green Woodpecker, and two raptors - Kestrel and Buzzard. This morning the sky was cloudless, the sun shone brightly, the birds were singing and it really did feel like the first day of Spring. Buzzards were displaying high above the field in the clear skies and I managed a photo of one - albeit heavily cropped.  

Venus Pool Winter Oak

My wife has an iPad which has any number of "apps" including one known as "Brushes". This application has been made famous by David Hockney who has produced some East Yorkshire landscapes using Brushes and, in my humble opinion, they are very exciting. Whilst walking from the Fen Hide at Venus Pool Reserve I was struck by the mighty Oak at the top of the path set in silhouette against a very wintery sky. I understand that Barn Owls roost there and, hopefully, might nest . So, in the spirit of Hockney, but with a very small percentage of his skill and imagination, I used the iPad ( and my finger ) to produce the picture below. 

Over-wintering Chiffchaff at Venus Pool

Springlike conditions in the Gorge turned out to be a gloomy and cool day up the road at Venus Pool Reserve. I arrived to be told that there was "not much about" but actually I counted 32 species, albeit many would be seen in the average garden. I've just joined the Shropshire Ornithological Society and this allowed me entrance to the "members only" hide which is heated and where they serve canapés and champagne - a little like the members enclosure at Royal Ascot but with a different dress code. I jest - of course. A single Oystercatcher had found itself on the scrape and the Green Sandpiper was still present. I walked to the Fen Hide and en route an over-wintering Chiffchaff was pointed out to me by a helpful chap who is a bird recorder for Shropshire. The Fen Hide seems to be a good place for small birds and I saw Bullfinch and Reed Bunting amongst others.

Wrekin Peregrines

Last summer a pair of Peregrine Falcon built an eyrie on the "cliff" face above the Forest Glen car park. They raised three young which all fledged and were a constant attraction for birders and the general public. Typically I found out about this very late in the proverbial day and only just managed to catch the young before they fledged. At the time these photos were taken they were  exploring their immediate environment and constantly calling whilst exercising their wing muscles. I was struck by the interest being shown by non-birders as mum, dad and children would arrive in their cars with the sole intention of seeing these celebrity birds. Perhaps Britain still remains a society which maintains a sense of what is valuable ?

A bit of Summer colour

I dislike gloomy February especially as a retired and slightly jading gentleman. Greyness predominates and the Gorge is a damp place in the winter - danger from the dreaded "Jackfield Lung". They - the forces of evil - are using pneumatic drills outside on New Road as they repair the damage done to walls and the road surface by time and the contractors. Must get a grip and do something useful - whatever that means. So I thought I would "produce a new post" and include some bright pictures taken last summer. This time a variety of butterflies and moths taken in Lodge Field and Rough Park area - Clockwise from top left : Burnett Companion, Large Skipper, Ringlet and Six-spot Burnett.

Venus Pool Reserve in February

February is usually considered to be a fallow month for birdwatchers but there were several interesting species to be seen at Venus Pool Reserve . The Tit family were well represented by Blue, Coal, Great, Marsh and Long-tailed. The most common species on the feeders were Greenfinch together with smaller numbers of Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Bullfinch and Linnet, the latter three were to be seen around the woodland which fringes the pools. Ducks included Mallard, Teal, Widgeon, Shelduck and Shoveler. Other water birds : Coot, Moorhen, Tundra ( Bewick's ) and Mute Swans and a pair of Green Sandpiper. Great-spotted Woodpecker are common and often seen from the "feeder hide". In addition were the usual Blackbirds, Dunnocks and a couple of Reed Buntings foraging, predictably in the reedbed.

Introduction

I've lived in Ironbridge, Shropshire since 1996 and have always maintained an interest in wildlife. One of my ambitions has been to get into wildlife photography but it is only recently that a combination of retirement and resources has enabled me to start doing this to any sort of satisfactory level. I thought that it would be a good idea to supplement my journal activities and posts on Flickr with a blog and these are my first thoughts.


I'm currently involved in a local project which aims to develop an area at the top of Ironbridge known as Lodge Field. This mixed meadow, bog and woodland space is managed by the Lodge Field Group which comprises local people with an interest in maintaining and developing the flora and fauna of this place as well as providing a living and breathing area for local people who need "time out" from the world of Facebook, technology and work. From time to time I'll report on the progress of this project and, hopefully, present some photographs.


In late January I discovered the Venus Pool Reserve which is managed by the Shropshire Ornithological Society ( SOS ) and have started to visit on a regular basis. Heaven knows why I haven't been to this reserve before 2012 - given that it so close to Ironbridge being located between Cressage and Cross House on the Shrewsbury to Much Wenlock road - but I hope to make up for lost time and have enjoyed all my visits. This blog will be a record of these trips.