Dartmoor

Dartmoor is a haunted land. A visit there seems to take you to a different world with many new mysteries. It is a land of Tors and legends and fairies and pixies and immense beauty. Above all it is ancient with settlements dating back at least 7,000 years. Circles of standing stones remind us of a time when bears, wolves and giant lions roamed the landscape and humans battled both them and the elements to survive. In some places it is still possible to feel their presence and their mystery. Interestingly, 1500 years ago Dartmoor had a Mediterranean climate......what does that say about current global warming theories?

Memories of summer time at Fleet Pond (A male Common Blue)

A Cute Baby Adder at Wood Lane Heath

More Signs of Autumn

I always think that when the smooth snakes start gathering together for warmth it means the first chills are arriving. Often at this time of year it is possible to find 4 or 5 of these reptiles together wrapped together for warmth.

Signs of Autumn

Autumn is definitely here.....yes, humans may still think it is summer time but look at the signs. Leaves are turning yellow, nights and mornings are chilly, the birds have all flown off to Africa and the mushrooms are beginning to appear....soon mists will follow.....

More beautiful smooth snakes

Our most endangered reptiles are busy basking and getting ready to give birth. Some juveniles from last year are also on the move looking for baby lizards and insects to feed on. These larger individuals were basking together on the heath and are in superb condition. Smooth snakes are incredibly rare and it is an honour to be able to see and photograph them like this. They are very vulnerable to heath fires and their continued existence is tenuous indeed.....

Glorious Snakes

As if by magic, the heath ecosystem is changing. The stonechats have vanished with their newly fledged young and male dartford warblers are singing actively from the tops of gorse bushes. The nightjars have switched their timings too. Instead of beginning to sing at 9.33pm every night, they now begin to churr loudly and continuosly at 7.33 pm. This is a phenomenon occuring on several heaths locally so the nightjars must have changed their timings for a reason. Snakes are basking in some numbers and I have been lucky enough to encounter several smooth snakes together recently. I even found a baby one, barely six inches long!

Carolina Wood Duck and Mandarin Duck - Living wild in Surrey

These two marvellous ducks are living wild in Surrey!!! Although they are closely related they occur in different parts of the world. The wood duck is from the USA and the mandarin duck is from Japan, where it is highly endangered. Thankfully there are large numbers of mandarins living wild in the Uk. They are like beautiful swift ghosts when seen at dusk flying down a forest stream. The River Dart in Devon has a breeding population nesting in tree holes high above the rushing torrent. The wood duck is much rarer in the Uk but still common in the USA.

Lovely roe deer, stonechat and smooth snakes on a local heath

Here is one of our most endangered reptiles. These snakes are so elusive and fossorial that almost nothing is known about them. They are thought to be constrictors that feed mainly on other reptiles, especially lizards. Who knows. Other snakes certainly don't seem to fear them greatly.....I wonder what you think. They are often found in the same places as stonechats and roe deer are found.

A smart white egret

These lovely white egrets are a recent colonist in Southern England and are a lovely sight. There is an all black form in West Africa and the two are often seen together hunting in the shallows. In England only the white form exists. They are found on the Pagham marshes where they dash through the water spearing fish.

What a marvellous little stone chat and a roe doe

What a beautiful little bird this is. Look out for them now, as they tap out their alarm calls over the heath.

Beautiful Grey Plovers, ringed plover, oyster catcher and redshank

I think you'll like these lovely grey plovers and friends on the shore line at Pagham harbour.

Two adders together on Crooksbury Common

I found these two gorgeous adders together yesterday on Crooksbury Common. One of them is especially beautifully marked. What a splendid snake. The female adders need lots of warmth now as they prepare to give birth so they sun themselves as much as possible. Look out for them on the edges of paths and in bracken and heather....

A smooth snake and a grass snake together

Now here is an amazing picture!! Why? Because smooth snakes (our rarest reptile) are thought to feed mainly on other reptiles. However the grass snake is safe here because the two are the same size. Lucky old grass snake! Both species are found on the Surrey heaths where they live in the heather and are rarely seen.

A beautiful male stonechat

The stonechats are tiny robin sized birds with a big personality. They are among my favourite birds and the males are especially feisty, "tapping" madly if you get too close and flickling their wings. I also think they are amazingly beautiful and their stone tapping sound is one of my favourite sounds on the heath. Look out for them now as they are nesting again after returning from Africa.

Ethereal Swans at Fleet Pond

Fleet pond was once a Royal fish pond. It is now the largest lake in Hampshire and is a good place to see birds, especially swans. In the evening light these are truly magnificent creatures and supremely graceful.

Turtle Doves in Tugley

Aren't these turtle doves beautiful.....

Sunday, 7 June 2009

Baby Blackbird

The young black birds are out and about now and looking cute. They are very vulnerable to predation by cats though so if you see one gently shoo it into a tree or if it can't fly yet (they sometimes leave the nest early), put it in the branches of a tree. Don't listen to the TV naturalists of this world who advise leaving a bird where it is to be eaten by cats (inevitably). Some birds need our help!!!!

Turtle Doves

The turtle doves are back, beautiful harbingers of spring.....