Very sorry,,, i've been very lax about keeping up to date with the blog this last few months. Been a few ups and downs, none of which is gonna worry you lot too much.
Last year was a brilliant year in many ways, but this winter has been by and large very quiet for me. Lots of time at home in the office, which i have tried to put to good use, but hey ho. For a togger, the weather/light is key, and not too many bright sunny days this winter. Ok,,, you might say 'moaning old git', but as i've said before,,, 'I'm not a birder, i'm a togger with an interest in birds, and that's the end of my weather moan,,, until tomorrow. It has however resulted in my drifting away from wildlife photography, and getting into other things. I've even been in the shed making nesting boxes, and of course that fascinating indoor pursuit of Photoshopping :-] I won't go down that route here, as this is a nature blog.
And what better way to start off a nature blog than with a few fungi shots,,, i can hear the moans from here.
Above is one of my favourite eating shrooms. Sitting with a few others by a country lane near Bere Regis. Of course, after i had photographed it i promptly recycled it by frying and consumption, and remnants of it are probably floating in Weymouth Bay as we speak,,, or not.
Another lone foray resulted in me coming across these Jersey Cow Boletus, latin (Suillus bovinus) maybe, if you're interested. Just nestled against these grasses, that are probably the pubes of the wood goddess, a nice find. They are edible if you take away the tubes underneath, and the slimy cap skin, by which time you are left with very little food, that after cooking tastes like boiled slugs,,,,, i imagine. I'd much sooner just take a picture than eat them.
In the same rough area were these (Tricholoma sulphureum), totally inedible, and smelling like old sump oil. If you catch them young they are lovely looking shrooms, and unlike this example, they make a great picture.
2017 was a great year for fungi, and one of my personal highlights occurred when i refound this rare species of Lepiota in an area i had discovered them some years ago. Cast your eyes on these (Lepiota ignivolvata),,, stunning little shrooms, that made my day. I could go on all day about the fungi i togged in 2017, but i sense a little boredom setting in here, so we'll talk about some other species that enjoyed a good year last year,,, The Butterflies
Had several days out butterflying with Adrian and Helen Read, which always proves fruitful, because Helen is blessed with the eyesight normally confined to Golden Eagles or Spadger Hawks, and last summer found us traipsing around Alners Gorse. I can't stress enough the high number of butterfly species found at Alners. If you've never been, then you must go,,, its near the village of Hazelbury Bryan in north Dorset. There was a lot to see on the day.
Great place for the White Admiral above, several species of Hairstreaks, and lots of everything else.
Of course there is a down side to all reserves, and to obtain pics of the Purple Hairstreaks (pic above) you have to run the 'tick and horsefly' gauntlet. So before visiting you must bath in insect repellent, and a suit of armour is recommended above T shirts and shorts.
There are enormous numbers of the above Marbled White as well as loads of the more common species. If you time your visit to perfection, you can see three species of Hairstreak in one day.
I also had a pretty good year with the Odonata last year. Getting great shots of most of them, and in particular the Golden-ringed Dragonflies of which three pairs were discovered in a narrow lane not far from Dorchester,,, and some way from running water too. They were mating and carrying on right before my eyes, and the shots were very satisfying.
So now i'll turn my attention to my first love, and the things i really get off on togging,,,,birds. It really has been an amazing autumn and winter for unusual birds dropping down in Dorset. Some of these proved too difficult for me, but i did connect with some. Can i just take a minute to thank those local birders who spotted these first, and made it known for us all to enjoy,,, you know who you are. Out in all weathers, scanning the skies and the hedges, i certainly have had a lot of pleasure from your finds, and have taken some pretty amazing birds in the last few months. I suppose the star of my winter was the long staying Lesser Yellowlegs, that of which i still have loads of shots to process.
My big disappointments were not connecting with the recent Ross's Gull, although i did get distant record shots.
Also, i haven't yet managed a quality Hawfinch shot, which is really galling, because there are loads around.
And i could go on moaning all day long about the others i missed. Ok, i'm getting hungry now, and the cupboard is calling, so i'll rug up this, and look to fill the Gardiner face, and make crumbs. Good luck in all your endeavours.
