British Dragonflies

http://www.british-dragonflies.org.uk/sites/default/files/images/anisom2.thumbnail.jpg

A recent local report from " a usually reliable source" has caused the equivalent of a twitcher frenzy for a rare migrant bird.

The link shown above gives an impression of a Norfolk Hawker,   Aeshna isoceles,  which whilst reported outside Norfolk is not thought to be present in Somerset.

To try to check for any other sightings  I'm seeking news of any other possible sightings in Somerset. Please contact me if you think you can help
Here is some information about this Dragonfly taken from the Natural History Museum web site.
 
Aeshna isosceles, Norfolk Hawker. © R Jurecek
This dragonfly is restricted to one area of Britain - the broads district of Norfolk. It has been scarce and local in Britain since records began.
It is now categorised as endangered in Britain and is listed in schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
In Britain, this endangered species of dragonfly is found only around the Norfolk Broads, but it is also found in other parts of Europe and North Africa. In Norfolk, it prefers to live close to waterways where the water soldier plant - Stratiotes aloides grows. Its name Aeshna isosceles relates to a distinctive triangular marking on its abdomen                                                                                                                                                                    

Local Wildlife Group Five years old!

Sent this brief report off for publication in our Somerset Wildlife Trust magazine. You can read it first here. World scoop!!   There is a 200 word limit on what we can say which is why it is so short!

The Heart of the Levels Group has just celebrated the fifth anniversary of starting our Group.

Five years into a new venture is a good point at which to look back on what we have achieved as a small group of volunteers.

Here are some of my personal highlights.

A talk by Chris Sperring accompanied by live owls was special.

Our one day workshops on Art and Wildlife and recently on Wild Flower

Photography were a great learning experience.

The setting up of our Botany Study Group with the professional help of Dr Anne Bebbington and John Bebbington.

Learning about nature has been inherent in all our activities. Starting a local Wildlife Watch Club was another big step forward.

Funds raised through our activities enable us to make a contribution to SWT Appeals and to support our Watch Club.

We submitted comments to DEFRA on Badgers and the Natural Environment.

We are currently writing a short guide to our local reserves.

Helping SWT set up a new reserves working group for the East Polden Hills is in progress.

Writing a natural history Blog on our activities and environmental issues.

Starting our local group was the best way to learn about wildlife.

Common Blue butterfly

To say this butterfly is common is often only one step away from ignoring it. So this Blog is simply paying a tribute to the evolutionary process which has resulted in a most amazing small insect. The patterning on the under side of its wing is fabulous. This particular specimen happened to come to rest in the late afternoon today on a lavender bush. It wasn't feeding and it just sat there in the late sun whilst I got my camera together . A tripod to minimise hand shake and a 90 mm Macro lens and also a remote button for extra measure. I even had time to experiment with auto, AV and auto macro. The best results with the sharpest and clearest image was definitely using the tripod and macro lens. Click on the picture to see a larger image. Can you tell which one used a 50mm standard lens and which used a macro  90 mm lens and tripod and remote control? Both images are shown with a reduced file size for faster uploading.



Image A

Image B

Aspects of nature from the Somerset wetlands

Its definitely raining. We've been longing for rain to keep the garden growing and to encourage the orchids in our meadow for some time now. We hope it will produce a visually exciting spectacle  for visitors. Today I'm spending  time uploading some photos and revising my  "to do" list. Yesterday with the help of the family offering advice and better still some with hard work, we were able to complete the construction of a new small pond in our "wild patch"  and fill it with rain water for the first time. Its about three metres by two and 35 cm deep at one end. We emptied three water butts in doing so but this morning the rain is quickly refilling them. A small ceremony has just taken place in the rain with photographs of us adding some pond weed.

The photo's I'm showing you below were taken during a visit on 29th May to the Avalon Marshes visitor centre in Somerset. The occasion was the Avalon 24hr nature watch. Amazingly 12 hardy watchers received a certificate to confirm that they had indeed watched through the night. Owls and bats and moths at night and otters and various activities during the day.
I took a friend from Buckinghamshire along to see what was going on and we managed to do a quick tour of the Centre itself and three adjacent nature reserves. I think he was impressed by the  peace and tranquility of walks on the reserves and the extent of the organisation going in to the extensive conservation work demonstrated.
The photos are just snaps really of items of interest ( to me at least)

This is an impressive set of wood carvings to symbolise the well known local feature of the Starling display each winter as they come in thousands to roost at night.

I thought this was an odd form of Tufted Vetch ( Vicia cracca) until I got closer and then realised the stem was covered in aphids (I assume) . They were all the same colour as the flowers which were missing. Is that because they were feeding on the plant? There were plenty of plants with flowers which are very attractive.

 Natural England were playing a big part in running the 24 hour event with tractor rides around the nearby reserve.

Goats-beard, sometimes called Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon  (Tragopogon pratensia ) is really impressive growing on the banks of a Rhyne.  ( Somerset name for a  drainage ditch)

Caterpillars in large numbers may not be everyones "cup of tea" but here they show the way they start their lives as moths or butterflies. Can someone tell me which and name them ?

Benches are placed around these very quiet reserves, rarely disturbed by planes or traffic noise. Sitting watching the fish coming to the surface now and again was a very impressive and satisfying experience for my guest and myself.

John Bebbington FRPS

I try to take photos of wildlife subjects with very mixed results but if you want to see something special try this link here.http://www.rpsnaturegroup.com/page45.htm

John is Chair of the RPS Nature Group and recently gave his time to run a wildlife photographic workshop for us.

For nature watchers I can report seeing the first Marbled White on our reserve yesterday. Also saw a Hummingbird Hawk Moth  about 11 am in a local lane.