Ducklings

Got some close views of Mallard Ducklings this evening...

Emperor Dragonfly

Lower Bruckland Nature Reserve, 27-06-2015.

Catch up & dragons

Struggling to find time to post at the moment due to regular trips out of the UK! There will be pics of a Little Gull soon, which visited the Axe Estuary a couple of weeks ago.

Dragonflies are having a really successful year at Lower Bruckland Ponds. The number of Scarce Chasers is staggering, with at least a dozen being seen without looking too hard. Black Tailed Skimmers are also having a good year; the females are perhaps my favourite dragonfly in terms of aesthetics, they are so smart! Here's a male Scarce Chaser:

And here's some cuteness to end this (pitifully short) post:

Dragonflies

Here are a couple more pics from my visit to Lower Bruckland Nature Reserve last week.

Black Tailed Skimmer

Four Spotted Chaser

Lower Bruckland Nature Reserve - OPEN DAY

The ponds at Lower Bruckland are by far and away the best location in the Axe Valley to see damselflies and dragonflies. The diversity is large and the numbers can be astounding. Last weekend I had 5 dragonfly species which was surprising given that the weather was far from ideal; it was rather windy. The forecast for this coming weekend is superb, with lots of sunshine and decent temperatures. New dragonflies are emerging daily at Lower Bruckland Nature Reserve, so the OPEN DAY this coming Sunday (June 7th from 11:30am) is a fantastic opportunity to go and see what's on offer. If you like the place (you will) then you can come again and pay a small entrance fee, or alternatively purchase an annual pass for £15. It's a nice place for a picnic too!

I will try and post a few more pics taken at Lower Bruckland Nature Reserve prior to the open day event, just in case you need any more persuading...

Thank you

I've just reached 700,000 blog views!  Thanks, you mad lot. The last 12 month period has given me more traffic that the previous 3 1/2 years combined.

I hope you continue to enjoy (or at least read) the content. Posts should become significantly more regular from September onwards...

Buzzard posing for a flight shot

Just a brief post as I'm hideously busy with work.

News:

- Dragonflies have started emerging with both Scarce Chasers and Black Tailed Skimmers seen at       Lower Bruckland Ponds today. Coots, Moorhens and Mute Swans are all looking after young, also at this site.

- Mallard ducklings are now being paraded around Black Hole Marsh by their mother.

A Buzzard flew by quite low whilst I was at Lower Bruckland Ponds this afternoon...