A few recent shots

I've always been a keen wildlife enthusiast and have been trying my hand at photography the past few years. I'm lucky enough to be able to spend a lot of my spare time out walking and exploring the countryside and i though you might be interested in some of the shots I've managed to get recently.

Last week on a walk to Marloes sands there were around 15/20 common lizards in the gorse on the path down to the beach. i took the opportunity to get a few photos. I'd be very interested to hear of any other reptile sightings as I'm struggling to remember the last time I saw an adder or grass snake.

Also attached are a couple of photos of the ever-present Bosherston otters that I took last week. I manage to get down there usually twice a week and see them almost every time. The sight of them is never taken for granted as I have been visiting Bosherston since I was born and before this year had only seen otters there on 2 or 3 occasions.

As previously noted, the number of butterflies this year seems a lot more than in recent years, and there have been some fine specimens around. The photo is of a Comma that i came across whilst foraging in the warrens near Broadhaven (South).

On a walk today at Freshwater West (is there a more beautiful beach anywhere in the world?) there were at least 7 Kestrels around the cliffs and fields. I took a few shots of one being mobbed by a crow. A bit of drama to equal anything in Robin Hood!

Hope you like the photos. I'll continue to post any interesting photos and sightings I get.

All the best,

Grant.

Mowing Impossible III - Untidy lawn due to small frogs!

Dung Fungi

The photos are of cow Dung Fungi, seen as orange or yellow spots on the surface.
The microstructure shows the 8 spores in each sack

For information on Fungi
www.pembsfungi.org.net

Anyone For .....

This friendly little chap(pess) is a Dark Bush Cricket.

The female of the species found in the long grass while mowing the lawn.

Blackberries and red admirals

This must be a record year for the abundance of blackberries. Can anyone else remember such a bumber crop? Probably a response by the plants to reproduce triggered by the recent hard winters. I also found some fresh red admirals in fine condition.

Otter Deer Park

Photo of otter on the beach at the Deer Park, it was viewed in the evening for 30 minutes before going back to sea.

Bosherston Otters

I took this photo of the female Otter cub at Bosherston around lunchtime today. It was clearly unwell and allowed an extremely close approach from myself and two other observers. It looked rather thin and when it did move on it just went a few yards into some dense vegetation along the bank. The Otter cubs have been seen fighting quite viciously recently with the male, not surprisingly being a bigger animal, getting the upper hand. Whether the Otter I saw is diseased or is suffering from a skirmish is not known but it certainly seems that the Otter family which has enthralled many people at Bosherston has now split up.

Frog Hopper

Pembrokeshire Wildlife Sightings: Here are a few pictures which reveal my inte...

Pembrokeshire Wildlife Sightings:





Here are a few pictures which reveal my inte...: "Here are a few pictures which reveal my interest in aquatic life, I photograph and film anything that moves from the tiniest microorg..."

Blue-ray Limpet...........St.Brides Bay

Star Ascidim

Photographed on a Zeiss Tessovar

Mike

Here are a few pictures which reveal my interest in aquatic life, I photograph and film anything that moves from the tiniest microorganisms to vertebrates. I am based in Newcastle Emlyn which has a whole range of interesting and varied habitats close by. The diatoms seen above show the silica frustule that encloses the algal cell, the green photosynthetic chloroplasts are visible with oil droplets, it is these oil droplets that are one of the main sources of hydrocarbon in crude oil. The water beetle is only a few millimetres in length and is identified as Nebrioporus elegans and comes from Herefordshire. Dolomedes fimbriatus is Britain's largest spider, seen here consuming a Damselfy, photographed on Chobham Common.

Sinclair Stammers (aka micromacro)

Martin's Haven Slowworms

The lovely weather at the end of last week meant that good numbers of Slowworms are still in evidence. Most stay under cover (I have put out lots of old slates, which they seem to love), but some were out basking in the middle of the morning. Some of the Slowworms seem incredibly loyal to the same bits of cover: one female, recognisable by her stump tail, has been under the same slate for the last 2 months at least.

No sign over the weekend, however, of either Common Lizards, which are pretty widespread here and on the Deer Park, or Adders.

Alien Seaweed at West Angle Bay

We found a new alien seaweed at West Angle Bay on September 8th 2010. The name is Feldmannophycus okamuriae and it was first found down in Plymouth in 2004.

It is thought that it was introduced with oysters and it didn't take long to get to Britain!

Look for this species at the top of the lower shore.

Skomer seals, Manxies wave goodbye

Currently 53 seal pups on Skomer.

Number of fledging Manx Shearwaters sitting on the surface has reduce in number of the past week, suggesting that the majority of the young have left now. Adults not returning to burrows. We wish them luck on their massive journeys!

Chris Taylor
Skomer Warden

Migrant hawker dragonflies

I've just spent a day teaching photography at Bosherston lily ponds and was impressed with the numbers of migrant hawker dragonflies. An otter made a late appearance but was not obliging from a photographic viewpoint.

Dead female otter

While travelling over Bryn Berian mountain on Thursday morning 16th September, I saw a dead female otter near the North cattle grid, that had sadly been hit by a vehicle. I thought it unusual to see an otter so far from a decent water course but apparently the area around the hills is well used by otters.


Robert Wilson

Coastal otter sightings

Hi - I'm interested in any coastal otter sightings and will pass info to the Otter Consultancy and the County Mammal Recorder to enable information on these increasingly less (?) elusive creatures to contribute to our knowledge base. I get the impression that they are using the coast more than people realise; certainly studies that I have been involved in have shown them to be ubiquitous around the coast. I have been getting more daytime sightings this summer too. Perhaps our otters are starting to become less nocturnal and behave more like their counterparts in Scotland? I had one sighting from Broadhaven Beach (north) of an otter that wandered past a packed bank holiday beach load of people to enter the sea! And did you know that they visit the islands too? Yes - they cross Ramsey Sound!

I should add that my interest in otters comes mainly from my role as Pembrokeshire Marine Special Area of Conservation (SAC) Officer. The site is part of a European network of protected areas, and the otter is listed as being important here. See http://www.pembrokeshiremarinesac.org.uk/english/special/otters_c.htm

Otter at Little Haven

An otter was seen in Little Haven on Sunday fishing in the rock pools oblivious to the people on the beach, coming within a meter of so of them.

From The World of Moths

Some moths look almost unreal - take a look at this aptly named Burnished Brass caught in my moth trap at St Ishmaels last night!

Stackpole open day

There was a great turnout for the National Trust's open day at Stackpole today with visitors being treated to displays by the otters all day as well as glimpses of kingfisher and superb views of pike from the 8 arch bridge. Hopefully, this event will be repeated on an annual basis.

Moth blog

For anyone interested in moths, there is a specialist blog run by Mike at http://pembrokeshiremoths.posterous.com/

Please also mention any interesting sightings and observations here as well please.

Deer Park Seals

A total of 12 Grey Seal pups on the two main pupping beaches on the Deer Park by Martin's Haven today. A few mothers hauled out with their pups and a couple of Bulls waiting in the sea just off the beaches.

High tide at Mullock

Watched a Water Shrew swimming in the very high tide by Mullock Bridge on the 9th at dusk - the dark fur, pointy nose and white underparts were very clear. It seemed quite happy though you would think it would not be too keen on salty water. Not so happy were the several voles (not sure which type) which were doggy-paddling vigorously towards the bridge in order to try and find some dry land!

A mystery bird which flew over calling just as I left I have since identified as a Green Sandpiper.

Rosemary

Bosherston Otters

The Otters are still showing well at Bosherston from the 8 Arch Bridge. Two sightings there yesterday around lunchtime and I met a chap who had 3 sightings between the 8 Arch Bridge and the Grassy Bridge (at the  Broadhaven Beach end). Pic from a few weeks ago.

Invitation to join blog as an author

With help from Richard Crossen, I have been able to work out how to add authors to this blog. Please email me on andy@andydavies.info if you would like to post.

Thanks again Richard!

Andy

Jubilee at low tide

Walked along the low tide mark today on Jubilee Beach at the Gann and noticed an abundance of sea hares, some of them coupled together mating. Mark Burton from Skomer MNR says they are to die off!

Also numerous carpet and sandalled anemones in the mud. Tomorrow is one of the lowest tides of the year so worth exploring.

Andy Davies