On Sunday we finally got some sunnier, warmer weather and the local butterflies seemed as pleased as me about this. Meadow Browns were out in particular abundance and I saw various other species like Small Whites, Red Admirals and this beautiful Comma:
And I also managed to spot this stunning Scarlet Tiger Moth:
Due to the heat there weren’t many other creatures out in the open but I did catch this swan keeping cool in the river.
On Monday evening I was surprised when I ran into this roe deer near the fishing lake. I’ve never seen deer this close to home before (about five minutes away). It was on farmland at the edge of our housing estate. I was also surprised how confident it seemed for a deer- it stood fairly calmly and looked back at me and didn’t even run off when I eventually continued on my way.
I’ve gradually been getting more into wildlife blogging and photography. You may well have noticed that my photos are mostly of poor quality, especially if the creature I was photographing was far away. This was because I was using a really rubbish camera. Unlike many other bloggers I don’t have the budget for expensive camera equipment but I realised I could afford a new camera.
For those interested, I’ve bought a Nikon Coolpix L340- it’s hardly the best camera on the market but it’s not bad for £100. My old camera had a 4x zoom- this has a 28x zoom! This means I now actually have a half decent camera so I can capture better photos and more wildlife than before.
My first outing with the new camera was past the Canada Goose nursery. Several times this week I’ve seen the nursery move from the fishing lake to the fields opposite. They go under the fisherman’s gate and cross the gravel track where the fishermen park. It’s a fantastically entertaining sight.
The longer zoom means I can capture some wildlife I wouldn’t have been able to before, like this small bird. I’m not certain but I think this is a juvenile robin.
I also spotted this rabbit. I think rabbits are one of our more underrated mammals, perhaps because they are so very common. I always think that every animal is interesting whether small, like insects, or common, like rabbits or pigeons. It is estimated there are about six rabbits for every human in the UK. They were brought over from Europe after the Norman Conquest in 1066 and the fact they are now so common, despite how often they are predated upon, shows how successful they are as an animal.
I’ve discussed the peregrines falcons nesting in Bournemouth but there are also a pair fairly close by in Salisbury Cathedral. They’ve had two chicks but one of the youngest, a male named Raphael, got in trouble when it tried to fledge in high winds last week. Thanks to human interaction it was kept safe and both young are now doing OK. For more on this story check out the Salisbury Cathedral news story.
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