Another late Dragon

Resting in hedge, Moorland Hawker

On a dull day this week , I found this in a  hedge well away from Patterson’s lake.

 

Late Dragons

blackdarter at drumard bog

 

We have not had a lot of sunshine but I was out on the 25th at drumard bog near Farnham Cavan and found black darters.

 

Grasshoppers

This is not a part of the world you would associate with grasshoppers ( too wet) but they are singing away on the farm notably in the areas that have not been “improved”, and get no fertiliser. I also had a grasshopper warbler on the farm this week  which I don’t think breeds on the farm although we do have suitable habitat. Will have to get up early next year in May or June to double check. I only got them in one tetrad  of the eight I did a timed Tetrad in this 10km square last year for the Atlas, but obviously there could be some breeding not too far away.

Grasshopper photographed in July, co. Cavan

 

Butterfly survey and watching dragons

I walk a set route round the farm every week in order to do a butterfly  survey. The results will go to the Biodiversity Data Center in Waterford. As July comes to an end the number of ringlets is going down and the green veined whites seem to be at a peak. It also allows me to notice the dragonflies each week. The amber winged hawkers have been out for a couple of weeks now. These are some of the biggest dragonflies in the district and easily identified by their brown wings. I was able to confirm that we have the hairy dragonfly on the farm  this spring which delighted me. Today was the first time I noticed a darter on the farm this year . Probably a common darter but I got only a brief glance and there did not seem to be many yet.

mating pair of amber winged hawker Co. Cavan

 

Newspapers and birds

I write a piece for the Cavan Post to put Birdwatch Ireland and the local branch in the paper I thought I would post up my efforts on the web too !

Birds and well being

The best things in life are free
But you can keep ’em for the birds and bees
Money
That’s what I want

So goes the song and in many cases it can appear that environmental protection and job creation or rural development are at loggerheads.

However Ireland has changed along with Western Europe. For large numbers of people contact with the natural world in their day to day lives is more difficult. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in UK invited members to post on line the magical moments involving wildlife that moved or inspired them. The response was huge. People described seeing bright red bullfinches on dull January days and breathtaking bluebell woods in May and many encounters with wildlife. It is worth taking a browse through the responses simply called “RSPB moments”. It also shows how important to many of us these moments are.
 More serious medical research has shown that contact with the natural world has an extremely beneficial effect on our health. Apart from the obvious fitness aspects of getting out and active in the outdoors the more subtle impact on mental health and mind, body and soul cannot be under estimated.
Governments are now starting to put costs on environmental degradation and species loss. Pollination done by insects is worth vast sums. Soil improvement achieved by earthworms is apparently worth 700 million euro annually to Ireland. Our wetlands and bogs act as sponges soaking up floods.
We promote our tourism image as green and natural . We also promote our food exports from a green, safe country. Both industries are worth millions and our customers in Western Europe are increasingly aware of environmental issues.
 The membership of the RSPB in the UK is now three million. The equivalent organisation in Germany has a membership of 4 million. Birdwatch Ireland has membership of 14 thousand. Birdwatch Irelands objective is to protect wild birds and their habitats. We are also a group of people who simply enjoy the magical moments that watching wildlife brings. www.Birdwatchireland. ie .
Local branch contact (087) 6699681

Also in the news is the turf wars of slieve rushen http://tinyurl.com/n8kqem

I have had a great spring doing atlas work up there so I have strong opinions on the need for conservation.

Billberries are ripe now on the slopes of slieve Rushen

 

birds eye view of cavan

The sunlight was picking out Trinity Island , the Derries and  the lakes of Lough Oughter as we came down Bruse Hill last Sunday. The far distant hills of  Slieve Beagh and hills of East Fermanagh form the horizon.

The billberry is now in blossom attracting the bumble bees. Also some evidence of mammals  droppings on a wall with lots of small bones inside

bilberry blossom early flowers for bumble bees

sunlight picking out lough oughter

Who left this? fox?

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caterpillar in february

fox moth caterpillar

This was a sunny day in late february when this fellow appeared among the heather, grasses and red sphagnum moss up on slieve Rushen. The books use the phrase “basking in sunshine before pupation in early spring”