17th August..... House Martins Fledge.

Not quite sure when, but a second pair of House Martins successfully fledged four youngsters at some time over the last couple of days. With the young ones returning back to the nest every so often for a bit of a rest as they gain their 'wings'

A third pair are also in residence along with five vacant nests. Not sure what's happening, but the colony seems to be on a down ward spiral, as last year only five pairs bred.
A juvenile Green Woodpecker has been visiting the lawn regularly over the last few days.
Don.

16th August..... Roe Deer.

Received a phone call from a local farmer this evening to say that a couple of confiding Roe Deer were feeding out in the open. Though it was pouring with rain, the close views made the drenching worth while.
Stewart.

Images Copyright : Stewart Dennis.

13th August..... Wilstone & Pulpit Hill.

After a wet and windy few days had a trip out to Wilstone reservoir Tuesday morning.

On the way to hide passed a heavily moulting chiffchaff sunning itself, looking very rough indeed. Passed a fishing party of around ten cormorants that had been close to the path, but they headed out towards the centre of the reservoir as we approached, also large numbers of coot in the water both adult and juvenile. In front of the hide good numbers of lapwing, black headed gulls and 5 common terns, a mixture adult and juvenile.

As we made our way to Tringford Reservoir we passed an unidentifiable dragonfly.

Tringford Reservoir was very quiet: a mandarin swam peacefully by.

Volunteers  busy working on the dry canal as we passed and were told that they are hoping to be able to fill the section they are working on early in the new year.

Home for lunch where a stunning painted lady butterfly fed on the marjoram by the back door, with another one on the knapweed in the garden.

On to Pulpit Hill after lunch, weather warming up in the sunshine, good numbers of butterflies out and active.

 

Silver spotted skippers, a warm weather butterfly, enjoying the warm sun and were seen pairing up.

 

Many chalk hill blues. Watched an egg laying chalk hill blue.

Many wild flowers flowering on this chalk grassland on which more silver spotted skippers, painted ladies, small tortoiseshell, chalk hill blues (being dimorphic females and males are a completely different in appearance, female brown, male milky blue) brown argus and more were feeding along with six-spot burnet moths, many types of bee and other insects.

 

 

Later at home a large green dragonfly flew in through the open back door, a female southern hawker I think, it was not happy. Stewart.
Images Copyright : Stewart Dennis.

9th August..... Long-winged Conehead.

The heavy rain storm that greeted us upon our arrival back home after a few days in Kent, causing localised flooding, forced two Crickets to seek out the shelter offered by our first floor windows.
Stewart did a spot of research & has identified this as a male Long-winged conehead.

Today (10th), a couple of Holly Blues found a sheltered spot in the garden to hide from the persistent wind that didn't let up 'til late afternoon, with a Green-veined White doing the same.
For those interested in such things, the mighty Chesh beat last seasons play off semi finalists Salisbury City, managed by Steve Claridge, 2-0.

Don.

New Season Kicks Off.

It's the first day of the new season & with my season ticket in hand, I shall turn up to watch the mighty Chesh, as they have a real baptism of fire for the opening match when they face Salisbury City at home. Lets hope for a better start than twelve months ago, when we were still rooted to the foot of the league come November, then improved dramatically to finish the season in tenth spot.
The league for the new season : 

		P	HW	HD	HL	HF	HA	AW	AD	AL	AF	AA	+/-	Pts
1	Beaconsfield Town	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Blackfield & Langley	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Chesham United	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Dorchester Town	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	Farnborough	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	Gosport Borough	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
7	Harrow Borough	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
8	Hartley Wintney	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
9	Hayes & Yeading United	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
10	Hendon	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
11	Merthyr Town	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
12	Metropolitan Police	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
13	Poole Town	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
14	Salisbury	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
15	Swindon Supermarine	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
16	Taunton Town	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
17	Tiverton Town	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
18	Truro City	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
19	Walton Casuals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
20	Weston-super-Mare	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
21	Wimborne Town	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
22	Yate Town	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Who Knows this seasons side may even come close to emulating the record breaking team of  67/68, who's achievements have been commemorated in this recently published book :

A fascinating read, not just for Chesham supporters, but for any one with an interest in football.
Copies are still available from JPS Stationers in Chesham.
C'mon Chesh.

Don.

4th August..... Harvestin'

This afternoon I joined Peter, Kevin & Adam who were busy busy busy bringing in the first crop of the summer season : Winter Barley.
Before the cuttin' can begin, the beast needs to be prepared:

Toppin' up the fuel.

Leaf blowers are not only useful in the garden it seems, gettin' rid of the debris from the previous day, don't want it getin' in the works, over heatin' & startin' a fire.

Right thats that done, on with the business of bringing in the Harvest.

This couple of Roe Deer were quite happy in a nearby hay meadow.

Went on an off road recce this morning.

Came across a family group of four Ravens. This one appears to be having a spot of both with a couple of 'copters, but obviously they are in the distance making them all appear of similar size.

Yellowhammers are still busy feeding young.

This balloon type thing is not what really want to find in a crop field, could truely put a spanner in the works if it's not found before the combine gets to work.









Don.

Images Copyright : Don Stone/Stewart Dennis.