Mike's Natural Musings: A Wonderful Day at Bonby and Watts Wood.

Sunday 31 May 2020

A Wonderful Day at Bonby and Watts Wood.

Wanting to make the most of the weather, I was up and away early with plans for Bonby Carrs and then Watts Wood for the dragonflies, hopefully broad bodied chasers.

Bonby Carrs

As I hoped I had Bonby Carrs to myself. Carr Lane is a super location for early migrants, especially wheatears and yellow wagtails. It is also a favourite spot to photograph birds in song at this time of the year. A good place for raptors, the fortunate observer can find short-eared owl hunting here in the winter. Once the vegetation grows too high it becomes impossible to photograph birds on the fence so it will most likely be my final visit until next winter. Unfortunately Covid 19 has kept me away during spring migration tome. Although I saw nothing spectacular there were plenty of birds around and I get just as much of a buzz out common every day wildlife as a mega rarity. Small songbirds were busy all the way down the lane singing to advertise territories and to warn off rival males and feeding chicks in ditch bank nests. An idyllic couple of hours.

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Brown Hare

Goldfinch

Lapwing

Lapwing and Lincoln Reds

Linnet

Meadow Pipit

Reed Bunting

Shelduck

Young Starling

Yellowhammer

Watts Wood

After a very pleasant couple of hours, I moved on to Watts Wood nature reserve at Dunholme close to Lincoln. This is somewhere that in the past I have visited a lot but not for several years. I couldn't believe how much things had changed. Waist high saplings are now rapidly becoming trees. I was initially totally disorientated but eventually got myself sorted out. I headed first for the large Co-op pond. Although very attractive here with large numbers of dragonflies, it was very breezy and nothing was settling. I did see emperor dragon fly, although it didn't settle at all. There were plenty of four spotted chasers but no broad bodied. I also photographed a few damselflies and was amazed when I processed the images to find that one was a red-eyed damsel, one that I had neither seen nor photographed before.

There being no broad bodied I decided to return to a small pond I had passed earlier where there were three males vying for supremacy. These perched nicely and allowed me to fill my boots with these beautiful insects; I love the yellow-spotted powder blue abdomens of the males and the glistening gold females. From here I made my way to the original pond, the Beatles pond. Here there were more broad bodied, this time mating with the female on the wing. The females then oviposited straight away while the male kept guard. I was also pleased to find a female hairy dragonfly here also ovipositing.

An excellent day out.