claire-stares
Country diary: A cloud of male flies drifts by, while the females bask below | Claire Stares
Langstone, Hampshire: I’d seen St Mark’s flies on the wing last spring; this year I was surprised to find them breeding in my garden
Claire Stares
26, May, 2023 @4:30 AM
Country diary: Witnessing a smooth newt in attack mode | Claire Stares
Langstone, Hampshire: The newts have migrated back to their natal pond to breed, allowing me to study them up close
Claire Stares
28, Apr, 2023 @4:30 AM
Country diary: The irises have taken over the pond, and only leeches are left | Claire Stares
Langstone, Hampshire: The pond is almost devoid of life, apart from several of these greenish-grey segmented worms burrowed into the silt at the bottom
Claire Stares
24, Mar, 2023 @5:30 AM
Country diary: It’s started – the blue tits are house-hunting | Claire Stares
Langstone, Hampshire: They’ve been popping in and out of the nest box we put up, but there’s no guarantee that they’ll sign on the dotted line
Claire Stares
21, Feb, 2023 @5:30 AM
Country diary: An Arctic rarity has caused a stir | Claire Stares
Langstone, Hampshire: Hunkered down out of the wind, away from its cackling cousins, is a lone Sabine’s gull
Claire Stares
27, Jan, 2023 @5:30 AM
Country diary: A handful of rose chafer larvae is a reassuring promise
Langstone, Hampshire: These juveniles survive on dead leaves and other detritus, and will one day become iridescent coppery-green adult beetles
Claire Stares
23, Dec, 2022 @5:30 AM
Country diary: Swimming with the starlings
Hayling Island, Hampshire: Their communal bath is such a frenzy of activity that it feels as though I’m watching them on fast forward
Claire Stares
22, Nov, 2022 @5:30 AM
Country diary: Hungry wasps have surrounded the willow tree
Langstone, Hampshire: Autumn is their true season, more than summer, as they go in search of their liquid diet
Claire Stares
28, Oct, 2022 @4:30 AM
Country diary: Swimming in the sea through a roiling shoal of silver sprats
Hayling Island, Hampshire: Screaming gulls and children, beaching baitfish – and something is bumping my leg
Claire Stares
23, Sep, 2022 @4:30 AM
Country diary: It’s a summer of love for the red soldier beetle
Hayling Billy trail, Havant, Hampshire: These striking insects are clearly enjoying the heat – but there’s only so much of it they can stand
Claire Stares
26, Aug, 2022 @4:30 AM
Country diary: The red kite’s kill falls with a thud in front of me
Stansted Park, West Sussex: It’s a grisly sight, and a reminder that these notoriously unfussy eaters will hunt when they have to
Claire Stares
22, Jul, 2022 @4:30 AM
Country diary: Not every group of ladybirds is a loveliness
Langstone, Hampshire: Harlequin larvae have arrived in my garden, and the reception is mixed
Claire Stares
24, Jun, 2022 @4:30 AM
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