Back At Priors

 I had stuff to do this morning so it was early afternoon before I made my now regular visit to Priors Hall. Although the heat waves have stopped for the moment it was still pretty hot and the countryside remains brown and crunchy. My time was a little limited so I concentrated on looking at the quarry lake and the first of the many ponds closer to the golf course.

Snipe. Common Sand and Common Gull

Initially there were few gulls to admire at the quarry lake but I did manage to find some waders other than the regular Lapwing. It had been joined by another although I'm not sure that it wanted company as it frequently tried to chase the interloper off. Three Snipe and a Common Sandpiper were welcome additions to the wader list, it's a shame that yesterday's phalarope didn't fancy a change of scenery from Eyebrook!

Brown Argus, Small Heath and Common Blue

Insects remain rather scarce, the sun scorched countryside does not appear to have suited them much. Common Blues and Small Heaths remain the commoner butterflies though several Brown Arguses were also noted. A few whites and some Red Admirals made up the rest of the list. Odes don't appear to have fared that much better and the four species of dragon noted today were Brown and Migrant Hawker as well as the two commoner darter species. Four damsels were also noted of which Small Red-eyed was the commonest, the others were Common Blue, Blue-tailed and Willow Emeralds. Not many birds to report other than Kingfisher and a Raven.

Migrant Hawker, Willow Emerald and Common Darters

On my return walk towards Weldon I noticed that many more gulls were present on the quarry lake and while checking some Black-headeds loafing on the shore I saw a Water Rail emerge from the reedy fringe and run along the water's edge. They're regular here and have bred at least once but to actually see one is always a rare treat, such a shame then that my record shots were so lamentable! Amongst the growing gull flock I saw both the intermedieus and graellsii subspecies of Lesser Black-backed Gulls, an increasing number of Herrings, several Commons and also at least three Yellow-legged Gulls. My gull identification skills are somewhat lacking but photos suggest that there may have been more. A pre booked Sunday dinner meant that I had to drag myself away but it had been an enjoyable few hours nonetheless.

Dodgy Water Rail pic and slightly less dodgy Y-l Gulls

Phal Play

 Temperatures are now mercifully somewhat lower than they have been of late and we have even had some rain which means that my grass is beginning to show some signs of recovery after the drought. Still seemingly suffering from the lack of rainfall however is Rutland Water where plenty of shoreline has been exposed by the lack of decent rainfall. Shozzer and I found ourselves there this morning at the dam watching the impressively large number of runners going through their paces on the park run but not much else. A Yellow-legged Gull and two Common Sandpipers as well as a Grey Wagtail provided the only highlights. We decided to move on and having debated whether to visit the north arm at Rutland or head on to Eyebrook we chose the latter.

Red-necked Phalarope

Our first stop was at the car park below Stoke Dry where we did not see much at all and it did not take long before we moved. After a short hop we found ourselves fairly close to the sharp end where a good selection of waders have been reported this week. I left Alan to scan the area and moved a little closer to where a large flock of Lapwings had gathered. A fellow birder named Alistair who was armed only with binoculars told me that he thought that he'd seen a phalarope swimming amongst the Lappies and asked if I could check with my scope. Sure enough I found a juvenile Red-necked where he'd reported it, clearly our fortunes had changed for the better! I ran back along the road, no mean feat for an unfit and old man, and let Shozzer know before informing several WhatsApp groups. We watched it for some time from the Rutland bank before it moved closer to the Leics side.

More pics

A growing cast of visiting birders were arriving by now including Phil and Cheryl as well as a host of Leicestershire luminaries  who were now watching the bird from the Leics side as well as the Rutland one. I took many record shots of which most were pretty dire but a few survived deletion. Although I was very much phal-focused there was a good selection of waders providing a more than acceptable supporting cast. Up to three Wood Sandpipers have been reported and I saw at least one, a Greenshank joined it. Growing numbers of Dunlin were present while what might have been one of the Black-tailed Godwits from last week was still present. Rounding off the waders were several Ruff and Snipe as well as a few Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers. Eventually we left both the bird and its admirers behind and headed to the Samuel Lloyd for a celebratory pint or two.

Greenshank, phalarope and Wood Sandpiper

Still Looking At Gulls

 A cloudy start soon gave way to the now expected sunny conditions that we have grown to love of late and I took the opportunity to visit Priors Hall again. An unusually prompt X4 delivered me to Weldon from where I made the relatively short stroll to Priors.

Common Blue, Brown Argus and Speckled Wood

The Quarry Lake once again looked decent for waders but as was the case last time a solitary Lapwing was the only species on site. Two adult or at least near adult Yellow-legged Gulls were the pick of the bunch, late summer often sees this species arriving in varying numbers. Insect life seems to have been affected by the recent heatwaves and the numbers of both odes and leps seem to have plummeted. In the brown and crunchy grassland Common Blues and Small Heaths were the commonest butts while Speckled Woods were the commonest species in the alder woodland. Several Brown Arguses and a Small Copper were the most interesting while other species on the wing included Small and Green-veined White, Red Admiral and a Meadow Brown.

Small Heath, Ruddy Darter and Blue-tailed Damsel

The ode picture was very much an autumnal one with Migrant Hawker and the two darters being the only dragons seen. Damsels proved to be even scarcer with just a few Common Blues, Small Red-eyed and a Blue-tailed being the only species noted. Around the ponds a Green Sandpiper and Marsh Tit were seen while a Raven was heard. Back at the Quarry Lake a further four immature Yellow-legged Gulls were seen, other species included Black-headed, Common, a juvenile Herring and two races of Lesser black-backed. With time pressing on I had to leave even though an ever changing cast of arriving and departing gulls suggested that more interesting stuff might have been available if only I could have lingered. 

Yellow-legged Gulls.

Waders Going South

 A rather grey morning saw Alan Shorrock and I heading over the border and making the short trip to Eyebrook reservoir. Dry conditions mean that the water level is now pretty low and there is plenty of mud on view. We began in the southwest corner before moving on towards the northern end at the inflow

Whooper Swan, Golden Plover and Greenshank

North of the island the juvenile Whooper Swan showed well, it's strange to see this species in such warm conditions. At the inflow there was a respectable number of waders on view of which the best was a Wood Sandpiper. Other tringas joining their cousin were Green and Redshanks as well as Common and Green Sandpipers. Five Snipe and three Dunlins fed amongst the many Lapwings while two Little Ringed were joined by both Ringed and Golden Plovers. The waders were rounded off by four Black-tailed Godwits though three did not linger for long before moving on. Not a great deal else was noted other than a juvenile Peregrine and we made our way to the 'spoons in Corby where a pint or two went down very well indeed.

Snipe, Blackwit and Wood Sand.

Gulls On The Move

 After yesterday's exertions in the heat of North Norfolk and a longer than anticipated boozy leaving do  later in the day I was delighted to get up this morning feeling alright. My destination of choice was Priors Hall and while it didn't live up to Norfolk's excitements it was still pretty good. The weather remains warm and sunny and the brown grass is getting crunchier underfoot.

Dabchick chick, Meadow Brown and Meadow Pipit

My watching began in the old quarry area that separates the two housing developments. Meadow Browns and Small Heaths were the first butterflies seen though numbers were pretty low. At the lake the Great Crested Grebe family appears to have moved on but have been replaced by their smaller cousins with several Dabchick youngsters visible. While the shoreline is looking promising for waders all I could find were two Lapwings and the best bird at this point was an immature Yellow-legged Gull. To the south of the lake I watched a Clouded Yellow flitting around hoping that it might settle but sadly it did not! A Holly Blues was a bit of a surprise here but a welcome one too.

Holly Blue, Ruddy Darter and Spotted Flycatcher

Around the ponds I found at least two Spotted Flycatchers and one gave very good views indeed, the other bird of note being a Raven. Dragons seen on my wander were Emperor, Brown Hawker, Four-spotted Chaser, Black-tailed Skimmer and both of the common darters. Damsel numbers continue to decline and I only saw Small Red-eyed, Blue-tailed, Common Blue and Willow Emerald. Finding butterflies continued to be a struggle though there were quite a few Speckled Woods hiding in the shade. With time slipping away I opted to head back towards Weldon though not before I had another look at the Quarry Lake. Plenty of gulls were moving through and many paused briefly to drink or preen. Up to seven Yellow-legged Gulls were noted as well as what looked like a 4th winter Caspian Gull. A scan through the numerous Black-headeds did not produce any sightings of Meds but I saw my first Common Gulls of the Autumn with a juvenile and an adult being present. Eventually I had to drag myself away from my larus looking session and head back towards Weldon and my bus home.

Black-tailed Skimmer, Four-spotted Chaser, Y-l Gull and Common Gull

Lady Of Spain I Adored You...Eventually!

 Several years ago an elite posse of butterfly twitching desperados comprising of myself, Shozzer and Phil Rogers headed down to Kent in search of some Queen Of Spain Fritillaries that had been reported there. Our efforts met with total failure, the weather was marginal and the temperatures were on the wrong side of cold and we failed to find anything of note. A decent pub lunch, a Spitfire and a dying mouse  are all that I can recall from what was one of my darkest memories in my recent wildlife watching recollection.

 

Hummingbird Hawk-moth, Painted Lady and Clouded Yelloe.

Fast forward two years and encouraging reports suggested that up to three Queen of Spains were present at Ringstead Downs in North Norfolk. Seeking redemption Phil and I decided to roll the dice and take our chances today, sadly Shozzer had family commitments and couldn't join us. On arrival we met a small contingent of would be frit fans but our initial efforts met with failure. I can't pretend that the morning was too rubbish however as there was a great selection of less exotic butterflies and we enjoyed our stroll. Lots of fresh looking Painted Ladies were joined by the most Hummingbird Hawk-moths that I've ever seen in the UK and we also noted up to six Clouded Yellows.

Queen Of Spain Fritillary

After a period of about three hours we decided to throw in the towel and head back towards the car. Fickle fortune however intervened on our return stroll as several watchers that we had met before put us on to a slightly tatty and very territorial individual that was holding court on the path. We spent quite a long time getting some pics and waffling with the other watchers before deciding to move on. After a very agreeable hour in the local pub we opted to pop into Dersingham Bog on our way home.

K

Keeled Skimmer and m and f Black Darters.

The bog is, like most of the British countryside very dry at the moment and water was a very scarce commodity. Initially we saw several male Keeled Skimmers which were a nice bonus, we just don't see them in the modern county of Northants. Eagle-eyed Phil picked out a female Black Darter which was my first, it was joined a little later by a male and several pics were taken. An evening appointment with former work colleagues meant that I couldn't linger and we found ourselves heading home shortly after. All in all an excellent experience and one that will stick in my mind for some years to come.

Another shot of her royal highness.