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.

A Bit Rubbish

 I'm  doing my back shift week at the moment which means that I have a lieu day off in the week and that day happened to be today. I joined up with Shozzer for a trip to Summer Leys though in fairness our efforts were not rewarded by anything really good. In muggy and sometimes overcast conditions the rarest thing we experienced were a few drops of rain, a very scarce commodity this summer!

Great White Egret and Common Tern chick.

My day began on a positive note when I saw a Hobby annoying the local House Martins around Corby Old Village, I sometimes see them in the autumn when I believe the juvenile martins might be the main attraction for them. Things subsequently began to go downhill when we headed off to Summer Leys where scarce or interesting birds totally eluded us although someone else did manage to see one of the reported Garganeys on the scrape. There were a few  more interesting insects which included a trio of migrants with Clouded Yellow, Hummingbird Hawk-moth and Painted Lady being seen. Although we spent quite a long time mooching around the site we failed to add much else of note to our total and eventually opted to head towards the Coach and Horses in Wellingborough instead.

Small White and Common Blue

England's Brown And Pleasant Land.

 The dry conditions are continuing which means that much of the countryside is now a mixture of browns and yellows rather than the traditional green. With just a one day weekend to play with I decided after some deliberation to blag a lift from my elder stepson over to Deene from where I walked back via Deenethorpe Airfield and Weldon. In truth there was not a great deal of wildlife on view but it was nice to get some decent exercise in.

Painted Lady

My morning began in the garden where a Painted Lady was a year tick on the Buddleia, this week has also seen numerous visits from Hummingbird Hawk-moths too. Deene was pretty quiet, there were plenty of Willow Emeralds but no other odes. Butterflies here included Gatekeepers, a Small Heath and Green-veined Whites. Interesting birds were few and far between, the pair of Black Swans now appear to have just the one cygnet while there was also a juvenile Shelduck at the inflow. The latter may well be locally born as Deene Lake does occasionally host breeding pairs of this species.

Willow Emerald, Black Swans and juvenile Shelduck

Deenethorpe village hosted plenty of Banded Demoiselles on the Willowbrook but I didn't see any White-legged Damselflies. The neighbouring airfield had more butterflies but in general they seemed scarce. Small Heaths, Meadow Browns and Speckled Woods represented the browns and there were also Common Blues, Painted Ladies, Commas and a Red Admiral to admire as well as the usual whites. Best odes were my year first Migrant Hawkers, a small group were hunting next to Weldon Park Wood. Top bird here was a vocal Raven which croaked noisily as it gained height on a thermal. Away from the wildlife spotting I enjoyed seeing several Auster aircraft on the airfield, I learned later that the club had arranged a fly-in over the weekend. As a military buff I was also pleased to see a Diamond 6 military truck and also an M3 halftrack. My day finished at around noon with a pint in the George where I was able to book a family meal for later this afternoon.

Raven, Migrant Hawker and a pair of Austers

Twitchy

 Having called off the Nightjar pilgrimage yesterday my brother David and I decided to do something birdy today. Britain's third Long-tailed Shrike on the border of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire proved to be too tempting to ignore and we found ourselves heading in its direction early this morning. We left in rather grey and drizzly conditions but it was sunny by the time that we arrived at Eastleach Turville.

Long-tailed Shrike

Not surprisingly the bird was attracting quite a number of admirers and it didn't take long before someone put us on to it. We managed to get some decent views of it over the next half an hour or so and I was delighted to get some pictures of what is my eighth shrike species in the UK. Having watched it for a bit we decided to head back towards Corby arriving in time to get a large breakfast in the Samuel Lloyd.

L-t S again.

Back To Ole Blue Eyes

 I was supposed to making my annual pilgrimage to Norfolk in search of Nightjars with my brother today but some concerns about the weather meant that our jaunt was postponed. A more than acceptable alternative was found when I joined up with Shozzer for a trawl around some local sites on the hunt for interesting insects. In the morning at least it was warm and sunny with just a hint of a breeze and we began our day at Deenethorpe Airfield.

Auster aeroplane and Emerald damselfly

In truth it was all a bit on the dull side at the airfield, an Auster aeroplane taking off was my highlight. An Emperor dragonfly was the best of the odes while the top butterfly was a Painted Lady. We moved on to Priors Hall where Alan wanted to check out the site where we saw Southern Migrant Hawker last year. It turned out to be a good idea as we saw two males patrolling their territories and I enjoyed watching one for over half an hour before it eventually landed allowing us to get some pictures. Also of interest in the general area was a male Emerald damselfly, I sometimes struggle to see this attractive species. Nearby at a new pond near the Kirby Woodlands housing development I saw Small Red-eyed Damsel while a Four-spotted Chaser was also seen.

Southern Migrant Hawker

By the time that we reached the southern gullet at Priors Hall the clouds had rolled in and obscured the sun but we hung around for a bit nonetheless. I had brief views of a fly by Clouded Yellow which was my first of the year while at the quarry lake there was a Little Ringed Plover with a juvenile suggesting that local breeding took place. A few Ruddy Darters were flying around and we also saw a few Brown Argus butterflies before we headed off to the 'spoons for a welcome pint.

Small Red-eyed Damselfly and Little Ringed Plovers

A Modest Return

 After last night's boozing and then the football I got up somewhat later than I normally do on a Sunday morning which meant that I missed my usual bus. Thinking of an alternative took a little while but eventually I settled on taking a stroll to the pond at Little Stanion. I usually manage at least one visit during the year and today was the day. It was mainly sunny with a bit of a breeze which may have had an adverse effect on the number of insects that I saw.

Black-tailed Skimmer and Moorhen

My walk took me through Eurohub and along Longcroft Road before reaching one of Corby's new suburbs.  The grassland around the lake is parched and yellow with just a few Gatekeepers to look at, they appear to be the commonest species at the moment. Odes were scarce too though I may well have been too early for them. Black-tailed Skimmers were the only dragon while Blue-tailed and Common Blue represented the damsels. After one and a half fairly unproductive circuits of the pond I opted to leave, the only birds that I can recall were some half grown Moorhen chicks which looked like miniature Emus!

Silver-washed Fritillaries

My walk home was a little more interesting, three female Silver-washed Fritillaries were seen nectaring and although they're starting to look a little raggedy they are still stunning butterflies. Other species seen included Ringlet and Common Blue. The Eurohub pond is looking pretty dry but I found a few odes in the general area. Both species of darter were found and I also saw a Brown Hawker and Black-tailed Skimmer. Best damsel was a male Willow Emerald, this is one of the sites where I first found them back in those all too recent days when they were colonising the county.

Ruddy and Common Darters and Willow Emerald

My garden received a visit from a Hummingbird Hawk-moth which was the third this week though today's shunned the Buddleia and opted to visit the Honeysuckle instead. Up to three Gatekeepers were also present and I saw the day's only Comma and Red Admiral, several Small Whites also paid a call. Not the most exciting morning perhaps but it sets me up for watching a certain football match which I shall watch with more than a hint of regret  for what could have been.

Female Gatekeeper and Comma

Birding Again

 At this time of the year my attentions often focus on insects rather than birds but as the first signs of autumn begin to show my thoughts often start to turn to the southward migration and I find myself drawn to anywhere where waders might be on the move. Today Alan and I paid a call on Eyebrook Reservoir hoping to catch some signs of this seasonal movement and we were not disappointed. Weatherwise it was cloudy and quite cool to begin with though as the morning progressed the sun began to shine through and it became quite warm.

Black-tailed Godwits

At he sharp end a brace of Dunlins shared the mud with plenty of Lapwings and a couple of Redshanks, a little later on we found two juvenile Little Ringed Plovers too. As we watched over the area a flock of at least thirty Black-tailed Godwits circled the inflow before heading southeast. Minutes later a message on the Whatsapp informed us that 35 Blackwits were at the island and we headed there ASAP.  The Godwits showed well from the bunker though further counting suggested a total of 39 which is by far and away the most that I've seen here. The godwits were joined by a further two Redshanks while close by at Sam's Dyke a Common Sandpiper and a juv Little Ringed Plover were noted. Reports that a Marsh Harrier was quartering the fields below Great Easton hill sent me wandering off in that direction and I saw the bird gaining height on a thermal before departing in a south easterly direction. Another bird of note was the long staying Whooper Swan close to the dam, it's so nice to see them without running the risk of frostbite!

Spotted Flycatchers

A return to the sharp end added half a dozen Green Sandpipers, a Common Sand and another Blackwit to the day list while some up to date info from another birder put us on to some Spotted Flycatchers. From the bridleway to the east of the plantation we found a family party in a hedge just one field in from the Stoke Dry road. We watched them for some time and enjoyed some great views before moving on to the 'spoons, a prior evening appointment with workmates limited my time. An entertaining little coda to my day was provided by a Peregrine over the Saxon Crown as I drank with workmates, I bet the town centre's population of pigeons didn't enjoy the sighting as much as I did!