Horseplay

 I decided to brave the heat after work and head into Brookfield Plantation where the shade provided some welcome relief from the strong sunshine. On my way I checked our local Peregrines and found one sitting in its favoured spot, it was joined by its mate a little later on. These could possibly be the least productive pair in the county as I've yet to see them with young!

Peregrines sensibly avoiding the heat.

In the plantation those areas in direct sunlight were alive with butterflies though they were supercharged by the heat and seem very reluctant to settle. Not unusually for this time of the year the bulk of the species on view were browns with Marbled Whites, Meadow Browns and Ringlets supplying most of the sightings, a Speckled Wood and three Small Heaths were also noted. Large and Small Slippers were also present with the former being fairly common. The regular three whites were also on the wing and they were joined by a Painted Lady.

Small Heath, Meadow Brown and Marbled White

Other wildlife included my first Southern Hawker of the year which sensibly avoided the heat by hunting in a shaded ride. I really wished that it had taken an interest in the horseflies which were plaguing my walk, it's reaching their peak time when they hit maximum nuisance levels. Often I had to decide whether to take a photo or try and swat the little b****r that was trying to suck my blood, normally violence won. I'm looking forward to a couple of productive insect watching weeks but I wish those pesky horseflies would just buzz off!

Small and Large Skippers and Painted Lady

Purple Reigns

 A morning of sunny spells that saw me take the X4 as far as Weldon before walking on to Harry's Park Wood. My aim was to try and catch up with some of the mid summer butterflies that make this time of the year so entertaining. Although it still seems pretty early in the year I'd already heard of Purple Emperors from other sites in the county and I especially wanted to add the old purple poop licker to my year list.

Red and White Admirals

Things started fairly slowly and it was down to Ringlets, Meadow Browns and Large Skippers to keep me entertained. Gradually as the day began to warm more species appeared on the wing and several Red Admirals were seen along the main ride. Breaking the red monopoly my first White Admiral of the year also spent some time on the path. Next up was a male Purple Emperor, I got excellent views before I moved on. What followed was pretty amazing as I saw a further eight more males on the path including one that was enjoying the popular imperial breakfast of horse @%$*! I've never seen so many emperors in Harry's before suggesting that this could be an excellent year for them.

Comma and Small Tortoiseshell

Other species noted on my wander included Small Skipper while the new brood of Commas seem to be out in force with at least half a dozen being noted. A knackered looking Speckled Wood added to my brown quota, both Marbled White and Small Heath were also seen closer to Weldon. There were not many interesting birds to report with a Lesser Whitethroat along Bears Lane being the highlight. Also seen along the lane was a Small Tortoiseshell, it's always nice to see this once common species. The only other sightings of note were of several Banded Demoiselles before some chores waiting for me at home and a father's day meal compelled me to leave.

Purple Emperors

Butterflies To The Fore

 Shozzer and I decided to pay a call on the Ring Haw part of the Old Sulehay complex where Dark Green Fritillaries have recently been reported from. This county rarity is fairly hard to connect with and true to form Al and I both drew a blank in our efforts to find one.  Under often grey and sometimes wet conditions we laboured to find much of note though I ended up with a quite respectable total of butterfly species.

Marbled White and Ringlets

|I saw my first Marbled Whites of the year yesterday as I walked towards my work at Deichmann along Cockerell Rd. Many more followed today and they were joined by plenty of Meadow Browns and also my first Ringlets of the year. At first under grey skies we struggled to find much of note though matters did improve as the morning wore on. Several Painted Ladies and Red Admirals were observed as we walked along the main path and I also found my first Small Skippers of the year, a few Large were also noted. Large, Small and Green-veined Whites were all seen and I was also happy to find a Comma. Eventually we decided to up sticks and head elsewhere but not before I saw yet another year first, a Silver-washed Fritillary next to where we parked the car.

Small Skipper, Common Blues and Painted Lady

Our next stop was at Bedford Purlieus which is just over the county border though not despite its name anywhere near Bedford! The skies were pretty grey while we were here and finding any insects of note proved to be a bit of a struggle. Half a dozen Silver-washed Frits were welcome particularly as they all looked so fresh. Failing to see any White-lettered Hairstreaks here was a bit of a downer but I hope there will be other opportunities over the next couple of weeks. Our final stop of the day was at a different part of the purlieus where we were treated to excellent views of a Dark Green Fritillary that Shozzer found nectaring on knapweed flowers. The day ended on not unfamiliar territory with a pint in the reliably excellent Cross Keys in King's Cliffe.

Meadow Brown, Silver Washed and Dark Green Fritillaries

No Joy At Wicksteed

 I fancied another crack at the Wicksteed Park Norfolk Hawkers and so found myself boarding the X4 this morning. The weather looked fairly promising, less wind than yesterday and with longer sunny spells making it much better than on my previous visit last Saturday. I was quietly hopeful of success when I arrived at the park but such optimism proved to be somewhat misplaced.

Variable Damselflies and Scarce Chaser

An unseasonal Siskin called as it flew over and provided what turned out to be the birding highlight of my wander. At the fishing lake I found Variable Damselflies and a few Blue-tailed Damselflies but at that stage there was no sign of any dragonflies. Both Song Thrush and Bullfinch were singing as I waited around for things to happen. A Red Admiral turned out to be my only butterfly sighting of the morning which was surprising given how much bramble blossom was around. Warming conditions proved attractive to several Four-spotted Chasers and also a single male Scarce Chaser but the Norfolks remained elusive. I was able to add Banded Demoiselle and Red-eyed Damsel to my day list but eventually had to concede defeat and set off to catch my return bus home.

Red Admiral and Great Crested Grebe

White-legs

 Family commitments meant that my time today was limited but Shozzer and I managed to spend a few hours out in the field looking for White-legged Damselflies this morning. We began at Harringworth before moving on to Gretton Weir where despite the strong breeze and often cloudy conditions we struck lucky.

Meadow Brown and White-legged Damselfly

Harringworth did not produce much of note and it was a calling Cuckoo and a Kingfisher that provided most of the entertainment. After an hour we threw the towel in and moved on to Gretton Weir where we took a stroll through the riverside hay meadows. Meadow Browns are on the increase and we saw quite a few on our travels, a single Small Heath was recorded too. I found two White-legged Damsels, my first of the year, and both of us managed to get some shots of them. Other damsels in the same area included Large Red, Azure, Blue-tailed and Banded Demoiselle.

Banded Demoiselle and large Red Damselfly

Next and final stop was at Deenethorpe where we managed to find more White-legs sheltering in the grass. It looks as if Scarlet Tiger Moths had just hatched in numbers as Alan and I saw about half a dozen. New for the year was a Large Skipper  which I found on the opposite side of the road at Deene Lake and which like a Four-spotted Chaser was hunkering down in vegetation. Common Blue Damselflies were also added to the list before time pressures brought things to a close and after a pint in the Samuel Lloyd I headed home.

Scarlet Tiger and Large Skipper

Raving Mad

Harry's Park Wood was my destination of choice this morning but unfortunately it was also the venue for what appeared to be quite a big rave. As I made my way towards the woodland I was passed by a file of bedraggled and somewhat dazed looking revellers, some seemingly were very much still under the influence of whatever substances fuelled their weekend partying. Pounding bass added to my discomfort as I entered the wood and I was saddened to see that several rides had been churned up by vehicles while there was a collection of discarded drink cans and bog roll littering the path. Somewhat regretting my choice I headed towards the Brigstock end of the wood where I hoped things might be a little more peaceful.

Beautiful Demoiselles

Happily it was far more agreeable once I'd gone further into the wood and some sunny spells made me hopeful that I might find some interesting insects. My main target was Beautiful Demoiselle, Shozzer had already seen them here and I hoped to repeat his success. On another note Alan has also been having a good time in Thoroughsale Wood, Corby where recently he has seen more Beautiful Dems, Black Hairstreaks and a Scarce Chaser, a deserved reward for his dedicated patch working. I saw about ten male dems today and was lucky enough to get some pictures, this species really does appear to be doing well locally. Another species on the up is Wood White and I was fortunate enough to cross paths with one on my travels. The only other butterfly that I noted was Speckled Wood although there were plenty on view. Best bird was a Cuckoo while a Lesser Whitethroat was singing along Bears Lane. The music was still going as I left, hopefully it's a one off and not something that I have to endure again.

Speckled Wood and Wood White

Briefest Of Encounters

 The weather was more than a little ropey this morning and I decided not to venture out until later. My stepson offered to give me a lift over to Wicksteed Park at about noon and we picked up Shozzer on the way. Some sunny spells were beginning to break up the overcast as we made our way to the fishing lake where Norfolk Hawkers were our main target species.

Variable and Azure Damselflies

A Cetti's Warbler sang as we made our way to the corner of the lake favoured by the hawkers. Dragons turned out to be few and far between, I saw a Four-spotted Chaser while Al noted a Hairy Dragonfly. There were not that many damsels either though the weather was far from optimum. Several Variable and Azures were found as well as a Common Blue and two Banded Demoiselles. The sunny spells were nowhere near as frequent as we would have liked and I began to think that a dip was on the cards. Such fears were soon dispelled when I found a Norfolk Hawker flying along the margins of the pond, I didn't get a pic but it was nice just to see it. It disappeared within a minute of its discovery and as the conditions appeared to be getting worse we decided to cut our losses and head for the pub. Few butterflies had put in an appearance with just Painted Lady and Small Tortoiseshell being noted. The Wayfarer's Arms provided some welcome sanctuary from the rain before we caught the bus back to Corby.

Painted Lady and Small Tortoiseshell