A Little Bit of Everything

It really was a good day to be strolling through the Northamptonshire countryside today with a good range of stuff to keep me entertained. I walked through Weldon and the Woodland Park before passing Harry's Park Wood and then moving on through Deenethorpe, Deene and Priors Hall before returning through Weldon to home.

Juvenile Willow Warbler at Bears Lane.

Bears Lane had many finches feeding along its length with Yellowhammers and House Sparrows keeping them company. The first few butterflies were seen here too with Brown Argus being the pick of an otherwise undistinguished bunch. There then followed a quiet patch as I followed the footpath through the fields, it was only when I followed the sheltered hedge line down towards the A427 that things picked up again.

Ragweed attracted many species today, this time it was Comma and Red Admiral

An increasing collection of butterflies were sheltering from the wind and included some Red Admirals and a Speckled Wood. If you wanted to see a grown man shouting and shaking his fist at an insect then you should perhaps of joined me. A Migrant Hawker, my first of the year, settled on to the hedge for just long enough for me to point my camera and then flew off just as the autofocus was kicking in, I hope that I get other opportunities during the year. Having recovered my composure somewhat I crossed the road and headed up between Weldon Park Wood and Deenethorpe Airfield.

A favourite of mine, Small Copper.

More Brown Argus were showing along with Common Blues though my favourite of the smaller species present was a Small Copper, always a treat. Four Silver-washed Fritillaries, three males and a female showed well while a Comma shared some Ragwort with a Red Admiral. Several Ringlets were also observed here, their numbers have plummeted recently and they're now scarce. Strolling on past the airfield I added a Peacock to my list before reaching Deenethorpe village.

Female Silver-washed Fritillary.

The stream here had several damsel species including White-legs and Banded Demoiselles. Across the A43 at Deene Lake inflow a large number of Lapwings seemed to include a lot of this year's young. Feeding amongst them were two Green Sandpipers, this appears to be a regular spot for them. The Wheelie Bin Triangle as well as Lapwings had a juvenile Shelduck dabbling close by while another fed in the nearby shallows. A Little Egret fishing looked beautiful in the sunshine, perhaps we take them for granted sometimes.

You Beauty, a stunning Little Egret.

From the dam I was able to watch a lot of Small Red-eyed Damsels, a surprise to be honest as I didn't know that there was a colony here. Unusually several mating pairs and some singles chose an island in a fast flowing stream to rest. Others on the main lake were opting for duckweed and lilies as perches, this is something I normally see with Red-eyeds but my identification was correct. A small number of White-legs were seen in the same area but at this point it clouded over for a bit so I moved on.

Small Red-eyed Damsel.

The large field to the northwest of Priors Hall was my next stop and it was alive with butterflies with Common Blues and Small Heaths almost matching the numbers of Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers. A Peregrine provided a little excitement as it flew overhead while the usual kites and buzzards soared. Closer to where a bridge crosses the stream to the north of Priors a number of Migrant Hawkers jostled with a pair of Brown Hawkers and a make Emperor, the Common Darters present perhaps wisely stayed on their perches.

Brown Argus and Small Heath.

A heavy rain shower meant that Priors was a bit of a wash out but numbers of Ruddy Darters seemed high once the clouds had parted and a Painted Lady flew past. The last noteworthy find was a Southern Hawker that posed obligingly at Weldon Industrial Estate. I was glad to get home after over eight hours walking and it was good to rest my feet while enjoying a cold beer.

Southern Hawker.