The plan seemed easy enough, a leisurely drive down to Old Castle Down in the Vale of Glamorgan, tick the High Brown Fritillaries in no time and then see where the road took us. One tiny hitch in that the Frits were not informed and also the wind was blowing what is known in these parts as a hoolie. We did see half a dozen fritillaries zooming past us but given that Dark Green Fritillaries are also found here only a brave soul could claim a certain I.D. In the end we spent all of our time here checking out several parts of the area but had to conclude in the end that there would be no tick next to High Brown in my Philip's guide.
 |
A Small Skipper clinging on for dear life in the windy conditions.
|
Generally the windy conditions made for difficult viewing conditions and only small numbers of butterflies were found. Ringlets and Meadow Browns were the commonest species with a little support from Small Heaths and a Speckled Wood. Two Small Skippers, a Comma, a pair of Red Admirals, a white or two and Small Tort completed the rather meagre day total.
 |
| Male Stonechat |
Some entertainment was to be had from watching a family of Peregrines putting on a fine display of aerobatics. The adults appeared to be training the young to hunt as one was dropping a small bird which the youngster attempted to catch. Several Ravens and Buzzards were also noted while two pairs of Stonechats were chacking nervously at us from their perches in the bracken or gorse.
 |
| Female Stonechat |
So that was that, rather a long trip with a dip for a reward but it won't put me off any similar escapades in the future. If wildlife watching was predictable it wouldn't be half as much fun.
 |
| A juvenile Stonechat. |
No comments:
Post a Comment