R.I.P Old Camera and Welcome to the New One

Yet another year when I managed to dodge the Birdfair over at Rutland Water, don't get me wrong I love the good work that it does but I don't want to rub shoulders with masses of bird nerds!

Speckled Wood and Gatekeeper.

For most of this morning's walk I may well have been better off traipsing around the stalls at that august enterprise but I saw just about enough to justify my absence. Priors Hall was my destination of choice and while the weather was not exactly promising I wanted to test my newest camera. My old one threw something of a wobbly on my last sortie out and I didn't feel that I could rely upon it anymore. After three years of excellent service I can't bring myself to chuck this trusty companion in the bin but nor can I take it out on any wildlife walks either. Happily I had foreseen this unfortunate event and had taken the liberty of buying another one last year.

Brown Argus joining Common Blues on the Ragwort restaurant.

Birdlife on the quarry lakes when I arrived was pretty much as it was last week and a Common Sandpiper was still the highlight. For the most part insects remained hidden away in cover but there was a selection of butterflies on view. Commonest were the Common Blues and Speckled Woods with many individuals of either on view. Brown Argus were present in good numbers too while there were also sightings of several Small Heaths, Large Whites and Small Whites while singles of Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper were seen too.

Female Emerald Damselfly.

I thought that I had found a much sought after Willow Emerald damselfly but sadly further inquiries proved that it was a female Emerald after all, still on the plus side I hadn't seen one for a while and I will now be better informed if a real one shows up. Commonest of the other species on view were Common Blue damselflies while there were several darters of both species present and also a Migrant Hawker.

Common Blue Damselfly and Common Hawker.

A Brown Hare and a well grown Fallow Deer fawn were the best of the other wildlife on site though everything was somewhat eclipsed on my way out towards Weldon when an Osprey was seen over the quarry, no pics but a good sighting nonetheless.

Slightly different view of Brown Argus.