Day Off

I spent my day's holiday wandering around the local area beginning at Blatherwycke Lake. This is the top site in the county for Mandarins and I counted at least a hundred and five which is the largest number that I've seen together. Not a lot else to report from here though the rheas and wallabies were still present in their usual spot. On the walk between here and Deene there was not a great deal though both buzzards and kites appeared to be enjoying the sunny and breezy conditions.

Red Admiral and Painted Lady.

Deene churchyard had both Red Admirals and a Painted Lady while several Ruddy Darters were sheltering from the wind. That wind probably explains why there was very little dragon or damsel activity at the lake, just a single Blue-tailed and a Small Red-eyed were seen. At the inflow there were four or five Green Sandpipers and a small number of Lapwings.

Small Copper and White-legged Damselfly.

Nearby Deenethorpe still had a couple of White-legged Damselflies while the sheltered lanes were providing inviting conditions for Common Darters and Migrant Hawkers. A Small Copper on the edge of the village was my first for several months. At an exposed feeling Deenethorpe airfield a flock of about twenty five Lapwings were the only things braving the wind. There was a bit more activity on the edge of Weldon Park Wood where Speckled Woods were present in large numbers. Good numbers of Small Heaths too and a single Common Blue also showed well here. It was a busy day for aeroplanes with five parked up including an almost luminous orange SIAI Marchetti 260.

Lapwings and Speckled Wood.

By this stage of the day the sun had beat a retreat and the first light shower of rain was beginning. I made my way across the fields to Harry's Park Wood which at least provided a little bit of shelter from further bouts of rain. During a couple of brighter periods I was surprised to see a male Silver-washed Fritillary as I'd thought that their season had ended. With time getting on by now I headed off to Weldon and my bus home.

It probably beats waking!

Hatrick!

Last day of the late summer heat wave and the last day of my three day weekend too. Not for the first time on a Monday I opted to go over to Barnwell CP where once again I hoped to see the increasingly less elusive Willow Emeralds. For the third time in as many days my luck was in as I found a couple of males in vegetation next to Mill Lake. I'd been standing on the pond dipping platform hoping that some of the patrolling male Migrant Hawkers might settle when first one then two appeared. They were in view for about five minutes before disappearing though they gave some nice views during their brief stay. To make matters even better several of the Migrants did land and I was able to get some pics.

Willow Emeralds.

Commonest of the damsels on site were Small Red-eyeds with many seen around Mill and North Lake. A few of their larger cousin Red-eyed were also seen and they were joined by Common Blue, Blue-tailed and a couple of female Banded Demoiselles. The previously mentioned Migrant Hawkers were the commonest species though there were quite a few Brown Hawkers too. Other dragons seen were Common and Ruddy Darter and a single male Black-tailed Skimmer.

Migrant Hawker and Ruddy Darter.

Not too many butterflies were found today with Small Whites the most numerous, a few Speckled Woods and a Common Blue were the only other species noted. A Kingfisher was the only other wildlife of interest, for the first time in many visits I didn't see any Mandarins.

Small Red-eyed Damselfly.

More Willow Emeralds

It looks as if the local Willow Emeralds are emerging in force, apart from my Priors Hall sighting yesterday there have also been additional sightings over the last couple of days from Finedon and Deene Lake. The latter sightings came courtesy of Alan Shorrock who not only saw an adult there on the 24th and 25th but also saw evidence of breeding.

Painted Lady and Small Tortoiseshell.

For this reason I set out for Deene in the company of Alan today though we popped into Spanhoe Quarry first. A lot of Painted Ladies and Red Admiral were feeding on a buddleia bush where a few Small Torties and Meadow Browns were also seen. Common Blues and Small Heaths were also noted in reasonable numbers though Small White was the commonest species. Dragons were represented by five species with the two daters joining Southern and Brown Hawkers as well as Emperor on the list. Pick of the damsels here were Emeralds, over ten of this attractive species were seen. Other species on site were Common Blue and Blue-tailed. A single Common Lizard was the only other wildlife of interest.

Emerald Damsel and Spanhoe traffic.

We then made our way to Deene where we were lucky enough to find a couple of Willow Emeralds, this is the first time that I've seen more than one at any one time in the county. Two different lots of breeding scars were also noted in the spots where Alan had found them on previous visits. Other species seen in the area included Red and at least one Small Red-eyed Damselfly as well as further Common Blue and Blue-tailed Damselflies. Few dragons apart from the two darters though a Migrant hawker was noted. Best of the non insect wildlife was a Grass Snake that Alan found swimming in the lake, it was my first this year. Few birds of interest though a Black Swan was present on the main lake and four Green Sandpipers and many Lapwing were found at the inflow.

Willow Emerald and egg laying scars left on rose branch.

Nearby Deenethorpe had at least ten White-legged Damselflies including a pair in cop and also a male Banded Demoiselle. Eight species of damsel in a day at this late stage of the season is pretty good as most species are disappearing at quite a rate. Not much else to report though a Comma was seen near the village.

White-legged Damselfly.

Willow Emerald

One of the hottest days of the year saw me heading over to Priors Hall for a day of dragonfly watching. Conditions clearly suited them as I managed to find a total of fourteen species split evenly between dragons and damsels.

Ruddy Darter and Emperor.

While Migrant Hawker numbers are gradually building up they're still quite scarce with most still feeding away from the water. Brown Hawkers on the other hand were seen at most of the ponds and ovipositing was noted at nearly all of them. A couple of male Southerns were also seen patrolling over the ponds. Up to five Emperors were still on site with at least two at the quarry lake. Ruddy Darter was the commonest species followed closely by Common and there were also a couple of latish Four-spotted Chasers.

Four-spotted Chaser and Brown Hawker.

Highlight amongst the damsels was a male Willow Emerald close to the spot where Alan found one last year. I'd been hanging around a pond hoping to get a pic of one of the Four-spots when it landed on a grass stem next to me. It stayed in the same area for at least another ten minutes and I ended up leaving it to continue its hunting. Willows seem to have an almost darter type hunting strategy as they seem to select a suitable spot from where to launch sallies out after prey. This one also spent quite a lot of time chasing Ruddy Darters from its chosen territory. It may well be worth checking any potential sites out for them now as they been found at three different locations in the last couple of days.

Willow Emerald.

Of the other damsels seen today Emeralds were perhaps the best, they were noted at many of the ponds. It seems as if numbers of Common Blues are bouncing back a bit particularly at the quarry lake where many were seen. Red and Small Red-eyeds were also noted here with several ovipositing pairs of the latter seen. Several Blue-tailed were also found and two Banded Demoiselles had wandered over from the stream.

Emerald and Small Red-eyed Damselflies.

Perhaps the best wildlife highlight of the entire day was a Cetti's Warbler singing from the margins of the largest pond. This is my first one in the Corby area, they remain a scarce species in the county away from the Nene Valley. A Brown Hare was the only other non insect sighting of interest.

Small White and Common Blue.

Butterflies were surprisingly thin on the ground and air with Small Heath and Common Blue the most numerous after Small White. A few Gatekeepers were still active and there were also sightings of Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, G - V White, Meadow Brown and Speckled Wood.

A Halt to the Summer Whine

I had no reason to moan about indifferent weather today as it moved firmly into "Phew what a scorcher" territory. Such nice weather prompted an after work sortie to Weldon where I continued my Willow Emerald dipping exploits.

Ruddy and Common Darters.

Thankfully there were a few dragons and damsels to enjoy with Common and Ruddy Darters being the most numerous dragons. Other species showing were singles of Emperor, Migrant and Southern Hawker and several Brown Hawkers. Red and Small Red-eyed  remain fairly numerous on the pond though their numbers are dropping. A single Common Blue and several Blue-tailed were outshone by two male White-legged Damselflies, this species is always scarce around Weldon though this year has seen one of their best showings. Commonest ode today was Banded Demoiselle which enjoyed their best day of the Summer so far with fifty plus along the stream, hopefully they will stay active for a good few weeks yet.

Banded Demoiselle and White-legged Damselfly.

Not too many butterflies seen today, singles of Red Admiral and Painted Lady were joined by a couple of Gatekeepers, some Small Whites and a Small Heath.

Small Heath

Back at Barnwell.

A return to Barnwell this morning where in between dodging showers and trying to find somewhere a bit sheltered from the breeze I found some nature to watch. I began at the Kingfisher Hide though I didn't see 'fishers from here, there was perhaps a little too much noise coming from the nearby play area. Three Mandarin Ducks were observed while a decent selection of common passerines was also noted. Walking around the park added Grey Wagtails to the list and I was lucky enough to finally catch a glimpse of  the elusive Kingfisher twice though it was always distant. Many more Mandarins  also showed, this must be one of the best sites in the county for this attractive duck.

Robin and Mandarin Duck.

Few butterflies were noted and they did not include anything unusual amongst their number. Apart from a few Painted Ladies there was also a couple of Commas and a Red Admiral as well as a few whites and a Speckled Wood or two.

Comma and Brown Hawker.

Dragonflies fared a little better with five species showing during the course of my walk. Common Darters are increasing with many seeking sheltered and warm spots on which to bask. The next most common species was Brown Hawker though Migrant numbers are building. One of the latter landed near me  though as my autofocus was zooming in another appeared and scared it off. A short bout of swearing ensued until the flusher became the poser and I was able to get some shots of this second individual which are my first decent ones this year. Single males of Emperor and Black-tailed Skimmer rounded off the list.

Migrant Hawker and Black-tailed Skimmer.

While damselflies continue to decrease there were still quite a lot of Small Red-eyed and Red-eyed around the lakes and a double figure count of Banded Demoiselles near the stream. Only three Common Blue damsels were found though there were rather more Blue-tailed flitting about. Needless to say I didn't find any Willow Emeralds but I'll continue the search even if it involves a certain amount of finger crossing!

Common Darter and Small Red-eyed Damselfly.

Local Wanderings

Not for the first time in recent weeks the weather was less than ideal with breezy conditions and cloudy periods having an affect on the wildlife. It took some time before things got going but the day was by no means a total failure and I caught up with some decent stuff.

Small White and Gatekeeper.

I began at Bears Lane in Weldon before taking the public footpath across the fields to Deenethorpe Airfield. Despite the rather stiff breeze there was a good variety of butterflies on the wing (and in some cases sheltering amongst vegetation) and numbers of Small Whites were high. A few Green-veined Whites were also observed and there were still a few Gatekeepers around. At the airfield itself a late and tatty Silver-washed Fritillary was found and so too was the first of at least half a dozen Painted Ladies. My first Small Heaths of the day were also found here, there were plenty more at Priors Hall a little later on.

Small Heath and Silver-washed Fritillary.

Around Deenethorpe village itself I saw Holly Blue and the first of many Meadow Browns while a first dragonfly in the shape of a Common Darter put in an appearance. Just a little further on a Banded Demoiselle was seen near the stream. Deene Lake inflow had two Green Sandpipers at the Wheelie Bin Triangle but water levels are quite high here and little else was noted. The main lake had no birds of note but there was a little more damsel and dragon activity. Ruddy and Common Darters were joined by a female Black-tailed Skimmer and damsels added to the list were Common Blue and Blue-tailed. In the village itself there was a Comma in the churchyard where it was joined by half a dozen Small Tortoiseshells and there was a Red Admiral in one of the gardens.

Common and Ruddy Darters.

There followed a bit of a dull spell as I made my way along Kirby Lane but a little flowery patch had attracted some butterflies of interest which in turn attracted me. A pristine Brown Argus contrasted with a Small Skipper which looked to be on the way out and I also saw my first Common Blues of the day. Priors Hall delivered more interesting stuff and a late Ringlet was my seventeenth butterfly species of the day. New dragons seen were a few Brown Hawkers and singles of Southern and Migrant Hawker. The latter rather frustratingly landed but took to the air again before my camera would focus. Two male Black-tailed Skimmers were holding territories around the ponds while the pick of the damsels on view were three Emeralds, I couldn't find any Willows.

Black-tailed Skimmer and Emerald.

Other wildlife seen but not photographed today included two Common Lizards at Deenethorpe Airfield and another at Priors Hall. Mammals noted were Fallow Deer and Brown Hare at Priors Hall while birds here included a Hobby and a Mandarin Duck.

Ringlet and Holly Blue.