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.