Ray of Sunshine

Some welcome sunshine today even if it was mostly for the morning and early afternoon. Given that I hadn't been to Barnwell or Oundle for a few weeks I decided to put that right with a visit. Although it was a little on the chilly side first thing it soon got warmer as the morning went on.

Migrant Hawker and Common Darter.

I began with a short vigil from the Kingfisher Hide where a couple of Nuthatches put on a good show. Afterwards I walked around the various ponds and lakes notching up a good number of Migrant Hawkers and Common Darters. While looking for Willow Emeralds around Mill Lake I found a late female Small Red-eyed Damselfly, it's been two or three weeks since my last sighting and I really wasn't expecting to find one so late in the season. My search for emeralds drew a blank in the park though I did get lucky a little later on.

Small Red-eyed Damsel and Nuthatch.

Walking from the park towards the marina I found good numbers of Red Admirals and a few Commas nectaring on Ivy flowers. These really are a great source of food for the later butterflies and many bees and hoverflies too. Small White was the only other species seen today, about half a dozen were noted.

Red Admiral and Comma.

According to our county recorder's blog there have been sightings of Willow Emeralds at Princess Lake. I've been looking for them here for several years with no result so it was good to know that they had finally arrived. I spent a good time walking slowly around the lake peering intently at any suitable looking spots. At first it looked as if a dip might be on the cards and I decided to walk along the edge of the neighbouring farmer's field to see if I could see any basking or hunting individuals. No emeralds here either but I did see the best insect of the day with a sighting of a Hummingbird Hawkmoth which was my first in Britain for several years. The encounter was brief so there was no chance to get a pic but it was great to catch up with one of these scarce migrants. A few minutes after this I stopped at a likely looking area and waited for a few minutes regularly giving the sallows a sweep with my binoculars. Patience and effort were rewarded with sightings of at least two Willow Emeralds, this is the sixth site that I've seen them at in Northamptonshire this year.

Princess Lake and Willow Emerald.

While waiting for the emeralds to show I was treated to several flypasts by a Kingfisher and though it didn't stop I got good views. Also of note were my first Siskins of the Autumn as several birds passed overhead, shouldn't be too long before the first Redwings arrive.

Barnwell CP.

Wet, Windswept and Fairly Interesting.

Although the weather was far from great today I decided to visit Priors Hall where I wasn't expecting too much but still hoped there might at least be a something to look at. In between the sometimes heavy showers and in spots sheltered from the strong breeze I managed to find a few dragons and a couple of damsels.

Female and male Willow Emeralds.

Highlight was a couple of Willow Emeralds close to where I saw the one earlier in the Autumn. Both showed fairly well and I was also pleased to find some egg laying scars on a sallow branch overhanging one of the ponds. While this species is now becoming an established resident in the county it's always going to be worth seeking out as to my eyes at least it's one of the most attractive damsels.

Common and Ruddy Darters.

Common Darters were the most numerous species and these included at least one very fresh looking female. Decidedly less fresh was a male Ruddy Darter whose wings seemed to suggest that it had lived a bit. Reasonable numbers of Migrant Hawkers were still active and these included a couple of pairs in cop. These were joined by a single Brown Hawker which sadly did not hang around for a picture.

Migrant Hawker and cricket sp.

Best of the other wildlife was a Hobby actively hunting those dragons prepared to brave the conditions and it seemed to be enjoying quite a lot of success. Meadow Pipits were moving through and so too were southward bound Swallows.  A single Small White was the only butterfly and the only other insect of note was a cricket of some sort or another with very long antennae.

Third Time Lucky

I wanted to try and photograph a/the Willow Emerald(s) at Weldon today and so made my way down there this morning. With the weather set fair for the morning at least it looked quite promising and it really did turn out to be third time lucky as one posed for a minute or two during my visit. Willow Emeralds seem to spend their mornings hunting and this solitary female was doing exactly that. When perched on bare twigs she was quite obvious but as soon as she flew up into the surrounding hawthorns she all but disappeared. At the moment the population appears to be small but who knows how many are hiding amongst the foliage?

Willow Emerald and Banded Demoiselle.

There are still Banded Demoiselles along the stream, they were present in the stretch near the pond and also near the church too. Four species of dragon were noted and these were Migrant and Southern Hawker and Common and Ruddy Darter.

Migrant Hawker and Common Darter

A few butterflies continue to flit around with Red Admiral being the commonest, they're particularly drawn to the Ivy flowers that are just starting to come out. Commas too like these flowers and at least two were noted. Small and Large Whites were seen in small numbers and a single Speckled Wood was also observed. The Ivy flowers as well as attracting butterflies and large numbers of bees proved to be a draw for a Volucella hornet mimic hoverfly.

Red Admiral and Comma.

Once again a Kingfisher was the only real bird of note though a singing Chiffchaff was noteworthy.

Large White and Volucella hoverfly.

A Bit On The Cloudy Side

Some news came filtering through that there were Clouded Yellows in the meadow and ditches around Lyveden New Bield and that was reason enough for Alan Shorrock and I to head in that direction this morning. While the weather was not as good has the forecast had suggested there was an occasional patch of brighter stuff that suggested that our trip might not be a total waste of time.

Lyveden New Bield

Drizzly conditions prevailed when we got there though this did not seem to deter the Migrant Hawkers when continued to be active even during quite heavy showers. Females in particular were surprisingly rain tolerant and I think they were trying to avoid the attentions of any male suitors as they oviposited into pond side vegetation.

Migrant Hawker and Common Darters.

During the rainier periods of the morning Alan and I had a look around the house itself before a promising looking sunny spell had us walking towards the meadow. Eventually we managed to find at least four Clouded Yellows though for the most part they remained distant. As I didn't want to go wandering across the meadow chasing them about my only shot was of the distant and slightly rubbish record variety. Several other species were noted and these were Common Blue, Small White and Small Heath.

Clouded Yellow and Small White.

The sunshine also brought out a few Common and Ruddy Darters though we couldn't find any other species, the site looks promising for Willow Emeralds. Best bird was a Raven dwarfing the many Jackdaws that were noisily objecting to its presence, Red Kites and Buzzards also showed well.

Common Blue and Small Heath

Quick Return

Just about managed to squeeze another hour out at Weldon this afternoon where I hoped to photograph a Willow Emerald. Sadly the emeralds were seemingly not aware of my intentions and didn't show. I'm beginning to think that mornings and early afternoons could be the best times for seeing this species.

Southern Hawker.

Things were pretty much as they were a couple of days ago with Banded Demoiselles still along the stream, there's still plenty of vegetation for them to shelter in so they may be around for a bit yet. Southern and Migrant Hawkers were joined by a Brown Hawker while both Ruddy and Common Darter were noted.

Migrant Hawkers

Few birds of note though Kingfisher was present again and a Grey Wagtail passed over, there seems to be a bit of a passage movement going through at the moment.

Ruddy and Common Darter.

Weldon Yet Again

I had the chance to pop down to Weldon after work though unfortunately that meant a trip on the ever erratic X4 bus service. I say unfortunately because today the dam bus was about half an hour late costing me precious time at the pond. Perhaps it's no surprise that so many opt to travel by car rather than public transport.

Southern and Migrant Hawkers.

Anyway moan over I did eventually arrive at Weldon and I began by walking along the stream. At least ten Banded Demoiselles were still active in the afternoon sunshine, hopefully they will linger into October. At least one Migrant Hawker was hunting along stream too, there were quite a few more around the pond. Other dragons seen were at least three male Southern Hawkers and males of both Common and Ruddy Darter.

Ruddy and Common Darters

My main reason for visiting was to see whether any Willow Emeralds had managed to make their way here and I finally managed to find one. Yes after three years of hopeful searching a single example was seen in a Willow next to the path that goes round the pond. It didn't hang around long enough for a picture but I'm hopeful that others will be a tad more obliging on future visits.

Banded Demoiselles

Other wildlife of note included a vole of some sort or another and a Kingfisher.

Another Willow Emerald Site

Today I was a little strapped for time but a visit to Tesco gave me an excuse to make a little diversion to the pond near Eurohub in Corby. The morning weather at least was excellent even if it went downhill during the afternoon. During my brief visit I saw several species of dragons and one of damsel though I suspect the title may have given that last little fact away.

Two views of the same female Willow Emerald.

Two Willow Emeralds were noted and were my first at the site which was a culmination of several years of checking. A female was very obliging as she stayed faithful to her chosen hunting perch and posed very well. Sadly the same could not be said for the male that I saw, he flew up from a stem into a hawthorn where he was lost to view with just a fleeting opportunity presented for a duffish record shot. 2019 seems to be developing into a very good year for this species in Northamptonshire with sightings from an increasing number of sites. They've also been recorded for the first time over the border at nearby Eyebrook reservoir in Leicestershire and Rutland  where a small colony appears to be establishing itself at the bridge. Any pond with overhanging trees or bushes should certainly be checked for this attractive species.

Male Willow Emerald and female Brown Hawker.

Five species of dragons were also noted today with singles of Brown and Southern Hawker and several Migrants hawking around the edges of the pond. Both species of the commoner darters also showed though with dwindling water levels revealing plenty of exposed mud I checked everyone carefully in case any Red-veined had decided to pay a call. A few butterflies were also noted with Small Whites being the commonest while a few Painted Ladies and Red Admirals were also observed. Singles of Comma and Speckled Wood rounded off the list.

Common Darter and Speckled Wood.

There were not many birds on show today though one or two Grey Wagtails passed through and several tit flocks moved through the area.

All Aboard

The morning of the eighth saw my brother and I boarding the Scillonian for its voyage across to the Isles of Scilly. Happily the weather looked very good and the risk of seasickness seemed remote. While waiting for the ship to set sail we picked out a female Eider in the harbour and also several Sandwich Terns as well as a few Shags.

Eider and Shag.

Once out of the harbour we began to see Gannets, these were a feature on both the outward and return journey. A small flock of Kittiwakes was a welcome sight, the immatures look rather attractive particularly when viewed in flight. Soon after this my brother spotted a small group of four or so Common Dolphins travelling in the opposite direction to the ship. Another passenger picked out a slightly larger group minutes later and these were actively feeding giving us the chance to get longer views. Their activity had attracted a reasonably sized flock of Manx Shearwaters as well as more Gannets and the shearwaters were seen from then onwards on both legs of our boat trip. Small numbers of Razorbills were also picked out.

Knot and Bar-tailed Godwits.

There followed a period of relative dullness until a shout from the passengers near the bow of the vessel drew our attention to a Minke Whale. I was delighted to see what was my first ever one and even the knowledge that there had been two rather than the single that we saw did not ruin the occasion. The rest of the trip passed uneventfully and we disembarked at the islands capital of Hughtown with a bit of time on our hands before returning to Penzance.

Peacock and Holly Blue.

A walk around the surrounding area produced a few good birds of which a small flock of four Crossbills were the highlight. Second billing went to a little group of waders at Porthloo beach that included four Bar-tailed Godwits, a Knot and a Whimbrel. Rock Pipits were also seen along the beach and another interesting passerine noted was a Wheatear. Not a great many insects were found and the small selection of butterflies was made up by Peacock, Painted Lady, Speckled Wood, Small and Large White as well as Holly Blue. Dragonflies fared even worse with just a few Common Darters seen at Lower Moors. There was enough time for a couple of pints in the Mermaid before we had to head back.

Speckled Wood and Painted Lady.

Our return journey was rather less interesting and it seemed as if the decent weather may perhaps have had an effect on the variety of seabirds though we did at least add Fulmar and an Arctic Skua to the list. Cetacean highlight was a group of four or so Common Porpoises noted near the Cornish mainland. Three species of cetacean in a day is pretty good and in my mind at least this made up for the lack of seabird goodies.

Cheers!

This morning (the 10th) dawned grey and rainy so we abandoned any plans for further wildlife spotting and headed back to Northants.