Dipping Again

I found myself in Rockingham Forest on the trail of the reintroduced Chequered Skippers. It's hoped that they will go on to establish a permanent population and return this attractive little butterfly to Northamptonshire skies once again. Unfortunately despite walking along many of the rides in the reintroduction area I couldn't find any and nor did either of the other two searchers. Some good news however in that one of the others has seen them this year which makes them the first English bred specimens since the reintroduction scheme began in 2018.

Rockingham Forest.

It was a poor day all round with human visitors far outnumbering any wildlife which appeared to be taking social distancing far more seriously than the people. A Cuckoo was heard calling while a Grasshopper Warbler was reeling in one of the rides. Several Emperors and a single Broad-bodied Chaser were hunting and many Common Blue Damselflies were noted. Common Blues were one of the few butterflies on view too of which the best was a Dingy Skipper. Other species seen were Small Heath, Speckled Wood, Large White and Small Tortoiseshell. There were a few day flying moths about and Mother Shipton, Burnet Companion and Cinnabar were all observed.

Dingy Skipper and Mother Shipton.

Annual Pilgrimage

Black Hairstreaks have emerged a little earlier than usual this year and news of this was reason enough to take a trip over to Glapthorn Cow Pasture. Given that I also wanted to have another peek at Priors Hall in case the Downy Emerald was still about I left bright and early hoping to pull off a winning double. I began my day at Lower Benefield from where I took a stroll along the gated road towards the cow pasture.

Black Hairstreak and Scarce Chaser.

My day began with a sighting of a male Broad-bodied Chaser close to the village, I think that 2020 has been the best year for this species which I often struggle to see. At Glapthorn I and a couple of people from Norfolk managed to find half a dozen Black Hairstreaks fairly quickly though they didn't settle for any length of time. A potential hazard for these rare butterflies came in the shape of an immature Scarce Chaser which had taken up station on twigs close to where they were flitting around. Other stuff seen in the reserve included a Garden Warbler, a Speckled Wood and a Common Blue Damselfly.

Broad-bodied and Four-spotted Chaser.

Returning to Lower Benefield I added Small Tortoiseshell and a couple of Orange-tips  to my day list before heading along to Priors Hall. Rather than introduce any element of dramatic tension I'll come out right away and say that the Downy Emerald did not show today despite the best efforts of myself and the seemingly resident Mr Alan Shorrock. What did show were a couple of male Scarce Chasers and a female that Shozzer saw before I arrived. As I said in a previous post it seems that species is becoming less scarce with each passing year, both males appeared to be holding territory despite the fact that Priors Hall does not appear to be optimum habitat for them.

Teneral Black-tailed Skimmer and Emperor.

Loads of Four-spotted Chasers were present and I believe that one of them fell prey to a marauding Emperor that appeared to struggle under the burden of its outsize catch. More Broad-bodied Chasers were noted, at least three males I think and a growing number of Black-tailed Skimmers are beginning to appear. Not for the first time Hairy Dragonflies teased bit did not perch and I may not get any photos of them this year. Much the usual selection of damsels were observed and it was nice to see so many Large Reds still about.

Dingy Skipper and Meadow Brown.

It seems as if butterflies are going through something of a lull at the moment and few were on the wing today. Highlight was my first Meadow Brown of the year, I think that this may be my earliest one ever. Other species seen in small numbers were Small Heath, Common Blue and a couple of Dingy Skippers. Not much else to report apart from several Sand Martins and a Buzzard being harassed by Carrion Crows near to the STW.

Buzzard with a spot of crow trouble.

Not That Scarce

I'm easing myself gently back into a work routine and as I don't want to take things too quickly I had today off. My morning was spent wandering around a very busy Barnwell CP while in the afternoon I spent a bit of time around Weldon. Blue skies and sun were the order of the day so it was great for dragon and damselflies.

Emperor and Black-tailed Skimmer.

Several Emperors were my first certain ones of the year and they were present at both sites, an ovipositing female at Weldon posed for pictures. Hairy Dragonflies on the other hand continue to frustrate, at least half a dozen were seen at Barnwell but none decided to land where I could see them. All three chasers were seen with Scarce being the commonest, at least nine were present. With sightings so far this year at three sites including two new ones it's shaping up to be a good year for them. Four-spotteds were present at both sites while Barnwell had three Broad-bodied Chasers including an immature male. Weldon had two Black-tailed Skimmers around the pond and I was able to get my first photos of the year. Six species of dragon in one day is my highest total of the year.

Scarce, Four-spotted and Broad-bodied Chasers.

Damsels fared rather well too and both sites had Banded Demoiselles, Azure, Common Blue. Red-eyed and Blue-tailed, Barnwell in particular had high numbers of all of them. My decent run of luck with Variables continued with the sighting of a male at Mill Lake Barnwell, there were probably more but I didn't spend too much time looking. Two White-legged Damselflies were seen at the pocket park in Weldon and a similar number of Large Reds were seen around the pond.

Variable and White-legged Damselflies.

Not too many butterflies were observed though there appeared to have been a good emergence of new brood Small Tortoiseshells at Barnwell and also a fresh Comma at Weldon. Only one other butterfly was noted and that was a Small Heath at Barnwell.

Small Tortoiseshell and Comma.

Best bird today was my first ever record of Raven at Barnwell, they don't appear to have expanded into this area in any great numbers yet. A singing Cetti's Warbler and a female Cuckoo were the only other things of note.

After Work Dip

My current work pattern means that I have a lot less time after work for going out and I haven't really bothered. Reports and a photograph of a Downy Emerald seen at Priors Hall were all the incentive I needed to break the stay at home habit and pop out and try my luck. Successful county dragonfly twitches and me though are unfortunately unknown, so far it has been a Prozac inducing procession of darter dips and elusive emperors. Sadly I can add another name to that list of shame as neither I nor co searcher Alan Shorrock could see any trace of the exotic visitor.

Scarce and praenubila form of Four-spotted Chasers.

There was a little bit of compensation however as I found a site first Scarce Chaser, a maturing male stayed still long enough for me to record the historic occasion. Whether this is one of the new Welland population can't be proved but Scarce Chasers will travel some distance to mature. The two other chasers were also recorded, about half a dozen Four-spotteds and male and female Broad-bodied were seen. A couple of typically camera shy Hairy Dragonflies but in an appearance but did not land. While Alan had seen an Emperor just before I arrived I didn't manage to get a satisfactory view.

Male and female Broad-bodied Chaser.

I wasn't really looking for other nature  but did see a Hobby and several Sand Martins while other wildlife included a Brown Hare. It's not often that I report on matters botanical but a single Bee Orchid was found.

Bee Orchid.

Variable Hatrick

Another gusty day though thankfully there was a bit more sun than most of the forecasts that I saw had predicted. I was able to scrounge a lift off someone in my household and get over to Wicksteed Park in Kettering. Although the blustery conditions were every bit as challenging as they were yesterday I still managed to find a few damsels to look at.

Variable and Red-eyed Damselflies.

My main target today were Variable Damselflies as Wicksteed Park has the largest colony of them in the county. While it took a quite a bit of searching I did eventually find them near the fishing lake though they were sheltering in neighbouring vegetation rather than at the lake itself. Over ten were recorded and these included at least two mating pairs suggesting that the future of the colony looks promising. Plenty of Azures were also found though they were outnumbered by Blue-tailed Damselflies, I can't remember seeing so many at a single site before. A further four species were also seen and they were Banded Demoiselle, Large Red Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly and Red-eyed Damselfly.

Common Blue and teneral Blue-tailed Damselfly.

There was not a lot of other wildlife to report, many of the waterfowl have broods of young and there were plenty of Swifts feeding over the lakes. A few unidentified whites and one Small White were the only butterflies braving the breeze.

Follow my leader.

Dodging the Weather

It was a day of showers and blustery wind sandwiched in between sunny spells of varying lengths. Despite this unpromising blend I had quite a decent day looking for damsels and dragons in the Weldon area. I began at the stream next to the woodland park before moving on to the pocket park and then ending my day at Priors Hall.

Variable and Azure Damselflies.

There was a good number of damsels sheltering in the nettles next to the stream. Azure Damselflies are becoming quite numerous now and it's becoming fairly difficult to find Variables in amongst them. My digital camera and short focus binoculars came into their own again and I was able to find two males. Two new species for my Weldon list in the form of Red-eyed and Common Blue Damselflies were observed with single males of each species showing. A few Banded Demoiselles looking as lovely as always jinked away from me as I flushed them from their hiding places while a couple of Large Red Damselflies and a Blue-tailed were the other species recorded.

Red-eyed and Common Blue Damselflies.

A short stroll later and I found myself at the pocket park where I sheltered under a tree during a rain shower. Luckily it didn't last too long and I was able after a bit of searching to find a single White-legged Damselfly. From here I headed over to Priors Hall though by now the wind was strengthening.

White-legged and rufescens form Blue-tailed Damselflies.

If damsels dominated the scene in Weldon  then it was dragons ruling the roost at Priors. Four-spotted Chasers were the commonest species and I flushed several from long grass as I checked the more sheltered spots. One male Broad-bodied Chaser was bravely clinging to waterside vegetation in the teeth of a mini gale, these really are an attractive species. Two other species were seen though not photographed and they were Hairy Dragonfly and a Black-tailed Skimmer. Three Banded Demoiselles were my first at Priors this year, no doubt they were wandering individuals from the nearby Weldon population.

Four-spotted and Broad-bodied Chasers.

Few butterflies were venturing out in the breeze though several Common Blues, Small Heaths and a Dingy Skipper were noted. Best bird was a female Cuckoo checking out one of the reedbeds while a Muntjac was the only other wildlife on show.

Welland White-legs

Don't worry there will be no pictures of me wearing shorts, you can't wander through nettles etc if you got them on. No I'm referring to White-legged Damselflies and my hunt for them along the Welland at Gretton Weir. I'd received a text yesterday from Alan Shorrock telling me that he had seen one at Deenethorpe so as I had a day off I though that I'd try and find some of my own.

Dingy Skipper and Large Red Damselfly.

My day began at Willowbrook Industrial Estate where a violacea form Blue-tailed Damselfly was noted. Butterflies seen in the area were Small Heath, Common Blue, Dingy Skipper, Small Tortoiseshell, Small and Green-veined White. From here I passed through Brookfield Plantation scaring a small herd of Fallow Deer as I passed. A Common Blue Damselfly had joined the Large Reds while a chaser sp sped off before I could I.D it. Grizzled Skipper, Peacock, Speckled Wood and Brown Argus were added to the butterfly list here.

Chaser habitat and Banded Demoiselle.

Pausing at Gretton Pocket Park I watched the Smooth Newts and tadpoles for a while observing a few Azure Damselflies as I did. Reaching the weir I bumped into none other than the aforementioned Mr Shorrock wandering along the riverside footpath. Happily there was plenty to see with very large numbers of Banded Demoiselles in the waterside vegetation. At least one Red-eyed Damselfly was noted taking up station on water lily leaves. Though it took a little while to find them an eventual total of three White-legged Damselflies were observed looking very much as if they had just emerged. Despite being my first for the year they were overshadowed by another discovery. Several chasers were watched emerging from rushes and at least two turned out to be Scarce Chasers, a site first. I was aware that they had been seen a little further down the river in Rutland at Tixover but don't know if they've been seen before on the Northamptonshire stretch of the Welland. The other dragonfly on site was Hairy Dragonfly, perhaps as many as five were noted.

Scarce Chaser and White-legged Damselfly.

Walking home I had yet one other highlight and that was a Black-tailed Skimmer seen near Brookfield Plantation. Sadly I couldn't get a photo as it just wouldn't land in a spot where the view was unobscured, I'm sure other opportunities will follow. This spot clearly had something to offer dragonflies as a Broad Bodied Chaser was frequenting the same stretch.

Common Blue and Speckled Wood.

Not too many interesting birds were found, a Tawny Owl was hooting in Brookfield Plantation and a Sedge Warbler was singing in the Welland Valley near Gretton.

It's Been A While

I was able to get a lift from someone in my household over to Barnwell CP for my first visit in several months. Today's weather was pretty good too so I had an enjoyable walk around both the park and along the river Nene.

Swallow and Brimstone.

A male Cuckoo was calling and for the first time this year I heard a female too, not sure what they would have been called if the species had been named after her call! Other birds noted on my walk were Cetti's Warbler and Kingfisher, no sign of any exotic falcons here.

Large White and Scarce Chaser.

Not too many butterflies were seen though in fairness I mainly concentrated on dragons and damsels today. Both Large and Green-veined Whites were observed and there were also a few Orange-tips. Looking a little tatty now though still very much alive were several Small Tortoiseshells, a Peacock and at least two male Brimstones.

Variable Damselflies.

Part of the reason for heading over to Barnwell was to catch up with my first Scarce Chasers of the year and I'm happy to say that they didn't disappoint. Four were seen in the park and another was seen along the river near to Lower Barnwell Lock. One Four-spotted Chaser was also found in the park where five Hairy Dragonflies continued to frustrate by not landing to have their pictures taken, another of these was also seen along the river. Best damselflies were five Variable Damselflies, I was hoping to confirm their presence here for another year and was delighted to be able to do so. Part of the process involved in finding them is to take a picture of any Azure Damselflies and hope for the best, today I had to take plenty of shots as the Azures proved to be rather numerous. Red-eyed Damselflies seem to have had a good emergence and many individuals were noted. Less common despite their name were Common Blue Damselflies, only three were found. Far more common with several hundred recorded were Banded Demoiselles and waterside nettles were alive with them. The other two species observed today taking my ode total up to ten were Blue-tailed and Large Red Damselflies.

Red-eyed and Common Blue Damselflies.