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.
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| 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.
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| Dingy Skipper and Mother Shipton. |
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