Still Windy

Today was another gusty one and that coupled with the predominantly grey skies meant that it took a lot of motivation to drag myself out. I did eventually summon enough enthusiasm and energy to make my way over to Barnwell where I had a couple of hours strolling around and generally wishing that the sun might appear.

Blue-tailed selection, I couldn't get a good pic of the rufescens form.

Despite the total cloud cover whilst I was there I managed to find a few damselflies to look at of which Banded Demoiselles were the commonest. Plenty of Blue-tailed were mostly hiding in the vegetation and I saw all of the colour variations that this attractive little species is known for. Other species seen were Common Blue, Azure and Red-eyed Damselflies. One of the latter appeared to be enduring a particularly bad run of luck having flown into a spider's web while also suffering from the worst mite infestation that I've seen. I wondered if perhaps the poor thing had flown into the net deliberately to end its own suffering! When I posted a picture of it on Facebook I had my I.D upgraded to Small Red-eyed, given that this was by a bloke that wrote one of the field guides that I constantly refer to I'm in no position to argue. Only a few dragonflies were noted and they were immature Common Darters, presumably they were too young to know any better.

Suffering Small Red-eyed and Common Blue Damselfly.

Few butterflies were found and most of those were flushed from cover by my clumsy feet. Ringlets and Meadow Browns were the commonest while the only other species seen were Red Admiral and Small Skipper. Not much else in the way of interesting wildlife though I heard a Kingfisher several times and a few Mandarin Ducks were seen including several young.

NOTE. Turns out that the mite infested spider food was in fact a Red-eyed Damselfly.

Pristine Ringlet and duck Mandarin.

Thar She Glows

My brother and I made a late visit to the wildlife trust reserve at Collyweston hoping to see some Glow Worms. This is a species that I saw a few times during the 1980's at Souther Wood whilst looking for Nightjars but I hadn't seen one in the county since.

Sunset.

I wasn't entirely optimistic that our efforts would meet with success due to the still strong and fairly cool breeze but we waited patiently for night to fall. Some other wildlife made the wait a little more bearable with an overhead Yellow Wagtail the first to show. Somewhat later a Sparrowhawk came past and was presumably trying to catch something on its way to roost. There were good numbers of Rabbits on site and it was these that probably encouraged a young Fox to pay a visit.

Curious Rabbit and Glow Worm.

Once the sun had set and it was becoming dark my brother managed to find a single female Glow Worm. The green glow was fairly bright and was visible from six or seven feet away and I took a rubbishy record shot. It was good to catch up with one again in the county, I hope the next sighting won't take as long!

Blowing a Gale

Strong winds were the order of the day at Priors Hall as I tried to find some interesting insects in the more sheltered parts of the site. There was quite a bit more sunshine today and a lot less rain so when I did manage to find one of those sheltered areas it was pleasantly warm.

Essex? and Small Skippers

Many Marbled Whites were noted and it's amazing to think that this attractive species only arrived here a couple of years ago. Matching the Marbled Whites in the numbers stakes if not the beauty ones were Meadow Browns. Other browns observed in lesser numbers were Speckled Wood, Small Heath and Ringlet. Few whites were seen though there were quite a few skippers on the wing. Large Skippers are fairly easy to identify but separating Small from Essex is another matter altogether. Apart from the fact that the speedy little blighters keep close to the ground when flying all their chosen foodplants were short species such as clover or Self Heal which made checking the undersides of antennae a tricky business indeed. From the photographs I took I thought that I might have seen two Essex but at the moment I can't be 100% sure. Few other butterflies were braving the blow but I did see Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell and Comma.

Ringlet and Speckled Wood.

The challenging conditions were proving to be not to the liking of either dragonflies or damselflies either. Many damsels were sitting out the gale in long grasses or on other plants and appropriately enough Common Blues were the most numerous. Rather more Banded Demoiselles than usual were present including a few males around the ponds. Other damsels noted were Blue-tailed, Azure and Red-eyed. Commonest dragon was Four-spotted Chaser with a double figure count being recorded. It looks as if more Common Darters emerged this morning, I'm guessing their first flights were quite exciting! Few other species were seen though these included an Emperor and several Black-tailed Skimmers.

Emperor and Four-spotted Chaser.

No interesting birds were noted today and I didn't manage to find any other wildlife to report, they were probably all sitting out the wind which was a decision I agreed with after a couple of hours.

Showers

Today was dominated by squally showers and blustery wind with just the occasional sunny interlude though it did brighten up to leave quite a nice evening. I went for a long stroll today as far as Spanhoe Quarry and although I didn't see a huge amount of interesting stuff it was OK.

Marbled White and Meadow Brown

At Willowbrook Industrial Estate there were a few Marbled Whites and Meadow Browns braving the wind while in Brookfield Plantation there were quite a lot of Ringlets and a single Common Blue Damsel. I was hoping to see Crossbills here but my search came to nothing. My walk to and beyond Gretton added Small Heaths and s few whites to the list but not much else.

Ringlet and Small Heath

Recent rain means that two of the ponds at Spanhoe now have water in them though the weather kept dragonfly activity to a minimum. About half a dozen Common Darters looked newly emerged and there was a single Emperor ovipositing. Damsels were represented by Azure, Common Blue and Blue-tailed, I had hoped that some Emeralds might be out but if any were I didn't see them. Of the butterflies seen a Small Skipper was perhaps the best.

Small Skipper and Azure Damselfly.

Harringworth Lodge Lake had a single male Small Red-eyed Damselfly and a Black-tailed Skimmer but not much else. The other butterflies seen today were Speckled Wood, Small, Green-veined and Large White, Small Tortoiseshell and Large Skipper.

Common Darter and Small Red-eyed Damselfly.

Fallow Deer were seen in and near Brookfield Plantation and also near Spanhoe and among the birds noted today were Peregrine and Osprey.

Emperors

First day of a long weekend and I went along to Harry's Park Wood were the weather defied the pessimistic predictions and turned out to be hot and sunny. Given that I was hoping to catch up with one of Northamptonshire's biggest wildlife draws it was perhaps just as well.

Purple Emperor.

My search for Purple Emperors took me through the wood and part of the way back again before I found one. A male was taking in salts from the path and I had good and prolonged views though the heat meant that it kept its wings closed for most of the time. When it did move on it landed on the customary pile of dung though I resisted the urge to grab a shot of this as I've probably posted enough pictures in the history of this blog that could be called a pile of @#*%! Another emperor was noted briefly but it wasn't hanging around.

White Admiral and Comma.

Plenty of other butterflies were on the wing with at least half a dozen White Admirals looking as classy as ever and at least two were also taking salts from the path. The only Silver-washed Fritillary noted did not land and sped past just before I left. Purple Emperors are known for their disgusting dietary preferences but they don't have the monopoly on poop licking, both Small and Green-veined Whites were drawn to some very fresh horse dung. White numbers have increased a lot during the week and as well as these two I also saw some Large too. Some other species were attracted to the path and these were Comma, Red Admiral and Small Tortoiseshell. Rounding off today's butt' list were Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Ringlet and Large Skipper.

Dung liking whites and Red Admiral.

The Purples were not the only emperors on view today as four or five of the dragonfly version were hunting along the rides. It seemed as if the heat was getting to them though as at least three perched up in a shady spot giving me the chance for some pics. Other odes observed in the wood were Brown Hawker and Common Blue Damselflies.

A couple of shady characters, Emperors escaping the heat.

For my second visit in a row I was lucky enough to record Crossbills in the wood as a party of eight or nine were found. It looks as if there's an irruption of this species in progress as there have been quite a few records in the county during the past week.

Young Swallow.

After Work at Weldon.

It's not too often that my plans work out exactly as I want them to do but today was an exception. I'd planned to pop down to Weldon after work with the idea of seeing my first Small Red-eyed Damselflies of the year and I did! Very hot conditions seemed to suit them well and I managed to see about half a dozen.

Male (top) and female Small Red-eyed Damselfly.

My first views were pretty mediocre, heat hazy distant males clinging to the Rigid Hornwort out in the middle of the pond. While I hoped that some might appear on closer aquatic vegetation it just wasn't to be. Happily during my many searches for Willow Emeralds last year I found out that Small Red-eyes often perch on the tips of waterside trees and a scan today produced good views of a male. Not long after finding him I saw a pair in flight though they weren't mating it looked more as if the male was giving the female a tow. He moved on but the female stayed for a bit giving me the opportunity to take a few pictures.

Common Blue Damselflies and Black-tailed Skimmer.

Common Blue Damselflies truly lived up to their name with many splitting their time between the pond and the bankside plants. Also present and providing some direct comparison were some Red-eyed Damselflies. My damsel list for today was rounded off by a few Blue-tailed and a male Banded Demoiselle. Not too many dragons were seen though two Emperors and an equal number of Black-tailed Skimmers did brave the heat.

Emperor and Small Skipper.

Although I had my "ode" head on today I did notice a few butterflies of which two Marbled Whites were perhaps the highlight. Other species observed were Meadow Brown, Small White, Small Skipper, Comma and Red Admiral. Only one bird of note and that was a Kingfisher that made a brief stop before speeding off.

Taking a Dip

Another Monday visit to Barnwell for a look around for dragonflies and anything else that might attract my attention. With the weather for the most part being sunny albeit a little breezy it was an enjoyable stroll round the park.

Female Scarce Chaser and Common Darter.

Scarce Chasers were despite their name the commonest species especially in riverside vegetation and at North Lake. It was nice to see a couple of fully mature solo females as I normally see territorial males or pairs in cop. Also present in decent numbers were Common Darters with more than a few emerging from Mill Lake. Brown Hawkers and Emperors were ruling the roost over the lakes while small quantities of both Four-spotted Chasers and Black-tailed Skimmers were also observed.

Four-spotted Chaser and Common Blue Damselfly.

Commonest damselfly was Banded Demoiselle though the other species were present in good numbers too. Plenty of Common Blues were risking the patrolling dragons out over the lakes while Blue-taileds appeared to prefer the bankside vegetation. Nearly every lily pad had a Red-eyed Damselfly in residence and I enjoyed watching one pair in particular. The mating pair were struggling to go about their business due to harassment from other males. Whether it was due to this pressure or not the female slowly sank below the water and continued ovipositing. Seemingly intent on maintaining his grip on her the male submerged too leaving both of them in relative peace below the surface. I've seen female Red-eyeds do this before but not a pair, I wonder how many get taken by fish?

Red-eyed Damselflies taking a dip.

Commonest of the butterflies seen today were Meadow Browns as many flitted around those areas where the grass is uncut. Small Tortoiseshells continue to do well and were joined by a few Commas and a Red Admiral. Other species noted were Large Skipper and Small White.

A pair of smalls, Tortoiseshell and White.

There was plenty of Kingfisher activity today although I heard rather than saw them, sounds as if a family party was on site. A male Cuckoo was calling from some distance off and the park's Mandarin Duck population has been boosted by a family of three ducklings.

Mandarin family.

Butterflies

Once the morning's rain had moved on I visited Harry's Park Wood near Weldon to see whether any of the summer butterflies had survived all the forestry work that had been conducted during the winter. Happily it seems that at least a few did and I was able to add two new species to my county year list though I'd already seen both of them yesterday in Bedford Purlieus.

White Admiral and Silver-washed Fritillary.

During sunny spells of varying length I managed to see three White Admirals and these included a very obliging individual around the little car park at the Brigstock end of the wood. I always enjoy seeing this understated species and it's always nice to get a photograph too. My second year tick was a male Silver-washed Fritillary taking a pitstop on some bramble blossoms. Aside from the two stars there were quite a number of butterflies on the wing with several Red Admirals showing well and some pristine looking Commas matching them in the looks stakes. Plenty of Meadow Browns were present in the wider and grassier rides and they were joined by a small number of Ringlets. The other species noted here were Speckled Wood, Large Skipper, Small and Green-veined White.

Comma and Red Admiral.

A Southern Hawker was menacing the other insects in one of the rides and there were a few Common Blue Damsels about. The regular male Cuckoo is still about though he had to cede second place today to a Crossbill that flew over calling loudly. Also calling loudly was a Muntjac barking away in the depths of the wood.

Large Skipper and Marbled White.

Bears Lane held very good numbers of Small Tortoiseshells, they seem to be having a great year. On the way home I stopped at the pocket park in Weldon where a male White-legged Damselfly was the highlight. Few other species were noted as it had become a little cloudier at this point and only banded Demoiselles, Common Blue and Azure Damselflies were observed. The woodland park held good numbers of marbled Whites, this recent colonist to the area continues to do well. Another new species for the day was Small Heath as several joined the Marbled Whites and Meadow Browns flitting around the grasses in the park.

Ringlet, White-legged Damselfly and Goldfinch.