Further Afield

 It was time to shake of the confines of the county today and head for somewhere different. Alan Shorrock and I headed over to the popular RSPB reserve at Frampton Marsh near Boston where we enjoyed a decent enough day's birding. To add to our enjoyment the weather turned out to be fairly decent and was pleasantly warm.

Spoonbill and Little Egret.

Waders are usually one of the major draws here and they did not disappoint today. The highlight perhaps was a couple of Spotted Redshanks that Alan picked out though we had to hang around and wait for them to wake up before he could convince me that they were, waders were never one of my strong points. More straightforward perhaps were a brace of juvenile Curlew Sandpipers that I found a little while later. Ruffs were one of the commoner species today though a large arrival of Black-tailed Godwits brought in several hundred as well as a few Knots. Other than a few Dunlin, Snipe and Avocets there was not much else to report wader wise.

Spotted Redshanks and Ruff.

Among the wildfowl present was the resident Whooper Swan and an over summering Brent Goose and we also saw an Egyptian Goose. Plenty of Pintail were on site and also a large number of Wigeon. Frampton is quite a regular spot for Spoonbills nowadays so it was not a surprise to find of a flock of these birds, more surprising perhaps was that some were awake! Raptors were represented by several Hobbies and a few Buzzards while the best passerines were the many Yellow Wagtails that were either seen or heard. Not much in the way of insects with a Red Admiral the best butterfly and Migrant Hawker the best of the dragons.

Whooper Swan, Yellow Wagtail and Migrant Hawker.

Migration

 Not too bad at all today (30/8) with a decent selection of wildlife on view that included several good birds. I took quite a long stroll from Weldon through Deenethorpe and on to Deene before returning via Weldon. There was a bit of sunshine though this was offset to a large degree by a cool northerly breeze.

Raven and Red Admiral.

Bears Lane produced my first Raven of the day, others were seen at Deenethorpe airfield and at Priors Hall. During this early part of the day good numbers of both Green-veined and Small White were noted  with a smaller quantity of Speckled Woods on view. At Deenethorpe airfield a Small Copper was a welcome find though it didn't hang around long enough for a pic. Happily one of two Red Admirals here did with a pristine looking example basking on some blackberries.

Green and Common Sandpipers.

Deene lake inflow had high water levels though I still managed to find a couple of Green Sandpipers, on the main lake I saw a Common Sandpiper which spent its time sitting on lily pads. Also seen here was the resident Black Swan which was feeding near the dam. By now I'd seen my first odes of the day with a Banded Demoiselle at Deenethorpe being joined by Common Blue and Small Red-eyed Damselflies at Deene. Best damsel here however was a male Willow Emerald which was seen in vegetation near the dam.

Black Swan and Willow Emerald.

At Priors Hall I added Meadow Browns to my day list and also my first dragons of the day. The two common darters were joined by Migrant Hawkers though numbers of odes in general seemed low. Birds helped to save the day with a Yellow Wagtail passing over though it was overshadowed by my next find. At the first pond a small bird flying from bush to bush showed a hint of red which aroused my curiosity. Closer inspection revealed it to be a Redstart and although it was obscured at first it later emerged from cover to give some good views. Redstarts are regular though scarce migrants through Northants though I only tend to see them about once every three or four years. In the quarry numbers of Yellow-legged Gulls continue to rise and I saw about thirty-five adults or near adults mixed in with the other gulls. Not much else to report thoughb both Brown hare and Fallow Deer were seen at Priors Hall.

Redstart and Yellow-legged Gull.

Braving Barnwell

 Willow Emeralds are now becoming an established resident in Northamptonshire but that doesn't mean that I'm giving up on looking for them. It was for that reason that I decided to pay a visit to a busy Barnwell CP and brave the masses. Sadly my efforts did not produce any sightings either here or at the nearby Princess fishing lake near the marina.

Male and female Migrant Hawkers.

Despite the dip it wasn't a complete waste of time and I managed to find a few interesting things. Not too many birds though with just a Kingfisher and several Siskins noted. With it being for the most part fairly warm and sunny I managed to find a few dragonflies of which Migrant Hawkers were the most visible. Patrolling males often hover for quite lengthy periods of time and for this reason I managed to get a few reasonable flight shots. No such luck with a Brown Hawker though as it landed long enough to raise hopes but not long enough to let me raise my camera. Luckily more were seen near the fishing lake and a male was a little more obliging than this flighty individual. The other dragon present was Common Darter which was present in decent enough numbers.

Brown Hawker and Common Darter.

Small Red-eyed Damselflies were far and away the commonest damsels with them outnumbering their larger cousins by a large margin as only a few Red-eyeds were noted. Just two Banded Demoiselles were found and it looks as if their season here is coming to an end, hopefully they stick around a bit longer at Weldon. The other species seen were Blue-tailed and Common Blue.

Small Red-eyed Damselfly and Banded Demoiselle.

Only a few butterfly species were on the wing of which Speckled Wood was the commonest. The three common whites were all noted and there were singles of Small Heath and Common Blue as well as a brace of Commas. Small numbers of Silver Y moths were seen and these migrants may well have moved northwards on the same winds that have brought a smattering of Painted Ladies in.

Comma and Small White.

At Least It Was Drier!

 Having dried out a little since my last excursion I returned to Priors Hall though with my old camera as the new one died in last week's deluge. There was a bit more sunshine today so I enjoyed quite a few sightings of damsels and dragons.

The late show, Four-spotted Chaser and Azure Damselfly.

My first highlight was a Yellow Wagtail passing over the quarry as I walked past. At Priors itself I noted many Small Heaths and several Common Blues with plenty of the two smaller whites around to look at as well. Good numbers of Speckled Woods also showed though that was it as far as butterflies went today at Priors, there were a few other species noted later on. Both species of darter were showing well with Ruddies still the commonest. A few Migrant Hawkers were observed but none were anywhere as obliging as a male Southern Hawker that posed very nicely. One nice surprise was a Four-spotted Chaser as it's getting fairly late in the season for this species.

Emperor and Southern Hawker.

Priors Hall regular Alan Shorrock appeared at this point, he'd been picking up litter around the larger pond but had taken a break from wombling to take in a spot of nature spotting. We looked for the Willow Emeralds that Shozzer had seen yesterday but apart from a very brief view met with little success. Damsels that did show better were Common Blues, a couple of Small Red-eyeds, some Blue-taileds and a male Banded Demoiselle. Best of the damsels though was a male Azure, this is the latest that I've ever seen this species. Only one more dragon was added to our list and that was a female Emperor which posed very nicely indeed.

Vapourer Moth caterpillar and Common Blue Damselflies.

From Priors we made the short journey to Deenethorpe where a Raven was the highlight though there were some Banded Demoiselles along the stream. At nearby Deene Lake bird numbers in general were greatly reduced from last week though the Green Sandpiper flock had risen to six. The main lake was a little on the quiet side with just the Black Swan to report though Alan picked out another Raven. Not many odes on the wing though quite a few Small Red-eyed Damselflies were noted. Best butterfly was only my second Painted Lady of the year of which I was able to get a single pic. There seems to have been a small increase in sightings recently with several observers reporting them over the last week or so. Two Small Tortoiseshells were also observed though by then the arrival of the predicted rain showers sent us running for the car bringing our wildlife spotting to a close for the day.

Painted Lady and Banded Demoiselle.

Monsoon

 A drizzly and murky morning gave way to the briefest of bright spells before turning into a monsoon where the rain battered down ferociously for at least an hour. Despite this unpleasant combination I managed to find a few interesting things to gawp at.

Record shots, Yellow Wagtail and Green Sandpipers.

Beginning at Upper Benefield I soon found a small flock of Yellow Wagtails feeding in a field of sheep a little way along the Deenethorpe road. There was not a great deal else until I got to Deene Lake where the inflow was packed with birds. Three Green Sandpipers were the highlight and they shared the shallows with a large flock of Lapwings. Also present were three Egyptian Geese and a reasonable number of duck. By comparison the main lake was quiet with just a Black Swan and a Kingfisher were worth reporting. Although it was a little brighter by now I only managed to find a few Common Blue and Blue-tailed Damselflies.

Small Heath and Speckled Wood.

Priors Hall held a good number of butterflies with plenty of browns and whites active in the grey though warm conditions. There were plenty of Small Heaths and one of these showed rare glimpses of its upperwings as it nectared on Ragwort. Other species seen were a male Common Blue and a single Large Skipper. It was beginning to get fairly bright by now and this seemed to suit Migrant Hawkers as a large number were seen hunting. Other dragons were Brown Hawker and both of the darters. Pick of the damselflies were three Willow Emeralds and these included an ovipositing pair. Very few other damsels were observed though a male Banded Demoiselle was noted on my way out. Five adult Yellow-legged Gulls were seen i the quarry with lots of Lesser Black-backeds and an increasing number of Herrings.

Migrant and Brown Hawkers.

Although I mentioned it earlier the thunder storm that moved in during my visit was one of the most intense that I've witnessed. Rain battered down leaving me drenched despite my waterproof jacket and the shelter of fully leafed tree canopies. My water proof bag was anything but and it looks as if my camera may have succumbed to the soaking. I was able to put the SD card into another camera and retrieve the pics but it's a case of hoping for the best. 

Willow Emerald record shot and Swallows.

Quick Return

 My brother wanted to test some new optical equipment and it looked as if a late evening leading into dusk trip might be in order so we opted to take the short journey to Eyebrook Reservoir. This turned out to be a good move because tonight's visit if anything turned out to be better then our previous excursion.

Wood Sandpiper.

We began by looking for some of the reported waders and it didn't take long to find the trio of Wood Sandpipers that have been here for a while. They were joined by a single Green Sandpiper and also a Greenshank. At least two Ruffs shared the shallows while other waders included an immature Dunlin and a young Little Ringed Plover. The Cattle Egret also showed again and showed well treating us to much better views than it did on Monday. My brother picked out a hunting Barn Owl which gave us good though distant views when it perched, a Kingfisher did likewise. Several Yellow Wagtails were heard though we didn't manage to pick any out on the ground.

Cattle Egret.

All in all it was a very decent hour and a half's viewing and the new scope turned out to be a winner too, sometimes things just turn out in your favour! Unfortunately due to fading light conditions and the distances involved all pictures are of the record shot variety and won't win any prizes!

Barn Owl

Phew!

 An after work trip along to Weldon to check out any dragonfly activity at the pond in the woodland park. Temperatures remain high and may perhaps have been too hot for some of the larger species, it certainly was a bit much for me!

Small Red-eyeds and Common Blues doing what comes naturally!

Star of the show were the many Small Red-eyed Damselflies, loads were engaging in breeding behaviour over the water or on the pond weed while others hunted around the tips of overhanging branches or just perched on them. Still quite a few Red-eyed Damsels and Common Blues too with just a few Banded Demoiselles and a single Blue-tailed as well. Small numbers of dragons included a couple each of Emperor and Brown Hawker and I also saw a single male Ruddy Darter.

Ruddy Darter and Emperor.

While I wasn't really looking at the other wildlife I did hear a Kingfisher and saw a few butterflies including Brown Argus and Common Blue.

Brown Hawker and Common Blue.

That Was Better Than A Busy Barnwell!

 Something of a two parter today beginning at Harry's Park Wood though instead of moving on to Weldon things took an unexpected turn and I ended up at Eyebrook Res. It was certainly one of the hottest days of the year and with there being little breeze it was a sweaty old business trying to find some wildlife.

Purple Hairstreak and Southern Hawker.

Bears Lane was fairly active with a party of Meadow Pipits likely to have been migrants heading south. Two vocal Ravens on the other hand were probably the locally breeding pair while a fly over Crossbill was most likely part of the late Summer irruption of this species. In the wood a few insects were beginning to stir and these ncluded a couple of tatty looking Purple Hairstreaks. Other butterflies seen here were Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and Green-veined White. A couple of hawker dragonflies were also getting started and these were a Southern and a Brown. Just as I was about to turn around and start my walk back my brother called and offered me a lift over to Eyebrook Reservoir. Given that the res was enjoying something of a wader bonanza it was an offer far too good to resist.

Dodgy record shot time! Cattle Egret and Whinchat.

Peering through the heat haze at Eyebrook produced a sighting of the Cattle Egret that has taken up residence recently, a somewhat hazy record shot was managed. Star of the wader show was at least one Wood Sandpiper, three have been noted. A small flock of eleven Black-tailed Godwits were resting before continuing their journey while two Greenshanks were actively feeding. Several Ruffs were also present as well as a decent number of Lapwings. Other observers had noted Dunlins and a Ringed Plover so all in all it was a good haul. We were also lucky to pick out at least two Whinchats perching in the waterside vegetation, Eyebrook often seems to do well for them on Autumn passage.

Male (top) and female Common Darters.

I spent a bit of time looking for the newly colonised Willow Emeralds but sadly drew a blank, it may still be a little early for them. Odes that did show included Brown Hawker and Common Darter as well as a Banded Demoiselle. Few butterflies were noted and most of those that were seen were whites.