Third Time Unlucky

 Alan Shorrock and I made a third and quite probably final attempt to see the Finedon Southern Migrant Hawker. The weather was notably better than on our previous two visits, there was plenty of sunshine, but rather blustery conditions were not ode friendly. We spent several hours searching for the exotic visitor but our efforts sadly came to naught. looks as if we will have to venture to Canvey if we want to see SMH.

Brown Hawker and Four-spotted Chaser

Despite our dip related disaster the visit was not a complete failure by any means. Shozzer managed to find a couple of Migrant Hawkers that I contrived to miss while we both saw Southern and Brown Hawkers. An Emperor was holding court over the pond where several Four-spotted Chasers were also active. A final dragonfly making its way on to the list was a single male Common Darter. Best damselflies were once again Willow Emeralds with at least five being noted on our walk around the site. Not many other damsels appeared to be enjoying the wind with just Common Blue, Azure and Blue-tailed being noted.

Willow Emerald and Brown Argus

It turned out to be a good visit for watching butterflies and we found quite a few species. Highlights were a Brown Argus and several Essex Skippers and there were a few new brood Peacocks on the wing too. Not much else to report apart from the noisy young Sparrowhawks that we've recorded on previous visits.

Essex Skipper and Gatekeeper.

Double Dipping

 Alan Shorrock and I took a bit of a chance this afternoon when we set out in an attempt to see the Southern Migrant Hawker at Finedon Pocket Park. The weather forecast once again made mention of sunny spells but the reality suggested some optimism on the part of the weather guessers. We left Corby in warm sunshine but arrived to find threatening clouds and the odd rumble of thunder at Finedon.

Emerald Damselflies and Southern Hawker.

Rain soon began to fall shortly after our arrival and we spent half an hour hiding under the dense foliage of some trees listening to the thunder and watching the rain bucketing down. Happily it did ease and then stop encouraging us to press on towards the pond. There was a short spell of sunshine while we were there but sadly it was not long enough to encourage any dragons to come out. A small selection of damsels were a little hardier though of which several Emeralds were the best. Single Brown and Southern Hawkers were hunting along the paths some distance from the pond but that was that as far as odes went. With another bank of clouds moving in to block out both the sun and any chance that we had of seeing the SMH we threw in the towel and called it quits. Few butterflies were noted, a female Silver-washed Fritillary being the most memorable while the best birds were several young Sparrowhawks whose begging calls vied with the thunder to provide the soundtrack to our visit.

Wandering White-leg

 Continued with my Monday Barnwell CP addiction this morning though with the school holidays now in full swing I may have to come up with an alternative and less noisy option. An earlyish start saw me taking up my familiar position in the Kingfisher Hide hoping for a view of their majesties.

Kingfisher and Garden Warbler.

At first things looked a little unpromising, I could hear calling coming from neighbouring North Lake but there was initially no activity in front of me. I contented myself by watching the Mandarins feeding or snoozing until a 'fisher put in a welcome appearance. The King or perhaps I should say Queenfisher given that it was a she took up station for a short space of time on one of their favoured islands and I had some good views. She was flushed by a passing dog and sped off out of sight, over the next half an hour or so I had a few more brief sightings of birds in flight. Not many other birds to report other than a family party of Garden Warblers that I enjoyed watching.

White-legged and Small Red-eyed Damselflies.

The highlight amongst the day's odes was a White-legged Damselfly which was only my second ever at this site. I'd imagine it's wandered from somewhere along the Nene though this river does not appear to be very good for this species. Other damsels included the usual cast of characters of which Banded Demoiselles were the commonest. No surprises amongst the dragons though I finally managed to get a few pics of Brown Hawker. Not too bad a selection of butterflies were on offer with an Essex Skipper being the pick of the bunch. I also had some good views of a fresh looking Comma and an equally pristine looking Peacock.

Brown Hawker and Comma.

With the park getting increasingly busy I chose to pop along to the fishing lake near the marina. Best ode was a male Scarce Chaser and I also enjoyed seeing good numbers of Small Red-eyed Damselflies on lilies near the bridge. The lake itself held a reasonable selection of odes though there was nothing out of the ordinary.

Brimstone and another view of her majesty!

More Willow Emeralds

 Friday's dipression had eased somewhat by the time I got on the bus for Weldon this morning though Friday's weather seemed content to linger. Those far flung and heady days of last week's heatwave were all but forgotten as temperatures had fallen a little and clouds have taken a hold. I wasn't entirely sure that I would see anything of note though my morning session at Priors Hall was entertaining enough (just!) to warrant the effort.

Willow Emerald and violacea form of Blue-tailed Damsel

Damselflies contributed most of the ode activity and a small number of teneral Willow Emeralds were again the highlight. I wonder if emerging on overcast days reduces the risk of predation, there were certainly very few dragons on the wing today. Commonest damsel was Blue-tailed, this species is usually the most active on overcast days. Not too far behind in the number stakes was Common Blue and there were still a few Azures keeping them company. A single female Banded Demoiselle completed my damsel list for today. The only dragon identified was Common Darter, a few tenerals were seen to take their first flights.

Common Darter and Silver-washed Frit.

Not surprisingly given the conditions it was the browns that provided most of the butterfly sightings. Ringlets and Meadow Browns were the commonest species though both Gatekeepers and Marbled Whites were present in decent enough numbers. A single Speckled Wood was probably a survivor from the previous brood as there are very few about at the moment. Perhaps the best species seen today was a male Silver-washed Fritillary as there's only a relatively small population here. Rather a lot of Large Skippers are still on the wing while both Green-veined and Small Whites were seen. Numbers of Six-spotted Burnets are rising and I also saw a couple of Common Heaths.

Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown.

Best bird was also the last that I saw today with an Oystercatcher present in the quarry area on the new workings. These workings have restricted the view of the lake meaning that future birding here will be difficult if not quite impossible. The only other wildlife noted day was a single Fallow Deer near one of the ponds.

Large Skipper and Oystercatcher.

Southern, Tried Ticking

 Alan Shorrock and I went a twitching today in the hope of catching up with a rare dragonfly visitor which had been seen yesterday at an undisclosed site in the county. The fine male Southern Migrant Hawker was photographed by our county recorder yesterday though work commitments meant that I couldn't go until this afternoon. Sadly the weather was far from cooperative with the forecast sunny spells all but absent leaving a warm but overcast sort of arrangement in its stead.

Silver-washed Fritillary and Ringlet.

On arrival at the location we made our way towards the pond meeting a returning would be ticker. No sightings so far was the unwelcome news coming hot off the press but we carried on nonetheless. Another observer was in situ at the pond and he turned out to be the county recorder from neighbouring Leics and Rutland. His efforts had also failed to produce sightings of the star attraction and that after six hours of waiting. I must admit to a lowering of expectations at this point!

Willow Emeralds.

Despite the increasing likelihood of a dip being on the cards we stayed around for a while and had quite an enjoyable session. our new acquaintance pointed out a freshly emerged Willow Emerald that he had found and while watching it we were treated to further sightings of tenerals. Favouring the same patch of rushes were two male Common Emeralds which showed quite well. Other damsels included a female Small Red-eyed, a few Azures and Common Blues as well as half a dozen Blue-taileds. Few dragons were out in the conditions with an Emperor, a Brown Hawker and a couple of Four-spotted Chasers braving the conditions.

Common Emeralds.

Other wildlife noted on our walk included a fine female Silver-washed Fritillary that Shozzer found and a small selection of  the commoner butterflies. Several Six-spotted Burnets were also on the wing but other than that there was little else to report.

Emerald duo.

Hot

 Another cracker of a day, slightly cloudier than on the previous two days but still hot and sunny. As I wanted to do some more ode spotting I decided to visit Barnwell for the third Monday in a row. No Kingfisher views today though I heard them on a couple of occasions and apart from the regular collection of Mandarin Ducks there were few birds of note.

Grey Heron and Swallow.

Commonest dragon today was Four-spotted Chaser including one of the praenubia form with lots of activity around the lakes. Still hanging on were two female Scarce Chasers, these are fairly late though they were a little on the late side emerging this year. Only a few Black-tailed Skimmers were noted though it's far from optimum habitat for them here. Both species of the regular darters were found though in penny numbers only, their peak will come as the Summer progresses. Lording it over all of this small fry were Emperors, a Southern Hawker and several Brown Hawkers.

Scarce and praenubia form of Four-spotted Chaser.

Most noteworthy amongst the damsels were the growing numbers of Small Red-eyed Damselflies on Mill and North Lakes. They're quite a bit commoner than their larger cousins now and should become very common by the end of the month. Common Blues far outnumbered Azures and there were many Banded Demoiselles on view. A brief glimpse of a very fresh teneral suggested Willow Emerald to me but the views were inconclusive. Blue-tailed Damselflies posed no such ID conundrums and rounded off today's list.

Small Red-eyed Damselflies and Small Skipper.

No surprises in amongst the butterflies though there was a decent variety and a total of twelve species were seen. Highlight was a couple of male Brimstones and a fresh looking Peacock. Plenty of Gatekeepers were on show and there were also a couple of Small Skippers.

Brimstone and Peacock.

Mad Dogs And Englishmen

 Our mini heat wave continued today with temperatures even higher if anything than yesterday. I decided to pop over to Priors Hall hoping to see some ode activity and I wasn't disappointed. By the time that I'd thrown in the towel and got out of the heat I'd seen six species of dragons and eight of damsels.

Ruddy (top) and Common darters

Highlight amongst the dragons was my county first for the year Ruddy Darter, a cracking male was showing well and posed nicely for some pics. Common Darters were emerging in small numbers and I saw about half a dozen taking their first flights. The commonest species seen today was Four-spotted Chaser with a decent number present around the ponds where they spent a lot of time tussling with each other and also some Black-tailed Skimmers. Leaving such boorish behaviour to the proles were several male Emperors, at least two females were also seen ovipositing. Final dragon on the list was a male Brown Hawker though it was difficult to confirm whether there were any more or just one wandering individual.

Females of Emperor and Black-tailed Skimmer.

Best damselfly was a male Common Emerald which came courtesy of a newly arrived Alan Shorrock and his knowledge of the site. A visit to one of their favoured ponds delivered the goods though he was in amongst the sedge stems and I couldn't get a pic. Second highlight was a newly emerged Willow Emerald, its club like abdomen revealing it to be a female. Several Banded Demoiselles and Small Red-eyed Damselflies were decent sightings and joined Common Blue, Blue-tailed, Azure and Red-eyed Damselflies on the list.

Willow Emerald and Marbled White.

No surprises amongst today's butterflies, high numbers of Marbled Whites were seen and there was also a high total of Small Skippers on the wing. Other notable sightings included a male Brimstone while several Six-spotted Burnet Moths were seen. Of the other wildlife noted a Common Lizard was the best, no real birds of note though a Yellow Wagtail passed overhead.

Long-tailed Tit, Reed Warbler and Chiffchaff.

Got Churr

 This afternoon saw my brother and I paying our annual visit to Norfolk in order to spend time with some of their Nightjars. With temperatures remaining on the warm side and the sky all but cloud free it looked fairly promising and we set out feeling more than a little optimistic.

Turtle Dove

Before the Nightjars we popped into Snettisham Coastal Park where the reported Glossy Ibis was the main target. Sadly for us the Ibis did not reveal itself though the trip was far from being a busted flush. While my brother was paying for the parking I heard a Turtle Dove calling and once the ticket was sorted we set out to see if we could find it. After a few minutes we managed to find one of what appeared to be two calling birds, a rare event in today's Turtle Dove starved countryside. Good though distant views were had and I managed to get a few record shots. Away from the dove there were a couple of Sandwich Terns while a trio of Munjacs supplied some mammalian interest.

Right time and right place!

We arrived at the Nightjar spot after a couple of restorative pints in a local pub and settled in for a mosquito blighted wait. A distant male began churring fairly soon after our arrival though it was a few minutes more before my brother picked a flying one out. For the next quarter of an hour we were treated to some decent views which included one perched in a pine tree. Once we'd contented ourselves with those good views we decided it might be best to escape from the annoying assault from those pesky mozzies and head back to the car. Not a great deal else was noted apart from two Woodcocks which my brother picked out