Kinging In The Rain

 Putting last night's disappointments aside I got on an early bus and headed along to Barnwell. It was a murky and mizzly start and I sheltered from the dross in the Kingfisher Hide until things started to dry up a bit. While it was far from being my most interesting excursion of late it was still an enjoyable walk around the park.

Kingfisher

Once settled in the hide I began my vigil hoping for a visit from the hide's namesake. Unlike on my last trip I didn't have to wait too long before a male Kingfisher made a brief visit. After his departure I spent some time watching some of the park's many Mandarins going about their business. A shrill whistle announced the return of the King and this time he was a bit more generous with his time. I was able to watch him for over ten minutes before he sped off. For a brief moment a second Kingfisher had joined him but I didn't see more than a blue blur as it passed behind the male.

Mandarins and juvenile Robin

With the mizzle now having stopped I braved the outside and took a stroll around the rest of the park. A calling male Cuckoo provided some bird interest and I also heard a Grey Wagtail. With the weather still far from ideal it took some effort to find any insects of note though a bit of persistence and an increasing amount of sunshine did produce some results. Both Ringlets and Meadow Browns were the first butterflies to emerge though they were soon joined by at least three Gatekeepers. Only two other species were seen and they were Large Skipper and Red Admiral.

Large Skipper and Gatekeeper

Commonest damsel was appropriately enough Common Blue though there were almost as many of the equally cloud tolerant Blue-taileds out too. A few Banded Demoiselles were seen with most close to the Nene while an increasing amount of Red-eyeds were taking up station on lily pads. Only one other damsel was noted and that was a single Azure. Four--spotted Chasers were the commonest dragonflies and there were also singles of Emperor and Scarce Chaser.

Scarce Chaser and rufescens form of Blue-tailed Damselfly