Local Wildlife Walk

 Today's weather was not too bad with some lengthy sunny spells helping to off set the effects of a fairly strong westerly wind. My journey took me no further than Priors Hall with a look at Willowbrook Industrial Estate thrown in for good measure. There were no great surprises or scarcities to report but I enjoyed my stroll all the same.

Yellow-legged Gulls (with friends!)

The only birds of real note found on today's travels were three Yellow-legged Gulls at Willowbrook Industrial Estate which is a fairly reliable site for this species in late Summer. Recent groundwork at nearby Priors Hall appears to have all but driven them away from what was a very good spot for them. I couldn't find any migrant chats despite a thorough search so made my way to Priors Hall.

Willow Emeralds.

A Brown Hare was flushed from its hidey hole near the large pond but it escaped before I could get a pic. With no interesting birds on show it was down to insects to save the day. About ten Willow Emeralds were found though there were none at the ponds themselves as they continue to mature some distance away from the water. Other damsels included a male Banded Demoiselle as well as Common Blue and Blue-taileds. The pick was a male Emerald Damselfly though he was too obscured for any photos. A good selection of dragons were found with the two species of darter being the commonest. Other late season specials included Brown and Migrant Hawkers while some of the earlier emerging species still showing were Four-spotted Chaser, Emperor and a Black-tailed Skimmer.

F-s Chaser, Ruddy Darter and Black-tailed Skimmer.

It was good to see a decent number of Common Blues (butterflies this time!) after what seems to have been a string of fairly poor seasons. Also present were several Brown Argus while several new looking Peacocks and Red Admirals were noted. After last month's abundance of browns there were only a few Meadow Browns and Ringlets hanging on though rather more Gatekeepers were found. Large Skippers are at the end of their season but I managed to find three today. Rounding off the list were an assortment of the common whites.

Common Blue, Brown Argus and Ringlet.