Oh You Beauties....Eventually!

 Checking the weather forecast as I waited for the week to end was no help at all as it changed on a daily basis. Everything from rain to sunshine had been thrown into the mix and thus it was with a sense of uncertainty that Alan Shorrock and I ventured over to Burton Latimer Pocket Park on the hunt for Beautiful Demoiselles. Initially things looked far from promising as wall to wall clouds dominated the scene but eventually the sun did peek through and things picked up a little.

White-legged Damselfly, Painted Lady and Kestrel

A White-legged Damselfly was the first and for some time only highlight as the weather dented our efforts to find the demoiselles. Gradually conditions improved slightly and a few Meadow Browns began to venture out. Both Blue-tailed and Common Blue Damselflies were found sheltering in the grass but it wasn't until the sun began to break through that things really began to pick up. A female demoiselle aroused some curiosity as its brownish wings looked good for Beautiful but regardless of what it actually was a sparrow snatched it out of the air as it fluttered weakly away. Banded Demoiselles began to show in reasonable numbers and there were several Red-eyeds settling on the lily pads. Best butterflies were Painted Lady and Small Skipper though in truth there were not that many on the wing. Having failed to catch up with the hoped for Beautifuls Alan suggested a trip to the Ise between Great Harrowden and Finedon for another attempt.

Banded Demoiselle, Blue-tailed and Large Red Damselflies

This proved to be a good idea as our arrival coincided with one of the few longer sunny spells which brought out a decent number of damselflies. At first it was Banded Demoiselles that showed well and they had a Large Red keeping them company. After a short time a male Beautiful was found resting on streamside vegetation and we had some decent views. It turned out that it wasn't a solo performance either as at least two more were noted soon after. Also seen in the same area was a adult male White-legged Damsel while Alan saw an Emerald briefly on two occasions and glimpsed what was likely to have been a female Beautiful. Not much else to report though several Kingfishers were heard moving through suggesting either a pair or a family party. Clouds and a few drops of rain persuaded us to bring things to a close and we headed off to a local pub for a well deserved pint.

Beautiful Demoiselles and Catalina