Skippers

 I spent this morning at Priors Hall where the weather held out long enough for me to see some decent stuff. Although the clouds did eventually roll in it stayed dry for the most part and I managed to get to my return bus without getting wet.

Gatekeeper and Small Skipper.

A first Gatekeeper of the year was one of the early butterflies that I noted and it joined the many Marbled Whites, Meadow Browns and Ringlets winging their way around the site. Plenty of little skippers were whizzing about and the few that landed long enough to check were identified as Small. Their (slightly) bigger cousins, Large Skippers, also showed well and they seemed far less frenetic than the hyperactive Smalls. Speckled Woods and Small Heaths took my total of browns up to six, July really is the best month for this family. Large Whites after a slow start are now beginning to appear on a regular basis and two or three were noted today. Other whites showing were Small and Green-veined, they're present in only small numbers at the moment but that will change fairly soon.

Ruddy Darter, Emperor and Black-tailed Skimmers.

My walk around the ponds added both Common and Ruddy Darters to my county year list though the former was somewhat camera shy. Other dragons included Emperor, Brown Hawker, Black-tailed Skimmer and both Broad-bodied and Four-spotted Chasers. Nothing too interesting among the damsels, I had hoped for a Willow Emerald but will have to wait a little longer. As the sun had now retreated behind some formidable looking clouds I began to head towards the gate but spent a little bit of time checking the grassland for more butterflies on the way.

Green-veined White and Broad-bodied Chaser.

The greyer conditions had slowed the skippers down a little and I was able to photograph quite a few which helped me to find my first Essex Skipper of the year. Several day flying moths included a Six-spotted Burnet and a Mint Moth. No birds of interest to report and there were no mammals about either so I made my way back along the A43 to Weldon where I made a pit stop in the George before catching my bus home.

Essex Skipper and Mint Moth.