Damsels At Deene And Deenethorpe

 Another day spent locally with my day beginning with a bus ride to Upper Benefield from where I walked home. The weather conditions were pretty good and I enjoyed a decent if unspectacular day.

The early part of my walk was uneventful with little of note between Upper Benefield and Deene Lake. At the lake a good number of Willow Emeralds were present between the church and the dam. Other species included Small Red-eyed and Common Blue while there were Banded Demoiselles on the stream. Not much in the way of birds on the main lake though a Grey Wagtail was seen near the stream. At he inflow the water level was high and a Green Sandpiper was the only thing of note.

Grey Wagtail and Green Sandpiper.

Across the A43 at Deenethorpe I enjoyed a decent spell watching damsels at the stream. Good numbers of Banded Demoiselles remain and they were very active in the sunshine. Several Blue-tailed Damselflies were present but they were frequently disturbed by a highly territorial male Small Red-eyed. Best sighting was of a male White-legged Damselfly which managed to shake off the attentions of that red-eyed when patrolling the stream. Not much else of note other than a Kingfisher which was heard several times.

Willow Emerald and Small Red-eyed Damselfly

Deenethorpe airfield was a little on the quiet side though two veteran flyers in the form of a Meadow Brown and a Gatekeeper were seen. Lots of Migrant Hawkers and Common Darters were present on the edge of Weldon Park Wood while both Speckled Woods and Small Heaths showed well. Nothing much else to report other than a silvery looking bee which looked a bit like a Shrill Carder Bee. A bit of further research leads me to think that the bee in question is an old Common Carder Bee that has been sun bleached.

Banded Demoiselles, White-legged Damselfly and bee.