Echoes

 A grey start to the day soon gave way to some sunnier conditions which made my walk in the Weldon area very nice indeed. As well as visiting the village itself I extended my stroll as far as Priors Hall where I had a look at some of the ponds.

Meadow Pipit and Peacock

Nothing to report from the A43 pond and the South Gullet at Priors Hall was quiet too apart from a few Siskins. My arrival at the ponds coincided with the sun breaking through the clouds and this led to the emergence of rather a lot of Common Darters. Over fifty were noted and these included many ovipositing pairs. Half a dozen Willow Emeralds were seen too and these almost matched my latest ever seen last year on the 15th. I wonder if the mildness continues how long the emeralds can go on for. It wasn't just the odes enjoying the sunshine as a Peacock was seen too and this one actually hung around long enough for me to get some pictures. Several Siskins and a Kingfisher provided the bird interest.

Willow Emerald and Common Darters

Returning to Weldon I decided to have a look at the pond in the Woodland Park where more darters and emeralds were seen. My highlight here was a Migrant Hawker which may be my latest sighting ever. I couldn't get a pic but it was still nice to see three species of ode so late in the year, a real echo of summer. Content with my haul I headed off to catch my bus by way of the George.