Finishing On A High

 My last day off before I have to go back to work tomorrow and I have to say it turned out OK. Today's weather was somewhat cloudier than yesterday's though it was still pretty warm. My plan was to visit Priors Hall to look for Downy Emeralds and I walked there via Willowbrook Industrial Estate and the two gullets.

Grizzled Skipper and Fallow Deer.

A Grizzled Skipper was seen on the verge opposite the Morrison's warehouse, another was noted close to the old speedway. Other butterflies included Small Heath, Common Blue, Dingy Skipper and Brown Argus. A single Common Blue Damselfly was the only ode on view while a herd of Fallow Deer represented the other wildlife.

Lapwing, Small Heath and Dingy Skipper

In the north and south gullets at Priors Hall a similar selection of butterflies were noted and there was also a good number of Burnet Companions on the wing. Around the ponds I couldn't find any Downy Emeralds but did see a male Scarce Chaser holding territory. Plenty of its Four-spotted cousins were emerging from the ponds and there were a few Hairy Dragonflies joining a small selection of damsels. Nearby at Weldon a Brown Argus and a Dingy Skipper were the highlights. I thought my nature spotting had come to an end when I joined my family in The George for a meal but it turned out that I was a little premature in packing my bins away.

Scarce Chaser and Brown Argus

A text from Phil Rogers when I got home alerted me to the presence of a male Red-necked Phalarope at Eyebrook. Luckily I was able to scrounge a lift and soon found myself in the company of Mr Rogers watching the bird. Some dodgy record shots of what was a distant bird followed, the views through the scope were far better. Happy with my sighting I let Alan know and left once he'd arrived and seen the bird.

Phalarope record shots.

Afternoon Wander

 I spent a very enjoyable morning wandering around Oundle with my wife Sandra. A first visit to the NVB Tap and Kitchen will not be the last, where else can you enjoy good food and excellent beer while watching dragons and damsels? Several Hairies and a selection of damsels were on offer today, I suspect Scarce Chasers may also be a possibility when mature examples return to the river.

Brown Argus, Green Hairstreak and Dingy Skipper.

Once I'd got back to Corby I shoved a pair of bins and a camera into a bag with a bottle of water and set off for a stroll. On what might have been the hottest afternoon of the year so far I was far from ambitious in my wanderings and settled for a look at Willowbrook Industrial Estate and Brookfield Plantation. The part of Willowbrook adjacent to Cockerell Road turned out to be good for butterflies though many were very active in the strong sunshine. Highlight was my first Brown Argus of the year which graciously settled long enough for me to photograph it. Other goodies included a Green Hairstreak and Dingy Skipper and there were good numbers of Common Blues on the wing as well as a single Small Heath.

Grizzled Skipper, Red Admiral and Four-spotted Chaser

Nearby at Brookfield another Brown Argus was seen followed shortly afterwards by a Grizzled Skipper. More Common Blues were here too, it seems as if they might enjoy a good season. Other butterflies on the wing included Peacock, Red Admiral, plenty of Speckled Woods and a couple of Dingy Skippers. Brookfield is normally fairly poor for odes but I did manage to find four species today. A Four-spotted Chaser was joined on the list by Large Red, Azure and Common Blue Damselflies. Other wildlife included a small group of Fallow Deer and a snoozing Peregrine at their usual spot.

Fallow Deer and snoozing Peregrine.

Skippers And Demoiselles

 A day spent in the company of Alan Shorrock which saw us dividing our time between Fermyn Wood CP and Finedon Slips. Our first location saw us looking mainly for butterflies while at Finedon our focus switched to damselflies. The weather was very cooperative with long periods of sunshine and a light breeze proving to be almost ideal for insects.

Grizzled Skipper, Common Blue, Dingy Skipper and Burnet Companion

Ten plus Grizzled and two Dingy Skipper were my first county ones of the year at Fermyn where county year tick Common Blues were also noted. A few day flying moths were also on the wing with Cinnabar, Common Heath and Burnet Companion being seen. Dragonflies at the ponds included a Four-spotted Chaser and at least two Hairies while Large Red and Azure Damselflies were also active. Best bird on offer was a Cuckoo while a Lesser Whitethroat was heard singing.

Four-spotted and Scarce Chasers and Banded Demoiselles

Finedon Slips lived up to expectation by delivering views of Beautiful Demoiselles with three males and five females. I enjoyed watching their behaviour, two of the males spent over five minutes having an on and off spat over territory before eventually going their separate ways. A third male seemed far cannier as he sat on brambles on the other side of the road with five females keeping him company! Banded Demoiselles and Azure Damselflies were also seen while the only dragon was a fresh looking female Scarce Chaser. Butterflies noted along the stream included Brimstone, Orange-tip, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell. Several brief views of Kingfisher were the only bird sightings of note.

Willow Warbler and Carrion Crow

Brief Encounters

 My wife had an appointment at the hospital in Kettering which gave me an opportunity to pop into Wicksteed Park. With time at something of a premium I more or less headed straight for the fishing lake, had a quick look, took a few pictures and then headed off again. Today's weather was a little cloudier than yesterday but that did not prevent me from seeing plenty of damsels in waterside nettles.

Variable Damselflies

My main target were the population of Variable Damselflies that make this site their home and there were plenty about. This county scarcity is doing well here making this the best spot in Northants to catch up with them. I saw fifty plus with most in the nettle beds between the main and fishing lakes and there were a few more around the fishing lake itself. Although I didn't see any dragons I did see Azure, Blue-tailed, Red-eyed and Common Blue damselflies. Someone is doing work on land adjacent to the park which seems to involve altering the path of the stream. Whether this has an effect on the damsel population in the park is uncertain as the streamside vegetation used to shelter many maturing individuals.

Red-eyed, Variable, Blue-tailed and Common Blue Damsels

Not much else to report, a singing Cetti's Warbler was my first here for a while and there were ten plus Herring Gulls on the main lake which are presumably non breeders.

Great Spotted Woodpecker

OK At Oundle

 I have a couple of days off and spent a part of the first of them visiting the Oundle area incorporating a stroll around Barnwell CP on my travels. With the weather forecast looking promising I was optimistic about seeing a few dragons and damsels and was not too disappointed with the results. Birding however was a bit of a let down, the floods near the A605 held many Black-headed Gulls and some Lapwings but a late drake Teal was the highlight. One other bright spot on the bird front was a Kingfisher glimpsed near the Oundle Mill before it sped off up river.

Four-spotted and Scarce Chasers

Three species of dragon included my first Four-spotted Chasers of the year including two at Barnwell. Also making it on to the list was a Scarce Chaser and about half a dozen Hairies though none of the latter settled where I could see them. Commonest damsels on view were Banded Demoiselles and Red-eyeds along the river while at Barnwell Azures were present in good numbers. Other species on show were Large Red, Common Blue and Blue-tailed.

Damselfly selection

Butterflies were fairly scarce today, a few Brimstones and a Small Tortoiseshells were presumably survivors of the wintering generation. A Small White and several Orange-tips were joined by a Speckled Wood and a Holly Blue. With a pre booked dinner appointment to consider I couldn't hang around for too long and so caught my bus home after having several pints in the Rose and Crown.

Holly Blue and Brimstone

No Sleeping In Beds

 I joined Alan Shorrock and Phil Rogers for an out of county sortie to Bedfordshire in search of some of the scarcer butterflies. Unlike those uncooperative Chequered Skippers from Fineshade today's targets for the most part decided to play ball. Although the breeze was pretty strong and there was also an unwelcome but mercifully short cloudy spell for the most part the weather was warm and sunny making me wish that I'd put some sun cream on!

Corn Bunting and Dingy Skipper

We began at Totternhoe which is a chalky grass and scrubby area on the site of an old quarry. It's known for its populations of Duke of Burgundy Fritillaries and Small Blues and it was the hope of seeing these that drew us there. Both were formerly residents of Northamptonshire but our Dukes disappeared in the last millennium while the blues' demise was more recent. Our first interesting sighting was not a butterfly but a bird, a Corn Bunting was heard and then seen, there were at least two on site. A Dingy Skipper on the path to the quarry was my first of the year, I saw about half a dozen in total during my visit. Alan then found a Small Blue which posed for some pictures, we saw at least two more along the same stretch of path.

Duke of Burgundy

We reached the quarry just as the cloud cover increased and things started to look a little challenging. A few Brimstones were noted and Phil found a Small Heath hunkering down in the grass but butterflies were few in number. Two other lepers that we met shared the news that they had just seen at least four Dukes at the bottom of the quarry. Armed with this encouraging information we headed off in that direction. Soon we found ourselves in the august company of several Dukes which obliged us by posing for plenty of pictures. Leaving them behind we scaled the steep slopes as we headed back towards the car park. Arriving at the top of the quarry we were met by another Duke and also my first Common Blue of the year. There was not much else to report from here and we headed off for a pint and a spot of lunch at the White Horse near Woburn.

Small Blue

On the way home we made a brief stop at Salcey Forest hoping that we might find a Wood White or two. Sadly the Wood Whites mirrored the elusive behaviour of yesterday's skippers and we didn't see any. With little else on offer we upped sticks and headed back to Corby.

Common Blue and Small Heath