Popped In For A Chat

 A bit of local spotting today in the Corby and Weldon area where the weather pretty much played out as forecast. The morning was breezy but quite sunny before clouds began to build in the early afternoon leading to the odd drip of drizzle before I made my way home.

Southern Hawker and Small Copper

Beginning at Weldon Industrial Estate I started my day with a half decent view of a Southern Hawker. Nearby Willowbrook Industrial played host to a couple of Emperors, a Brown Hawker and a good number of Common Darters. Gatekeepers were the commonest butterflies though Meadow Browns ran them fairly close. Other species included Common Blues but it was a Small Copper that stole the show. There were no birds to report aside from a few Meadow Pipits and I made my way to Priors Hall.

Stonechats

In the North Gullet a family party of Stonechats were a welcome discovery. A pair lingered long into Spring and it seems as if they had a good reason to do so! Stonechats are rare breeders in the county and I wouldn't normally reveal locations but this pair and their young are in a fenced off area closed to the public. Few other birds were noted but a few insects did show themselves. Best ode was a newly emerged Willow Emerald while the most interesting butterfly was a fresh looking Brown Argus.

Common Darter and Willow Emerald

By the time that I'd got round to the ponds the sun had all but disappeared and finding insects became increasingly difficult. Another Small Copper was a good discovery while both Ringlet and Marbled White may be the last that I see this year, both are coming to the end of their season. Six-spotted Burnet moths were drawn to knapweed and thistle flowers but by now as the clouds thickened I decided to pull the plug before the expected rain arrived.

Ruddy Darter and Brown Argus.

Skipper Surprise At Spanhoe

 There have been more than a few records of Crossbills over the past month or so suggesting that an influx may be underway. For this reason Alan Shorrock and I popped along to Wakerley Wood this morning as it's one of the most reliable sites in the county for these large finches. Sadly for us we didn't manage to connect with any and the wood was fairly quiet for birds in general though we did see and hear at least two Ravens. Lucky for us then that the weather was good enough to bring out some butterflies and we enjoyed a fairly productive saunter around.

Silver-washed Fritillary, White Admiral and Gatekeeper

The ride near the carpark seemed to be alive with butterflies and we soon began to build up a decent day list. Although several White Admirals were easily outnumbered by the many Silver-washed Fritillaries it was these classy butterflies that stole the show. I've not had my best year for White Admirals so all sightings are greatly appreciated. Sharing their airspace were good numbers of both Peacocks and Red Admirals with a few fresh looking Brimstones keeping them company. Other highlights that stick out in my mind were a Brown Argus, Holly Blue and Essex Skipper. Not that many odes were observed with just a few Brown Hawkers, an Emperor and a female Banded Demoiselle being noted.

Brimstone, Essex Skipper and Banded Demoiselle

Not too far away at Spanhoe Quarry a stiff breeze was blowing which meant that most insect activity was taking place in the more sheltered spots. One big surprise  was the discovery of a fresh looking Dingy Skipper suggesting a rare second brood. Dingies apparently do have another brood in southern England but it is quite a rare event in Northants, it was certainly the first time that I've seen one in late July! Other species to add to our growing list included Marbled White while Shozzer saw a Small Copper. With not much else of note to add we headed off to the George in Weldon for a well earned pint.

Dingy Skipper

Plan B

 Phil Rogers, Alan Shorrock and I had originally planned to pop down to Suffolk today in search of some Queen of Spain Fritillaries. News that they were more likely to be of captive origin and not migrants from continental Europe was enough to persuade us to abandon the trip. An alternative plan came in the shape of a visit to Bedford Purlieus where there were just enough sunny spells to bring out the butterflies.

White-lettered Hairstreak, Brown Argus and Silver-washed Fritillary

One of the first species to show was White-lettered Hairstreak, the Majoram growing in the ride seemed to attract quite a lot of them down, at least twenty were noted. Another species doing well was Brown Argus and plenty of fresh looking specimens were seen. Lots of Silver-washed Fritillaries were also on the wing, I'd estimate as many as fifty were found along the main ride. In total seventeen species where observed and these included some fresh looking Peacocks and Holly Blues. Some dragonflies also attracted our attention, Brown Hawker was the commonest but Emperors, a Southern Hawker and a few Common Darters were also showing. Best bird was a Crossbill which called loudly as it passed overhead.

Peacock, Holly Blue and Southern Hawker

In the open area adjacent to the wood three further butterflies were added to the day list with the pick being some tatty looking Dark Green Fritillaries. Their season is coming to an end so I was glad to see them before they finish until next year.

Dark Green Fritillary and Roesel's Bush-cricket

A Walk Before Work

 I'm doing late shifts this week which means that I have a little bit of time before I start my working day. This gave me the opportunity to take a stroll around Brookfield Plantation today which is only ten minutes away from my place of work. The weather was pretty obliging as there were some fairly lengthy periods of sunshine and this brought out a good number of butterflies.

A quartet of browns.

On my walk through Willowbrook Industrial Estate I saw a very fresh looking Common Blue though as my camera was in my backpack I didn't get a pic. Arriving at Brookfield both bins and camera  came into play and there was plenty to view with them. Masses of Ringlets continue to frequent the rides though some are beginning to look more than a little rough. Almost as common were Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers, all three species were enjoying the nectary delights of Ragweed. Marbled Whites are still on the wing though there getting towards the end of their season, some fresh looking Speckled Woods are at the opposite end of their season. Close to the entrance at least two Silver-washed Fritillaries were nectaring on thistles sharing them with Red Admirals and Commas. I eventually managed to drag myself away from the area near the entrance and headed off into the wood.

Silver-washed Frits, Red Admiral, Green-veined and

 Small White

Three species of skippers were on the wing today, Large were the commonest but the most interesting were my first Essex  of the year. I got the chance to compare them to the very similar Small Skippers when they calmed down a bit during the cloudier periods. As well as the hordes of browns there were good numbers of whites, Green-veined Whites were the most numerous but Large and Small were also present in good numbers. At the crossroads in the middle of the wood a female Silver-washed Frit showed very well as she nectared on Ragwort. By now the spectre of work was looming and I had to head back towards the road. Not much else to report, odes were in short supply with just singles of Ruddy and Common Darters, a Brown Hawker and a Common Blue Damsel were the only species on show.

Essex, Small and Large Skippers and Comma

Rutland In The Rain

 I had a day off today to make up for the fact that I have to work on this coming Saturday. With the weather once again looking far from insect friendly I headed over to Rutland Water in the company of Alan Shorrock. Birding at this time of the year is usually a bit dull and sadly for us that was pretty much the case today.

Small Copper and Comma

Despite what was largely a grey day there were a few insects braving the conditions with butterflies in particular showing fairly well. The highlight amongst them was a fresh looking Small Copper which was only my second of the year. Commas continued their good showing with at least two being noted, there were even more Red Admirals seen. Browns and whites made up the rest of the list apart that is from a single Small Tortoiseshell. Not too many odes were on show with a Southern Hawker and a few Common Blue Damselflies the only confirmed species today. Other wildlife was in short supply, it was down to some not so wild life to make the news. Three fairly well grown kittens had taken up station below a bird feeder near the centre, they had disappeared by the time we had finished our stroll. Whether it was the rain or perhaps the reserve staff that moved them on will remain a mystery!

Yellow-legged Gull and Common Sandpipers

Best bird today was probably Osprey and we enjoyed several sightings of birds during our visit. A few Little Ringed Plovers and two Common Sandpipers were the only waders other than Lapwing on view while a Yellow-legged Gull was the only other noteworthy bird. As the afternoon wore on the rain got heavier and the showers more frequent so we decided to call it quits and head for home.

Osprey

Frampton Again

 Alan Shorrock and I took a trip over to Frampton Marsh today, an unpromising weather forecast had ruled out any insect watching closer to home. We had hoped to catch up with the nesting Black-winged Stilts, I'd already seen them here but it was Alan's first go. Our efforts to see the stilts were more successful than our attempts to avoid the rain!

Pink-footed Goose and Spoonbills

We began at the visitor centre where a small selection of waders were overshadowed to some extent by a few Spoonbills dotted around the lake. A short distance from the centre was an unseasonal Pink-footed Goose, it was nice to see one without having to endure winter chills in the process. Our next stop was the 360 hide from where a large number of Avocets were noted. Not too far away an adult and a juvenile Black-winged Stilt showed fairly well, they were seen several more times during our walk. I couldn't convince myself that I'd seen the reported drake American Wigeon from East Hide but I was happy with a Mediterranean Gull that was on one of the islands. More than five Spotted Redshanks were present on the reserve but there appeared to be few other passage waders on the reserve today.

Black-winged Stilts.

Having left the hide we then set out for the sea wall though by now some rain had begun to fall. It got progressively heavier as we strolled and by the time we had walked along the bank both of us were thoroughly drenched. It's been some time since I got such a soaking and between you and me I'd be happy if it's even longer until the next one! A Sandwich Tern was the only bird of note but by this time my enthusiasm had waned and I was grateful to get back to the car.

Waders