Winning Start

 Quite a cool start this morning with plenty of clouds and a stiff breeze to contend with. I took a local stroll around Willowbrook Industrial Estate and Priors Hall enjoying a reasonable if not spectacular day.

Small White and Small Heath

Not surprisingly given the conditions insects proved to be a little hard to find. My first butterfly of the day, a Small White, flew into a spider's web and I watched on fascinated as the occupant set about the grim business of despatching and then trussing up its victim. A Small Heath was flushed out of cover and fluttered off in search of more shelter. Speckled Woods were the only butterflies that seemed able to cope with the conditions and there were quite a few on the wing here and around the ponds at Priors Hall. At this time of the year I always hope to catch up with migrant birds and today I managed to find a Whinchat. It was always distant but I managed a few record shots before it dropped down into cover. The arrival of some motorbikes made the decision to move on an easy one and I made my way to the neighbouring Priors Hall.

Whinchat

Neither of the gullets at Priors Hall produced anything of note and I walked on to the ponds. A few sunny spells interspersed with some showers were beginning to develop though I still managed to find a few more insects despite the rain. A Redpoll was the only bird of note seen during this part of my walk, I'd hoped to catch up with more migrants but it wasn't to be. Some Common Blue butterflies were noted and there were at least two Red Admirals too. One Six-spotted Burnet was found, it doesn't seem to have been one of their better years. On the ode front a female Emerald was the highlight, other damsels included a Blue-tailed and a few Common Blues. Commonest dragonfly was Ruddy Darter with half a dozen on show. Other dragons were Common Darter, Emperor, Migrant Hawker and a Black-tailed Skimmer. A lunch appointment with my wife was reason enough to leave earlier than normal and I made my way to Weldon to catch the bus home.

Emerald, Ruddy Darter and Rabbit

Migrant Makes The Morning

 I was having a pre work and post shopping trip sit in the garden when I was distracted by the arrival of a Hummingbird Hawkmoth popping in for a sip of nectar. Attracted as usual to the Buddleia flowers it hung around long enough for me to grab some photos. This is the second one to call by but I didn't have my camera to hand for the first one. A scarce but regular migrant from the Med it's always a pleasure when our paths cross. makes even the prospect of work a little less dreary!

A Dip At Pitsford

 Sunday's crew reunited for a visit to Pitsford Reservoir where the targets were any of the Lesser Emperors that have been reported recently. When we first arrived we were greeted by cloudy skies and even a light rain shower - far from promising weather for would be dragonfly spotters! Happily the weather picked up and we were treated to long spells of unbroken sunshine, unhappily we were not treated to any views of Lesser Emperors.

Emperor, Migrant Hawker and Black-tailed Skimmer

Our hike to the Birdclub Hide produced sightings of Common and Ruddy Darters and also a Black-tailed Skimmer while damsels included plenty of Common Blues and a female Banded Demoiselle. Best butterfly was a Small Heath, we didn't see any birds of interest. Our Lesser Emperorless vigil from the hide did add Emperors and Migrant Hawkers to the day list and also Small Red-eyed Damselflies while two Great White Egrets provided the avian highlight. After a couple of hours we threw in the towel and made our way back towards the causeway. On the way Phil found a Small Copper and we also saw a couple of tatty looking Common Blues of the butterfly variety.

Small Heath, Small Copper and Common Blue.

We spent some time on the bank near the moored fishing boats with no success before moving to Goosander Hide. Not much to add from here other than a Brown Hawker and we left soon after. Red Admirals, Commas and a Peacock were nectaring on buddleia next to the car park and they were the last things of interest that we saw before heading back to Corby.

Red Admiral

Sussex Gives Me The Blues

 Last week's A-team of butterfly twitchers set off once again this morning as Phil, Alan and I headed south to West Sussex in search of Long-tailed Blues. There had been quite a few encouraging reports coming out of Lancing Ring near Shoreham and with the weather looking promising we decided to roll the dice. Things worked out in our favour, a hassle free journey down the M1 and the M25 providing the perfect start. Sunny skies met us on our arrival and we set out with grounds for optimism.

Wall Browns

It did not take too long for things to kick off with several Wall Browns a very welcome sight indeed. I'm old enough to remember seeing them in Northants but they've been gone from us for far too long. On our way to the spot where the blues had been reported we met two fellas that had some positive news to share, they had seen at least one Long-tailed already. We checked the area where the butterfly had been seen with no result though two other lepers reported having seen one too. In a spot sheltered from the breeze a Long-tailed Blue was seen flitting around but was constantly drawn into conflict with another. At first it didn't look as if they would settle and so I amused myself by going off to look at a Brown Hairstreak that someone had found close by. After enjoying some good views I returned to the area where the LTB's were performing and settled in for a potentially long wait.

Brown Hairstreak

Our wait actually proved to be a short one as a male appeared and then delighted us all by settling down on a grass stem. For the next quarter hour we were treated to great views of him, he occasionally rose up to fight off interlopers but always returned to the same area. Eventually we decided that it was time to move on towards an area of open country nearby. Luck seemed to be on our side as shortly after we found another territorial LTB that had adopted a patch of nettles as his territory. This scruffier individual jostled with at least one other Long-tailed as well as a few passing Holly Blues and we had some great views. The breeze was too strong to enjoy the open area and so we decided to head back to the car. In all five Long-tailed Blues were seen and they were a new UK species for all of us. A celebratory pint was called for in a local pub and after a good lunch we began the journey home. 

Long-tailed Blues

Saturday Stroll

 I undertook a bit of a trek today as I walked to Deene Lake and back taking in Willowbrook Industrial Estate, Deenethorpe and Weldon on my travels. The weather was a mix of sunny spells and clouds with a stiff westerly breeze blowing. I'd hoped to catch up with some passerine migrants but struggled to find any birds of interest and so was grateful that there were a few insects to enjoy.

Painted Lady and Small Heath

There was nothing of interest to slow me down during the early part of walk as I passed through Willowbrook. Things began to pick up as I strolled along the footpath that runs parallel to Kirby Lane. Good numbers of Common Darters were present in the more sheltered spots and there was also a selection of butterflies. Of most interest was a Painted Lady as it's not been one of the better years for this migrant species. Small Heaths are beginning to appear in numbers now and I saw them both here and at Deenethorpe Airfield. Other species in the area included Common Blue, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper.

Willow Emerald and Small Red-eyed Damselfly

Deene churchyard had both Red Admirals and a Comma on show nectaring on the flowers of white Buddleia. Nearby at the lake ten plus Willow Emeralds were the pick of the odes, other damsels seen were Small Red-eyed, Blue-tailed, Common Blue and Banded Demoiselle. Very few dragons seemed inclined to brave the wind, I only saw an Emperor and a few Common Darters. A short distance away at Deenethorpe a male White-legged Damselfly was a good find, their season is coming to an end. At the airfield there was a similar selection of butterflies as there was at Kirby Lane though ten plus Brown Argus were also seen. As I returned along the A427 it didn't take long to realise that the road was open to traffic once again. Good news for my feet as it turned out because I treated them to a trip on the X4 once I'd had a couple of pints at the George.

White-legged Damselfly and Brown Argus

Ringlets Holding On

 With the weather finally behaving itself I was tempted into taking an after work stroll around Brookfield Plantation. I stopped at the Peregrine site on my way and was rewarded with views of one before it flew off. A long period of sunshine during my walk through the wood allowed me to catch up with a few insects.

Ringlet and Large Skipper

Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers greeted me on my arrival and there were Common Blues flitting around too. Patches of Ragwort attracted a couple of Large Skippers as well as two Peacocks. A stroll along one of the rides provided views of rather a lot of Speckled Woods but it was the first of two Ringlets that caught me by surprise. I hadn't seen one for about ten days or more and thought they were finished for the year! Several whites were fluttering around but I only identified Green-veined for certain.

Ruddy and Common Darters

The sunshine worked its magic on dragonflies too and I managed to grab shots of both Common and Ruddy Darter. I couldn't achieve the same success with any of the Migrant or Brown Hawkers that were hunting around the plantation as none seemed inclined to settle. At one point I was standing near the entrance and found myself in the middle of about twenty Migrants all hunting at head height or lower. Some passed within inches of my head and I could hear their wings as they flashed past. It's nice when common species can provide such a memorable moment. Not much else to report other than a large mixed flock of tits and others picking their way through the foliage.

Peregrine, Blue and Long-tailed Tit.

Butterfly Road Trip

 Phil Rogers, Alan Shorrock and I took a cross border trip into the wilds of Oxfordshire in search of interesting butterflies. August is traditionally quieter than July for butterflies but there are a couple of late bloomers and second brooders that can make it a very interesting month indeed. While the weather was often somewhat marginal there was just enough of the good stuff to make for a decent day.

Brown Hairstreaks

We began our day at Otmoor where our arrival coincided with a fairly sharp rain shower. Eventually the rain passed and we could begin our search for Brown Hairstreaks in earnest. It was a little slow to get going but after a while Shozzer found a faded looking individual nectaring on a thistle. Happily for us it posed for pictures before fluttering off into a nearby Blackthorn. This same shrub played host to at least one other Brown Hairstreak though this one looked rather faded as well. A short distance away a third but much brighter individual was noted and this one was a beauty! Having taken plenty of pics we began to retrace our steps to the car park. Other wildlife on offer included a Raven, a trio of hawkers - Brown, Southern and Migrant, both darters and a selection of the commoner butterflies.

Chalkhill Blue and Brown Argus

After a very good pub lunch we made our way to Aston Rowant on the Oxfordshire/Buckinghamshire border in search of Silver-spotted Skippers. Conditions here were challenging as a stiff breeze was blowing across the site and there was also some pretty thick clouds obscuring the sun. First to pique the interest was a Chalkhill Blue, we were to see ten plus on our walk around. Lots of Brown Argus were joined by several Common Blues but many butterflies were probably sheltering from the wind. In a more sheltered part of the site a gorgeous looking male Adonis Blue was found and photographed. I was beginning to think that the skippers might elude us, other lepers had told us that numbers were still low. All thoughts of dipping however were thankfully pushed aside when one was found hunkering down in some grass. Satisfied with the day's haul we set off back to the car and made our way home.

Adonis Blue and Silver-spotted Skipper

Small Red-eyes

 A cloudy morning with just a few sunny spells greeted me this morning as I made my way to Willowbrook Industrial estate in Corby. I'd rather have caught the bus but a no show on its part meant I had to walk there and back. My idea was to look for migrants with thoughts of Wheatears and Whinchats foremost in my mind but I'm sorry to report that none were on view.

Brown Argus, Gatekeeper and Common Blue.

As is often the case at this time of year it was down to insects to save an otherwise dull day. Brown Argus butterflies appear to be enjoying a good second brood at the moment and at least half a dozen were noted. Also seemingly doing well this year are Gatekeepers and there are still quite a few on the wing, they were joined by several Meadow Browns as well. Only one dragonfly showed here and that was a Common Darter.

Holly Blue and Tufted Duckling

My travels next took me to Weldon where a look at the A43 pond produced a sighting of some Tufted Duck ducklings. This is a regular breeding spot for this species and there appeared to be two broods though only three youngsters seem to have survived. A single Holly Blue was seen and so too was a Blue-tailed Damselfly. My final stop of the day was at the pond in the Woodland Park where a few sunny periods brought a few odes out. Highlights were my first county Small Red-eyed Damselflies of the year which were joined by Red-eyed and Common Blue Damselflies. An Emperor was patrolling the pond and there were a few Banded Demoiselles along the stream.

Small Red-eyed and Red-eyed Damselflies.