Well it looks as if Alan and I's visit to Summer Leys was a day too early as today it hosted a juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper - !!$@!. On the subject of yesterday I learnt from reading the Northamptonshire Birding blog that the colour ringed Great White Egret that we saw was rung as a nestling at Ham Wall in Somerset this year, it's good to know where at least some of our birds come from.
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| Treecreeper and a welcome non eclipse drake Mallard! |
On to today and I took a trip over to Oundle on the X4 with a view to visiting Barnwell CP. A warm and sunny morning made me hope that I might see some odes and I did, just not quite as many as I'd hoped for. Late season specialities such as Common Darter, Migrant Hawker and Willow Emerald dominated but I also saw a Blue-tailed and a latish Red-eyed Damselfly. Mill Lake hosted a few Small Red-eyeds too but numbers of everything seemed low. Butterflies were few and far between, two Commas, the same number of Red Admirals and some Speckled Woods were the only species other than the still numerous whites. Best birds were a couple of Mandarins and I heard a Kingfisher too as it sped along the river.
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| Red-eyed Damselfly and Banded Demoiselle. |
By eleven the numbers of people were beginning to build and I took the option of having a walk along the Nene. Just as well that it was a lovely walk as I didn't see much wildlife on my travels! A male Banded Demoiselle was the only highlight and I made my way into town. I was grateful for the bus shelter as the heavens opened and the thunder and lightning rolled in just after I got there - better timing on this occasion than yesterday!
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| Common Wainscot Moth |
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