What A Belter!

 Just a relatively short walk today around Brookfield Plantation and some of the neighbouring areas. The weather was good enough to bring some insects out and good views of Raven made up for a lack of Peregrines. Nothing too exciting to report but a nice way of spending my bank holiday morning.

Raven and Common Blue

While walking through Willowbrook Industrial Estate the calls of a Raven  alerted me to one sitting on top of a pylon. It flew off before I could retrieve my camera from my backpack but did the decent thing by returning to land on the same pylon after a short flight. I grabbed a few pictures of it before continuing with my stroll. Brookfield was quiet when I arrived, a hooting Tawny Owl was the first thing of note. A male Common Blue butterfly flitted around but did not land, he seemed intent on his search for a mate. Many of the rides were shaded but in one small sunlit patch a group of eight or nine Speckled Woods were gathered and acted in a far more sociable way than they normally do. Three were perched wing to wing creating an Orion's Belt of butterflies, pretty unusual for what is normally such an aggressive species.

Speckled Woods

My walk took me to the clearing in the middle where many of the rides intersect. This area was bathed in sunshine and both Common and Ruddy Darters were enjoying the warmth. From here I took the path that brought me out of the wood near the flooded quarry on the way to Gretton. The field here harboured several late Meadow Browns and a few Small Heaths as well as another Common Blue. It was still quite breezy and in the shelter provided by the hedge Migrant and Brown Hawkers were hunting while Common Darters basked in the sunshine. A single female Willow Emerald was my only damsel of the day, they may not be the scarcities that they once were but they are still a very attractive species.

Brown Hawker, Willow Emerald and Meadow Brown

By the time I arrived back in the plantation more of the rides were sunny and as a result I saw more insects. Migrant and Southern Hawkers showed well and in good numbers, several perched up to provide photographic opportunities. New butterflies for the day included a Gatekeeper and several Small Whites nectaring on Ragwort. I'd have liked to stay longer but other commitments meant that time was limited and I had to head homewards as noon approached.

Migrant and Southern Hawkers and Gatekeeper.