Barford Beautifuls

 I had a tip off from Phil Rogers suggesting that there may be Beautiful Demoiselles present on the Barford Meadows nature reserve between Kettering and Corby. Given that I was off today and that the weather didn't look too bad I contacted Shozzer with the intention of checking this out. We parked on the edge of Rushton and followed a bridleway towards Barford Meadows where we could begin our search.

Roe Deer, Chimney Sweeper and Common Blue

En route I noted only my second Meadow Brown of the year so far, I think the strong breeze may have prevented us from seeing much more. Gill's Meadow on the reserve itself is where things finally began to kick off. A Roe Deer was seen grazing and we watched it for some time before it got wind of us and ran away. There were a few Chimney Sweeper moths braving the wind and at least one Common Blue butterfly too. We reached the River Ise which flows along the edge of the reserve and began our search for the demoiselles. First up was a male Banded but soon after a female Beautiful was noted in a riverside nettlebed. Between the wooden footbridge and the Victorian viaduct we saw at least ten more suggesting that there's an established population here. It was good to watch the males displaying to some seemingly reluctant females and also to watch the disputes between the Beautifuls and the neighbouring Bandeds. As well as the dems there were several Large Red Damselflies along the Ise too.

Beautiful Demoiselles and Mother Shipton

Our walk back across the meadow produced sightings of more day flying moths with a few Burnet Companions, a Six-spotted Burnet as well as at least one Mother Shipton on view. I spent more than a little time trying to get a decent picture of a Chimney Sweeper as the little blighters always seemed to settle in amongst the grass stems making photography difficult. Persistence eventually paid off and one finally gave me a brief opportunity for a snap. Between the reserve and the car both Red Admiral and Small Tortoiseshell were seen.

Six-spotted Burnet Moth, Small Tortoiseshell and Tufted Duck family

Our next stop was at Wicksteed Park where a search for Norfolk Hawkers was the cause of our visit. This recent arrival first appeared in the county last year as part of what might have been a rapid expansion from their former strongholds in the Norfolk Broads. There is some debate however as to the true origin of these new arrivals, our native population seems tied to ponds with plenty of Water Soldier and the new arrivals are not suggesting a continental European origin might be more likely. Up to four individuals were present on the same part of the fishing lake that they favoured last year and we were able to watch them for quite a long time. There were at least three males holding territory and their habit of perching frequently gave plenty of opportunities for taking pics. Alan found a female ovipositing and she was able to go about her business for some time before a male found her. Other odes in the same area included Four-spotted Chaser, Red-eyed, Azure and Large Red Damselflies while a few Variables were also noted. Bird interest was minimal with just one singing Cetti's Warbler and a new brood of Tufted Ducks eliciting any interest. A stop at The Star in Geddington was a more than agreeable way of ending the day.

Variable Damselflies and Norfolk Hawkers.