Crossbill Dodging

 I only managed to squeeze a couple of hours in today, chores, lunch and a certain football game made prior demands on my time. Thankfully it was a dryer day than yesterday and the sun put in several appearances too which made for a much pleasanter experience. With time being such a precious commodity I opted to go no further than Brookfield where I hoped to see some Crossbills. Brookfield has plenty of larches and a lot of ponds so it should be ideal for them, unfortunately no one has told the birds themselves and my visit was marked by a distinct lack of any Crossbill activity whatsoever.

Peregrine, Speckled Woods, S-w Fritillary and G-v White

Both Peregrines were present at their usual spot though there is still no sign of any young. In the plantation a Raven was noted, the best of the rest was a Marsh Tit. During the sunny spells butterflies became active with browns still being the commonest species. Ringlets, Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers are beginning to look a bit worn but many of the Speckled Woods were quite fresh. Green-veined and Large Whites were also present in reasonable numbers and Common Blues were another species doing well. Perhaps the showiest species was Silver-washed Fritillary, two were seen, though a Peacock was certainly the most colourful. My favourite was a very fresh Brown Argus which posed nicely for pics. There were not many odes on view with several Migrant Hawkers and a Ruddy Darter making up the list. Pick of the other wildlife was a Common Lizard which was basking on some stones near the entrance. 

Common Blue, Brown Argus, Migrant Hawker and Ruddy Darter