Hawking.

A spell of sunshine persuaded me to head over to the pond at Eurohub where I had a look for Willow Emeralds. My foray met with the customary lack of success in that my walk was entirely emerald free but thankfully it was not a total waste of time.

Fairly ropey shot of Brown Hawker.

As well as loads of floating rubbish there were three species of hawker on the wing. A Brown Hawker was ovipositing on the other side of the pool from me so my photographic efforts were mediocre at best. Another Brown Hawker made a brief visit before heading off over the trees. Several male Migrant Hawkers were patrolling the muddy and reedy margins presumably in search of females. A whirring of wings alerted me to the presence of a female furtively ovipositing around the bases of some reeds and her caution was entirely justified. A second female going about her business was spotted by one of the males who proceeded to swoop down and basically abduct her, I stumbled across what was presumably this same pair a little later but they made good their escape before I could get a decent view.

Two views of ovipositing Migrant Hawker.

Southern Hawkers seem to have had a rather poor year and I seldom see more than one or two per day. No change today either but at least I did manage to photograph one albeit after a male had given me a bit of a run-around. Having failed to get any usable flight shots (I managed many blue and green blurs) I was lucky in that a male decided to land. Although he didn't stay still for long it was long enough for me to get a shot or two.

Southern Hawker.

Not much other wildlife on view today apart from a Grey Heron that disappeared as soon as I appeared on site, clearly a good judge of character!

Return to Barnwell.

Today I spent a few rather unproductive hours ambling around Barnwell CP where the weather owed more to autumn than summer. In fact growing signs of the coming season are everywhere, from the gradual changing colour of the leaves to the fruits, nuts and berries weighing down many a branch. Migrant birds are fattening up before undertaking their migrations and both Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs were moving furtively through the foliage while flocks of hirundines hawked for insects overhead.

Chiffchaff.

Only a small number of insects were active in distinctly cooler conditions with that typically late season duo of Common Darter and Migrant Hawker being commonest. A single Southern Hawker was also noted while a few  damsels were found. Two each of Common Blue and Blue-tailed were slightly overshadowed by three Red-eyeds as this is now getting rather late in the year for this species. Only a few butterflies were seen and these included three species of white and a few Speckled Woods.

Green-veined White and Common Darter.

Not too many birds were seen though an impressive total of sixteen Mandarins were observed but they were keeping themselves out of the way amongst bankside vegetation. A Kingfisher was heard calling though sadly I didn't manage to catch a glimpse. Sadly many of the Chaffinches have fallen victim to the condition Papillomatosis which affects their feet and one male had lost a foot. It didn't make for comfortable viewing but the bird at least seemed to be coping.

Red-eyed Damselfly and Chaffinch with missing foot.

With so little on view I called it quits and headed off for the town where I enjoyed a couple of pints before heading home on the bus.

Robin and Great Tit.

Weird and Wonderful

Began the day at Blatherwycke Lake for my first visit since the spring. At least forty-four Mandarins were seen at their favoured spot along the wooded section of the shore, more may well have been concealed by the vegetation. Good numbers of Wigeon were also present with over thirty seen while a decent sized group of Shoveller were seen too.

Views from Blatherwycke bridge.

Around by the village an albino Peacock graced somebody's garden while the menagerie contained the normal Red-necked Wallabies and Rheas but were joined by at least one kangaroo too, the trio of Llamas were still present in their field across the road. A pair of Black Swans were seen from the bridge as they fed on vegetation at the stream.

Not so wildlife.

Leaving Blatherwycke behind I found a partially leucistic Jackdaw at Bulwick and also a Sparrowhawk. The inflow at Deene Lake had the first three Snipe of the Autumn feeding in the shallows in the company of many Teal. Not much on the main lake though the Black Swans were still present. Good numbers of Common Blue damselflies were seen behind the dam where they were joined by examples of both darter species.

Leucistic Jackdaw, Deenethorpe lane and Snipe and Teal.

A path that connects Kirby Lane with the eastern end of Priors Hall held many more darters and good numbers of Speckled Woods while half a dozen pristine looking Commas appeared to be feeding on blackberries. Numbers of Small Heath remain high though numbers of both Brown Argus and Common Blue butterflies are declining. Rather a lot of Small Whites were seen today with the majority appearing to be egg laying females. Several examples of both Brown and Southern Hawkers were seen around the ponds where they were joined by decent numbers of Migrants.

Common Blue Damsels and Migrant Hawkers.

On the quarry lake there were at least two adult Yellow-legged Gulls and also a Common Sandpiper though bird numbers seemed lower, perhaps not too surprising given that three motorcycles were roaring around the area. I finished my day in the Shoulder of Mutton at Weldon where I tried some Mad Max beer, very nice indeed.

Common Blues, Comma and Yellow-legged Gull.

Weldon Migrants

Spent the last day of my long weekend off down at Weldon where dragonflies were the main focus of my attention. Things were a little slow to begin with but gradually picked up as the temperatures rose.

Migrant Hawker flight views.

Migrant Hawkers were once again the commonest species and one male in particular was particularly showy. One each of Southern and Brown Hawker were hunting around the pond and both species of darter were noted. Damselfly numbers are dropping now and only a few Blue-tailed and Small Red-eyeds were at the pond though there were still reasonable numbers of Banded Demoiselles along the stream. This species lasted until mid October last year and it would be good if they repeated that feat of endurance again.

Common and Ruddy Darter.

A brief wander around the woodland park provided sightings of numerous dogs and a smaller number of butterflies. A tired looking Brown Argus, a Small Heath, several Small and Large Whites and a few Speckled Woods made up the modest total.

Banded Demoiselle and Brown Argus.

Plenty of small birds working their way through the bushes and trees while my dragonfly spotting was temporarily brought to a halt by the brief visit of a Kingfisher.

Seven-spotted Ladybird.

River Return.

Knowing that it was going to be hot and sunny again today was enough to have me making a quick return to Oundle, there's just something about being next to the river in this weather. I chose to walk between the north and south bridges and also braved the brats at Barnwell on the way.

Jolly boating weather.

River traffic was as busy as I've ever seen it with an almost constant passage of narrowboats and cruisers going past. Plenty of walkers too were making the most of the lovely conditions. With all this activity it was not too surprising that few birds were on show though I did see a Kingfisher speeding down the river. A large, twittering flock of hirundines were perching on dead tree branches near the marina and would take off together before settling down again, I suppose that they will soon begin their southerly migration.

Pair of smalls, Copper and White.

Migrant Hawkers were the commonest dragon with males patrolling their territories, it looks as if they prefer areas with trees or hedgerows nearby as they certainly seemed more numerous in such places. My first Brown Hawkers were around Ashton Mill where a very aggressive Small Copper was defending its patch from all comers. At the nearby weir a Banded Demoiselle landed on my head before heading off to some neighbouring nettles. It was one of half a dozen here but they were not seen anywhere else today. Blue tailed Damsels were once again the commonest damsel with small numbers present along the river.

Migrant Hawker and Banded Demoiselle.

Small Whites and Speckled Woods were the most frequently seen butterflies and there were also a few Small Heaths seen on the unmown edges of the fields. Darters were not too common and I suspect that they prefer still water to riverine habitats.

Grey Heron and House Martin.

At Barnwell I added Red-eyed and Small Red-eyed Damselflies to the day list but it was predictably very busy today and I didn't hang around.

That is one interesting wall!

Welcome Autumn.

Various weather people on the telly have said that today is the first day of Autumn but the weather at least suggests that summer still has a say in proceedings. Some plans that didn't quite work out meant that I had a day's holiday from work and rather than waste it went to Priors Hall for a look around.

Caspian Gull.

At the quarry lake there was a collection of bathing gulls which included an immature Caspian Gull in among them. Other species included both Great Black-backed and Herring. Much the usual selection of birds otherwise with a Common Sandpiper being the best.

Black-tailed Skimmer and Common Darter.

There was a surprise amongst the dragonflies today in the shape of a late Black-tailed Skimmer, I think probably a very mature female rather than a male. Both species of darter continue to do well while Migrant Hawkers remain common. Other hawkers included both Brown and Southern while damsels noted were a few Common Blue and two Blue-tailed.

Ruddy Darter and Migrant Hawker.

Speckled Woods remain numerous though Small Heaths seem even more common and although numbers of Common Blues have dropped there were still rather a lot about. What has been a decent year for Brown Argus is continuing and many were observed. Other species seen today were Large and Small Whites as well as a Red Admiral and a Silver=Y moth was also seen.

Speckled Wood and Brown Argus.

Best birds of the day were two Spotted Flycatchers, they have become really scarce around here in the last decade and all records are appreciated. Another passage migrant in the shape of a Yellow Wagtail was seen. On the way out of the site I had another look at the quarry lake and was pleased to find four adult Yellow-legged Gulls.

Very small Common Blue and Silver-Y moth.

Only one mammal was seen today and that was a Brown Hare which stayed true to type and sped off as soon as it was discovered.