Starling No Show Strikes A Bit Of A Blow

 My brother and I made a failed attempt to see the Rosy-coloured Starling which has been frequenting Clifford Hill for the last couple of days. We put plenty of time in looking for this colourful visitor but had to admit defeat after a couple of hours. Especially galling was finding out that someone was taking pictures of the bird during the time that we were there! Oh well we win more than we lose so can't really complain overly much.

A resolutely unrosy Starling!

Before the unfortunate dipping incident I paid a visit to Weldon where odes were my main targets. Highlight was a small number of immature and one adult male White-legged Damselfly at the pocket park. There were plenty of Banded Demoiselles sharing the same streamside habitat and I also noted a Large Red Damselfly and a few Common Blues. The only butterfly of note seen today was a Red Admiral while a Grey Wagtail was the best bird.

Four-spotted Chaser and Red-eyed Damselflies

A short walk brought me to the pond in the woodland park where I enjoyed a pleasant hour or so of watching. Two species of dragon were seen and these were Four-spotted Chaser and Emperor. Plenty of damsels were on the wing with Red-eyeds much increased since my last visit. Other species present in good numbers included Azure and Common Blue with a few Blue-taileds for company. I might have stayed a little longer had I not had that dippy appointment with a certain exotic feathered visitor - a shame it didn't repay my efforts but what can I do?

Teneral and mature male White-legged Damselflies.

Brecks Bitterns

 The hottest day of the year (so far!) saw Alan Shorrock, my brother David and I heading off to the Breckland area of East Anglia that straddles the border of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. Our hope was to catch up with some of the specialties that make this area their home and I'm glad to say we had some success. Distance and heat haze were always a factor today so I apologise in advance for the poor quality of some of the record pics.

Red Admiral and Small Copper

Our day began at Lynford Arboretum where we saw a selection of the commoner woodland species but not the hoped for Firecrest. If the birds were a little on the mundane side then at least a couple of butterflies provided a bit of interest. First Alan picked out a Red Admiral which was only my second of the year while a Small Copper that I found a little later was my first in 2021.

Distant Weeting Curlew

We moved on from here to Weeting Heath where our main target was the Stone Curlews for which this reserve is known. Initial efforts met with failure, only a few ordinary Curlews being noted, but luckily David's eagle eyes picked out a Stone Curlew on the opposite side of the road to the reserve. While I did attempt a record shot the results were very poor indeed and if you read this blog regularly you'll know how poor they were if  I haven't dared to post them. We had a good search for the Spotted Flycatchers that frequent the pines near the hides and while David had a fairly convincing look at one bird I had to accept defeat. Away from the birds we saw several Brimstones and a male Banded Demoiselle.

Marsh Harrier and Bittern

Lakenheath was our last destination today and we enjoyed an enjoyable if very hot walk around the site. Highlights were some excellent flight views of Bitterns which were my first sightings of the year though I have heard several booming males so far. Above the same reedbeds that the Bitterns were favouring we saw several Marsh Harriers while a healthy population of Cuckoos provided a soundtrack to our walk. At least ten Hobbies were hawking over the reserve while I managed a brief glimpse of a Bearded Tit. Several Avocets and Redshanks were present on the washland area but that was it as far as birds were concerned. Odes responded well in the hot weather and our total of six dragonfly species included my first Black-tailed Skimmers of the year and only my second Emperor records. Best damselflies were a few Variables while the only other wildlife at note was a Roe Deer.

Four-spotted and Scarce Chasers

A Pair Of Shorts

 I had the day off work today but due to family commitments couldn't spent my time peeking at nature. What I did manage was a couple of short walks, one to Brookfield Plantation and the other to the town's STW. Our recent good run with the weather continued and there was plenty of sunshine and blue skies to enjoy.

Peregrine and Speckled Wood.

Brookfield was quiet, there were several small family parties of both Long-tailed and Coal Tits roaming around while Goldcrests appear to be having a good season. Only two damsels were noted, Large Red and Common Blue while the only butterflies noted were Speckled Woods. A trio of Fallow Deer were seen briefly on two occasions crashing through the undergrowth as they made good their escape. On my way home I checked on the local Peregrines to find two in residence while a Common Blue butterfly was seen at Willowbrook Industrial Estate.

Large Red and Azure Damselflies

Av afternoon stroll along to the STW yielded a few sightings of note but not the hoped for Green Hairstreaks. Very few butterflies were present on site, there were a few Common Blues and a FFTY Brown Argus of which I managed one record shot. Checking the ponds resulted in the discovery of a large colony of Azure Damselflies. Despite having been a regular visitor to this spot for many years I was unaware that they were here. Other odes seen were Large Red and Blue-tailed damselflies and a male Broad-bodied Chaser.

Common Blues and Brown Argus

Get Your Paps Out!

 With the birding world having now settled down for a bit it's time to reach for those Pentax Papillos or other close focus binoculars and get out and enjoy the insect life. It was just such a thought after work this afternoon that prompted me to pay a visit to Harry's Park Wood. With blue skies and warm temperatures I hoped to see something interesting and I was not disappointed though there were a few frustrations along the way!

Harry's Park Wood.

The highlight was a couple of sightings of Wood White, after last year's individual I was hoping that I might strike lucky again. Sadly just like last year's flighty little beggar this one didn't settle either and I didn't manage to get a shot. There were few other butterflies to enjoy in the wood but while walking along Bears Lane on my way home I managed to see my first Painted Lady of the year.

Broad-bodied Chasers.

Also showing were at least four Emperors, my first of the year, hawking along the rides and unlike the Wood White several did settle but never anywhere where I could see them. More obliging from a photography point of view were the Broad-bodied Chasers of which four were seen. The only other ode was a single Large Red Damselfly.

Large Red Damselfly and Painted Lady

Best birds were a male and female Cuckoo and a singing Lesser Whitethroat while the only other wildlife of note were two Fallow Deer.

Fallow Deer and Buzzard.

Chasing The Dragons

 I took the bus over to Barnwell CP this morning in the hope of finding some odes to look at. The weather was pretty much a forecaster's dream with sunny spells and the odd chance of a shower. Mercifully the shower when it came was very light and very short and I was able to find a bit of interesting stuff to have a gawp at.

Hairy Dragonfly

After such a dreadful Spring it was great to see large numbers of damsels on the wing with hundreds of Banded Demoiselles in particular. Also present were many Red-eyed Damselflies with many taking up station on their favoured lily pads. Perhaps the most interesting damsel was a male Variable at North Lake, there may well have been more but I didn't spend too much time looking for them. Other species seen were Common Blue, Azure, Blue-tailed and Large Red.

Four-spotted and Scarce Chasers.

Plenty of dragons were emerging today with Four-spotted and Scarce Chasers appearing in increasing numbers. Many were shiny winged tenerals making hesitant first flights though others were mature individuals taking up territories. I finally managed to get some pictures of a Hairy Dragonfly as one of the about half a dozen present chose to land in a spot where I could see it. No other species around today though both Emperor and Black-tailed Skimmer should be appearing soon.

Variable Damselfly and fresh female Banded Demoiselle

Best bird today was a male Cuckoo which was calling from the willows around North Lake. Of the butterflies noted a Small Heath was quite a scarce visitor to the park. Not too many other species on the wing but there were some fine looking male Brimstones.

violacea form Blue-tailed and Red-eyed Damsefly.

White Legs

 Not the best of weather for insect watching today so I restricted my travels to the local area splitting my time between Weldon and Priors Hall. The morning was for the most part dry if rather cloudy though this gave way to showery spells which brought an end to my spotting.

White-legged Damselfly and Banded Demoiselle

Beginning at the stream in Weldon I found a small number of Banded Demoiselles and Blue-tailed Damselflies while the nearby woodland park added Azure and Common Blue Damselflies to my list. Moving on to the pocket park brought a sighting of my first White-legged Damselfly of the year and also an immature male Broad-bodied Chaser.

Broad-bodied Chasers

At Priors Hall both Small Heath and Common Blue butterflies had increased while Dingy Skippers appeared to be going the other way. Not many other species of butterflies were noted other than a few whites and several Speckled Woods. During a few brief sunny spells I noted decent numbers of both Four-spotted Chasers and Hairy Dragonflies though I still haven't managed a shot of the latter yet. No surprises among the damsels though a couple of wandering Banded Demoiselles were my first at Priors this year. A rain shower brought an end to the proceedings and I headed off home.

Small Heath and Common Blue

Few birds to report with the highlight being a female Cuckoo which I guess was probably checking out Reed Warbler nests. Other wildlife seen included Common Lizard and Brown Hare.

Four-spotted Chaser.

Dovedale Dippers

 My brother and I took an after work walk along the river only this time we ventured a little further than I would normally do on a week night as our river of choice was the Dove in Derbyshire's bit of the Peak District. Braving the masses of people infesting the spot we eventually found a quiet area where there was at least a chance of encountering some wildlife.

Dovedale and Brimstone

After a distinctly unpromising start we had good views of a male Grey Wagtail deftly plucking mayflies and other insects out of the air before returning to its mid river perch. After a couple of conclusive but brief views of Dippers we were eventually rewarded with sustained and good views of a single bird feeding in the river. After a ten minute spell the bird flew up stream but not before I had had some of my best views ever of this charismatic species. Braving the crowds once more we returned to the car before making the trip home. Not much other wildlife was noted other than a male Brimstone but that was scarcely surprising given the levels of disturbance. Despite the excellent Dipper views it may well be a long time before either of us ventures to this very popular spot again.

Grey Wagtail and Dipper