Brookfield

A wet start to the day curbed my ambition a bit and I settled for a stroll around Brookfield Plantation here in Corby. Passing their regular spot on the way I was pleased to find what looked like a male and female Peregrine, as usual they were rather distant but were still nice to see all the same.

Male and female Peregrine.

The plantation was fairly quiet, several small groups of Fallow Deer were glimpsed but only briefly. Not too many birds of note either, Siskins were heard at least once and a Sparrowhawk caused some alarm as it passed but other than a few Marsh Tits there was little else of note.

Common and Ruddy Darter.

Some sunshine did break through during my visit and it brought a few Common Darters out to hunt. Mingling with its commoner cousins was a single male Ruddy which is quite likely to be my last of the season though of course only time will tell. Only one butterfly was identified and that was a Comma.

Brookfield Plantation.

Stagecoach You Suck, Wildlife You Don't

Anyone that reads this blog may be aware that I frequently use the Stagecoach X4 service and they've probably deduced that I'm not always a happy customer. Experience has taught me to regard the timetable as little more than a vague promise, a tragi-comic exercise in wishful thinking but today they may have sunk to a new and unexpected low. I'd completed my wildlife spotting and was waiting for the bus which unusually for the X4 appeared to be more or less on time. Stepping towards the kerb I was more than a little annoyed when the bus sped past without stopping! Knowing that the next one was more than an hour later did not improve my mood but it did I suppose give me a bit more time to try and find some more nature. As a final insult the later bus arrived over ten minutes late, I wish there was an alternative to this service but sadly there isn't.

Banded Demoiselles.

Ok now that's off my chest I'll get to the wildlifey bit. My main target today were Banded Demoiselles along the stream at Weldon and some fine Autumn sunshine seemed to improve my chances of striking lucky on my after work visit. While I fully expected to have to walk up and down the bank wading through nettles and trying to avoid a wasps nest that provided an additional hazard I was delighted to be proved wrong. First a male and then a female showed in pretty quick order making it a seventh month that they've been active here, Weldon really is a top notch spot for Banded Demoiselles. My stroke of luck freed up more time to spend around the neighbouring pond.

Ruddy and Common Darter.

If the Bandeds did me proud then the Willows did not, I'm not convinced that late afternoon is a good time to spot this species and today's dip did nothing to change my mind. Dragons on the other hand did the business with a number of Common Darters being joined by a male Ruddy Darter. I don't tend to see Ruddies in October so I was happy to see this one. A trio of hawkers were noted with a single Brown joining Southerns and Migrants on the list.

Southern Hawker and Painted Lady.

With some unexpected extra time now available courtesy of a certain bus company I made my way up to the A43 pond. The Ivy flowers along Larrat Road held good numbers of Red Admirals and about half a dozen Commas but the best butterfly was a fine Painted Lady which was my first for a while. No birds of note today, just a couple of Grey Wagtails and a singing Chiffchaff but those Bandeds certainly made the day worthwhile.

Red Admiral and Comma.

Ray of Sunshine

Some welcome sunshine today even if it was mostly for the morning and early afternoon. Given that I hadn't been to Barnwell or Oundle for a few weeks I decided to put that right with a visit. Although it was a little on the chilly side first thing it soon got warmer as the morning went on.

Migrant Hawker and Common Darter.

I began with a short vigil from the Kingfisher Hide where a couple of Nuthatches put on a good show. Afterwards I walked around the various ponds and lakes notching up a good number of Migrant Hawkers and Common Darters. While looking for Willow Emeralds around Mill Lake I found a late female Small Red-eyed Damselfly, it's been two or three weeks since my last sighting and I really wasn't expecting to find one so late in the season. My search for emeralds drew a blank in the park though I did get lucky a little later on.

Small Red-eyed Damsel and Nuthatch.

Walking from the park towards the marina I found good numbers of Red Admirals and a few Commas nectaring on Ivy flowers. These really are a great source of food for the later butterflies and many bees and hoverflies too. Small White was the only other species seen today, about half a dozen were noted.

Red Admiral and Comma.

According to our county recorder's blog there have been sightings of Willow Emeralds at Princess Lake. I've been looking for them here for several years with no result so it was good to know that they had finally arrived. I spent a good time walking slowly around the lake peering intently at any suitable looking spots. At first it looked as if a dip might be on the cards and I decided to walk along the edge of the neighbouring farmer's field to see if I could see any basking or hunting individuals. No emeralds here either but I did see the best insect of the day with a sighting of a Hummingbird Hawkmoth which was my first in Britain for several years. The encounter was brief so there was no chance to get a pic but it was great to catch up with one of these scarce migrants. A few minutes after this I stopped at a likely looking area and waited for a few minutes regularly giving the sallows a sweep with my binoculars. Patience and effort were rewarded with sightings of at least two Willow Emeralds, this is the sixth site that I've seen them at in Northamptonshire this year.

Princess Lake and Willow Emerald.

While waiting for the emeralds to show I was treated to several flypasts by a Kingfisher and though it didn't stop I got good views. Also of note were my first Siskins of the Autumn as several birds passed overhead, shouldn't be too long before the first Redwings arrive.

Barnwell CP.

Wet, Windswept and Fairly Interesting.

Although the weather was far from great today I decided to visit Priors Hall where I wasn't expecting too much but still hoped there might at least be a something to look at. In between the sometimes heavy showers and in spots sheltered from the strong breeze I managed to find a few dragons and a couple of damsels.

Female and male Willow Emeralds.

Highlight was a couple of Willow Emeralds close to where I saw the one earlier in the Autumn. Both showed fairly well and I was also pleased to find some egg laying scars on a sallow branch overhanging one of the ponds. While this species is now becoming an established resident in the county it's always going to be worth seeking out as to my eyes at least it's one of the most attractive damsels.

Common and Ruddy Darters.

Common Darters were the most numerous species and these included at least one very fresh looking female. Decidedly less fresh was a male Ruddy Darter whose wings seemed to suggest that it had lived a bit. Reasonable numbers of Migrant Hawkers were still active and these included a couple of pairs in cop. These were joined by a single Brown Hawker which sadly did not hang around for a picture.

Migrant Hawker and cricket sp.

Best of the other wildlife was a Hobby actively hunting those dragons prepared to brave the conditions and it seemed to be enjoying quite a lot of success. Meadow Pipits were moving through and so too were southward bound Swallows.  A single Small White was the only butterfly and the only other insect of note was a cricket of some sort or another with very long antennae.

Third Time Lucky

I wanted to try and photograph a/the Willow Emerald(s) at Weldon today and so made my way down there this morning. With the weather set fair for the morning at least it looked quite promising and it really did turn out to be third time lucky as one posed for a minute or two during my visit. Willow Emeralds seem to spend their mornings hunting and this solitary female was doing exactly that. When perched on bare twigs she was quite obvious but as soon as she flew up into the surrounding hawthorns she all but disappeared. At the moment the population appears to be small but who knows how many are hiding amongst the foliage?

Willow Emerald and Banded Demoiselle.

There are still Banded Demoiselles along the stream, they were present in the stretch near the pond and also near the church too. Four species of dragon were noted and these were Migrant and Southern Hawker and Common and Ruddy Darter.

Migrant Hawker and Common Darter

A few butterflies continue to flit around with Red Admiral being the commonest, they're particularly drawn to the Ivy flowers that are just starting to come out. Commas too like these flowers and at least two were noted. Small and Large Whites were seen in small numbers and a single Speckled Wood was also observed. The Ivy flowers as well as attracting butterflies and large numbers of bees proved to be a draw for a Volucella hornet mimic hoverfly.

Red Admiral and Comma.

Once again a Kingfisher was the only real bird of note though a singing Chiffchaff was noteworthy.

Large White and Volucella hoverfly.

A Bit On The Cloudy Side

Some news came filtering through that there were Clouded Yellows in the meadow and ditches around Lyveden New Bield and that was reason enough for Alan Shorrock and I to head in that direction this morning. While the weather was not as good has the forecast had suggested there was an occasional patch of brighter stuff that suggested that our trip might not be a total waste of time.

Lyveden New Bield

Drizzly conditions prevailed when we got there though this did not seem to deter the Migrant Hawkers when continued to be active even during quite heavy showers. Females in particular were surprisingly rain tolerant and I think they were trying to avoid the attentions of any male suitors as they oviposited into pond side vegetation.

Migrant Hawker and Common Darters.

During the rainier periods of the morning Alan and I had a look around the house itself before a promising looking sunny spell had us walking towards the meadow. Eventually we managed to find at least four Clouded Yellows though for the most part they remained distant. As I didn't want to go wandering across the meadow chasing them about my only shot was of the distant and slightly rubbish record variety. Several other species were noted and these were Common Blue, Small White and Small Heath.

Clouded Yellow and Small White.

The sunshine also brought out a few Common and Ruddy Darters though we couldn't find any other species, the site looks promising for Willow Emeralds. Best bird was a Raven dwarfing the many Jackdaws that were noisily objecting to its presence, Red Kites and Buzzards also showed well.

Common Blue and Small Heath

Quick Return

Just about managed to squeeze another hour out at Weldon this afternoon where I hoped to photograph a Willow Emerald. Sadly the emeralds were seemingly not aware of my intentions and didn't show. I'm beginning to think that mornings and early afternoons could be the best times for seeing this species.

Southern Hawker.

Things were pretty much as they were a couple of days ago with Banded Demoiselles still along the stream, there's still plenty of vegetation for them to shelter in so they may be around for a bit yet. Southern and Migrant Hawkers were joined by a Brown Hawker while both Ruddy and Common Darter were noted.

Migrant Hawkers

Few birds of note though Kingfisher was present again and a Grey Wagtail passed over, there seems to be a bit of a passage movement going through at the moment.

Ruddy and Common Darter.