That Was Decent

Hike time today after yesterday's inactivity as I made my way over to Priors Hall for a good look around. Needless to say all government advice relating to social distancing etc was followed though I did stay out a little longer than an hour. Only one other person was on site and that turned out to be fellow nature botherer Alan Shorrock, the first person I've talked to this month that wasn't either from my immediate family or a shop worker!

Priors Hall

Away from any nature related banter there was some actual nature to enjoy and it was good to catch up with some more Summer migrants. Both Lesser and Common Whitethroat were noted today and I also scored a hirundine double with both Swallow and Sand Martin seen. Despite looking I couldn't find any more birds of interest apart from a single Snipe.

Willow Warbler

Butterflies as they have done so often this month provided some interesting moments and I was delighted to find my first Grizzled Skipper of the year. Other species observed included many Orange-tips, at least one Green-veined and Small White, several Peacocks, two each of both Brimstone and Speckled Wood and also a single Small Tortoiseshell. It was interesting to note a little bit of behaviour today as I watched two different female Orange-tips fending off the unwelcome attentions of would be suitors.

Grizzled Skipper and frustrated male Orange-tip!

Today turned out to be excellent for Large Red Damselflies and I saw about 30 of which a few stopped long enough to let me take a pic or two. 2020 is definitely turning out to be a good Spring for this species and with the weather set fare for next week I'd expect further sightings and a possibility of seeing other species too perhaps.

Large Red Damselflies.

Other wildlife arousing a bit of interest included a couple of Muntjac and also a Grass Snake, Priors Hall is one of the best spots in the area for the latter species.

Six of the Best

This morning I headed over towards the Eurohub with a vague notion to check the nearby Southwood area and pond for anything of interest. Things started off very well indeed with the sighting of a Wheatear on a construction site next to the Tesco store. Wheatears used to be regular passage migrants here before they built the shop but have now become decidedly rare. Any thoughts of staying in the area however were dashed by the presence of several noisy motorbikes racing around the old railway track bed. Realising that they were unlikely to move on I decided to come up with a plan B which meant taking the relatively short walk to the old patch near the STW.

Wheatear

Hoping to catch up with the Large Red Damsel that I'd seen oh so briefly on Wednesday I walked very slowly checking any likely spots. Although I saw many hoverflies and solitary bees the damsel(s) remained elusive and I didn't catch up with any. If the damsels were hiding then the butterflies were thankfully not and I was delighted to see my first Green Hairstreak of the year as these are one of my favourite Spring butterflies. As well as being attractive they can be very obliging and I managed to get a few pictures.

Green Hairstreak

Walking on around the site I was treated to views of a further five Green Hairstreaks and was struck once again by just how aggressive these little butterflies are. Two males whose territories were evidently a little too close fought a running battle lasting for several minutes on and off while another was seen pursuing a Peacock. Other butterflies noted today included a Green-veined White, two Orange-tips and a site first year tick Speckled Wood.

Camera Dodging Damsels

My daily exercise regime took me once again to the deserted rides of Brookfield Plantation in Corby where I enjoyed a tranquil stroll along the public footpath. Not too many birds to report though the local pair of Ravens were fairly vocal and attracted the unwelcome attention of Carrion Crows on several occasions.

Speckled Woods

For the second day running I was lucky enough to catch sight of Large Red Damselflies, two on this occasion. As was the case with yesterday's sighting I didn't manage to get a picture as both chose to escape vertically when disturbed before disappearing into the upper branches of hawthorns. With no risk of anyone else appearing I spent quite a lot of time walking up and down the ride hoping to get more sustained views but sadly drew a blank. I'm confident that as the season progresses I should be able to get a picture of Large Reds but for the minute they're almost as elusive as the Scarlet Pimpernel!

Orange-tip and Green-veined White.

Today was a very good day for Speckled Woods with perhaps as many as twenty being seen. It hasn't taken long for these aggressive butterflies to conform to habit and I saw several twirling battles between sparring males. Other species too came in for a bit of aggro as well with several passing whites get some unwelcome attention. On the subject of whites with the three smaller species now on the wing it's getter harder to identify distant individuals and many have to be passed off as UIW's. That being said there were confirmed sightings of Small and Green-veined Whites as well as Orange-tips. The other species noted today were Brimstone (4) and Peacock (5).

Brookfield view.

Reddy to Go

Today's exercise walk took me along to Weldon with a little diversion to the STW as I passed to see whether yesterday's Nightingale was still about. Unfortunately I couldn't relocate the bird and in fact I failed to find any birds of note at all during my stroll.

Mr and Ms Orange-tip

With the weather continuing to be warm and sunny it was initially butterflies that provided the interest. Several Large Whites, my first of the year, were noted but I couldn't get a photo as they were far too active. A little more obliging were some of the many Orange-tips (ca20) and I also saw my first females of the season. Other whites recorded today were a trio each of Small and Green-veined Whites and a quartet of Brimstones. The daily roll call was completed by a Comma, a couple of Small Tortoiseshells and four or five Peacocks.

Small and Green-veined Whites

I'd hoped to see an early Large Red Damselfly at Weldon but the volume of people doing their exercise walk around the pond meant that I couldn't hang around to check thoroughly enough and had to move on. All was not lost however as thankfully a single male was seen briefly near to the STW and while I couldn't get a picture before it disappeared it was great to see. This beats my previous earliest date for this species by four days and I spent several minutes trying to find it again though without success. Having been out for a little longer than the recommended time of an hour I headed off for home, I'm sure there will be more Large Reds in the not too distant future.

Comma and Brimstone

'gale Force

Time for a bit of a catch up after a couple of days though in truth not a great deal has happened. On Easter Sunday I followed the government's advice and stayed at home. While sitting in the garden I was delighted to receive a visit from a female Holly Blue though she was the only thing of interest seen on that day.

Female Holly Blue.

Yesterday was if anything even less interesting with an almost arctic wind blowing while I took my exercise stroll through Bandy Slade and out on to footpaths beyond. A few farmland species were noted but not much else. Today was mercifully a return to more pleasant conditions and I headed over to the area near Corby STW.

Rabbit and Longhorn calf.

Highlight here was undoubtedly a singing Nightingale, surprising and delightful and also my first Corby one this millennium. There was a point in the late 1980's and early 1990's when they were becoming quite a regular visitor but habitat loss and a sad decline in this species fortunes has lead to their current mega status. No other birds of note today though it would have taken quite a bird to top this, my star of the current lockdown so far and likely one of the highlights of this Spring.

Green-veined White and Small Tortoiseshell.

The warm sunny weather meant that a few butterflies were active with Small Tortoiseshell the commonest species, at least five were nectaring on Bugle flowers. Other species enjoying the conditions were Orange-tip (4), Green-veined White (3), Comma (1) and Peacock (2). Once I'd got back to my garden I spent a few hours sitting in my chair watching the bees and bee-flies buzzing about. All were overshadowed however by a large Chinook helicopter flying over while making that distinctive wokka - wokka flight call.

Hairy-footed Flower Bee and Chinook.

Not My Best Walk

Quite a long walk today and not a great deal to show for the effort. I decided to go to Priors Hall and though I was out a bit longer than is ideal perhaps social distancing was not a problem as I didn't meet anyone whilst out.

Priors Hall

Somewhat optimistically perhaps I'd hoped that a Large Red Damselfly or two might have been tempted to emerge given the recent run of hot weather. If any had I certainly didn't see them despite spending an awful lot of time looking, then again it was over a week before my earliest record. Despite the weather there was not a great variety of butterflies at Priors either though there were plenty of Peacocks, this is turning out to be quite a Spring for them. One highlight amongst the butterflies was my first Green-veined White of the year, a very fresh looking individual posed nicely for a picture.

Green-veined White and spider.

Few birds of note though there is a very strong population of Willow Warblers here and well over twenty singing birds were heard. It looks as if at least one pair of Meadow Pipits may be on site, they certainly responded to a passing Kestrel as if they might have a nest site nearby.

Chiffchaff and Meadow Pipit.

My walk home added a few more butterflies to the list bringing the total to seven of which the highlight was perhaps a Holly Blue.

Heatwave

A mini heatwave seems to be coinciding with the Easter holiday this year which would be marvellous if not for the very necessary lockdown measures in place. My brother and I would have been coming back from a birding trip to the Coto Donana today had things not taken such a sad and dangerous turn of events but if that's the worst of our troubles then so be it.

Brookfield views.

My exercise walk today took me once more to Brookfield Plantation where I had a very pleasant walk around in complete isolation. A small herd of Fallow Deer did not appreciate my visit as they ran noisily away along one of the rides. Birdwise not much has changed, the three warblers are all in good voice, no other species have arrived yet. Both kites and buzzards were enjoying the glorious weather and I heard at least one Raven.

Yes yet another Peacock but they are crackers.

Such nice weather proved to be much to the butterflies liking and Peacocks in particular were present in good numbers (10+). Highlight for me though was my first Speckled Wood of the year, I'd hoped to encounter this species here as it's a very good site for them. Other species seen today were Orange-tip (5), Small White (1) and Brimstone (2).

Speckled Wood

Back home in the garden my meagre bee list grew by one when I tentatively identified a Red Mason Bee surveying the gatepost for potential nesting sites.

Red Mason Bee