FRITILLARY FORAY

 The sunshine continues and the butterflies are out so I thought I'd take a trip into Gloucestershire to see if I could find the Duke of Burgundy. It used be known as a fritillary due to its similar markings but isn't in fact one of that family.

My favoured site is Rodborough  Common where one or two are generally found in a sheltered area where two ridges meet. It was slightly breezy on the plateau and I thought might be too early in the day at 10.30 but I soon saw small heaths and dingy skippers so hoped that the Duke would be up early too. I sat down on the slope and prepared to wait a while but in minutes I was on my feet, a small orangy brown butterfly was a few metres away, and after a short time it settled on a blade of grass, wings spread to absorb the sunshine, a fine Duke of Burgundy butterfly.

There were a few other species about, dingy skipper, small heath, brown argus but no more dukes appeared so I decided to leave, and head for another site where I hoped pearl bordered fritillaries (PBF) might also be on the wing. 

Heading up the slopes nearer the car park I was surprised to find single marsh fritillary, a species I've not seen here  before. It only lingered a few seconds though . (Grr! I accidentally deleted the record shot I took!) That would save me a visit to another site ! Perhaps its going to be a good  butterfly year!

 Siccrridge wood is a site I visited for the first time last year, having discovered it was a good place for PBF along the edges of the path. There is limited parking but I managed to secure a spot by the reserve entrance rather than face s steep walk up the road from the layby. There were plenty of bluebells as I walked onto the wood and as the edges widened and I saw my first PBF of the year. It was the first of around a dozen I saw today.

A few bugle plants were in flower and occasionally a PBF would settle on one but mostly they were flying about.

Duke of Burgundy

Sicarridge Wood

Pearl bordered fritillary

MORE SPRING BUTTERFLIES

Another sunny morning brought out the butterflies in good numbers at Aston Upthorpe Downs near Didcot. Having left my car in the parking area I followed the deeply rutted track to the reserve entrance, a walk of about 20 minutes, and entered the valley through a gate. A grassy path runs the length of the valley with sloping sides either side, making a sheltered area for downland butterflies. Having missed my target butterflies at Martinsell, I thought I'd travel a little bit further to this reserve I knew fairly well, especially as both species  ( green hairstreak and grizzled skipper) had been reported earlier in the week.

I was soon finding typical species for this habitat - dingy skipper, common blue, brown argus, small heath ( numerous) and some of the larger butterflies - orange tip ,brimstone, peacock, red admiral. 

I didn't spot any grizzled skippers as I walked the length of the reserve, and then headed slightly uphill toward a flower covered hawthorn ( are they particularly good this year?) However I did spot one green hairstreak two thirds the way along which I mentally ticked off. I scanned the hawthorn and soon saw a couple more hairstreaks flitting about the flowers One in particular was particularly active on my side of the bush and posed nicely for the camera! 

On the way back down the valley, I did at last spot a small dark butterfly which was dog fighting with a small heath and common blue eventually separating and landing for a short time to produce my second year tick of the morning - a grizzled skipper.  Despite a number of  reported sightings a few days ago, I just saw one more on the track returning to the car park. 

1ST MAY BUTTERFLIES

 There were amazing  views across the Wiltshire countryside from the top of Martinsell Hillfort this afternoon. I was on my first 'butterfly foray' of the year and was keen to get a few species under my belt; reports seem to be suggesting that species are emerging early this year,  due to the warm weather.  

I was hoping for grizzled skipper and green hairstreak but sadly saw neither that I could definitely identify. A couple of small butterflies quickly took off from some hawthorn and disappeared before I could check them out, and a probable grizzled skipper was flying at speed low across some rough grass before  it crossed in front of me and disappeared over the hedge. 

However there were a variety of other butterfly species to be seen including  orange tip, brimstone, wall brown, brown argus, common blue and various unidentified whites and good numbers of small heath. 

A MORNING IN THE WATER PARK

A ring ouzel has been reported at the Blakehill Nature reserve near Cricklade for the past few days so as today was my first opportunity, I got up in good time and was at the reserve by a quarter to eight in beautiful morning sunshine. 

I knew roughly the area it had been seen so walked down the main track  and then went  through a gate in the fencing and followed a narrower path through some rough grassland. I saw a few whinchats perched up on some tall grasses and then a  common whitethroat  singing near some brambles, where it looked as if a female might be nest building. 

Other birds seen included skylarks, stonechats, reed buntings and a barn owl. 

However, I did not see any sign of the ring ouzel until I saw a dark bird flying  ahead of me and over  into a neighbouring field out of sight. I  just about got a view of what looked like a white crescent across its breast.  However, I needed a better sighting to be sure. 

I took a different path through a wide gate and looked across to where I thought it may have gone.  I couldn't see anything at first but then noticed a bird on  a grassy area  in front of some trees  some way off   A look through my binoculars confirmed its identity but then it moved behind some grassy tussocks. While waiting for the ring ouzel to reappear, I spotted a group of cattle being driven along the track which I thought may be directed into the field where I was. Not wanting to get mixed up with them I reluctantly left and returned to the main track further up. Thankfully the cows who had very young calves with them, were put in the next field so I was able to return to my to my original position. However, I never saw the ring ouzel again so had to be satisfied with having seen it just the once with no photograph to prove it. 

After leaving Blakehill, I drove over to Cricklade to see if the snakes head fritillaries were in bloom in North Meadow Reserve. Some years ago the meadow was full of these purple flowers but today they were rather a disappointment. I'm unsure if they are not yet at their peak, but there did not seem to be that many flowers, and some looked wilted and had gone over. Most people I spoke to agreed. The weather probably affects them, in fact sometimes the field is so flooded that they hardly flower at all. 

Whilst at Blakehill, someone told me of a pair of grey wagtails that were nesting near a bridge at Waterhay so as it was close by I decided to add this stop to my morning's itinerary. I soon saw them but only briefly so I then thought I may as well walk along the path from the car park itself as it is a good space to spot warblers at this time of year. The hedgerows seemed full of birdsong and I even heard a cuckoo in the distance.  Birds seen and/or  heard included chiffchaff, willow warbler, garden warbler, whitethroat, blackcap. 

FRAMPTON AND SLIMBRIDGE

 A  free day meant I could spend the morning at Slimbridge WWT Centre and enjoy some spring sunshine.

However, I'd recently read reports of a ring necked duck  that had been found at Frampton Court lake so as it would be more or less en route, I decided to stop off there first. Slimbridge doesn't actually open to the public till 930 so  I  arrived at Frampton on Severn at around   8.40 . The tiny car park was already full so I found a place on the road side and took the footpath to the lake. Several years ago there was a tawny owl  regularly roosting in one of the dead trees  here but with the tree   having fallen in a storm the owl had long disappeared. I last visited the site to see an osprey last year so I knew where I needed to go to find the duck which had been with some tufted ducks in the northern part of the lake.

There was a strong easterly wind blowing which felt quite cold so I  was glad of some extra layers. I got into conversation with a photographer who told me where the duck was but it was quite far round the lake and I could not make out the bill pattern from where I was. I decided to walk round the lake a bit and soon caught up with some other birders who showed me where it was, distantly viewed between some branches but with its bill pattern easily seen. One photographer with a rather good lens had achieved a frame filling picture of the duck, but I had to be content with a rather blurred  record shot!  There were several sand martins flying over the lake too which were an additional year tick. 

The duck obviously had no intention of coming closer, it was regularly diving and lost to view so I returned to my car,   and went on the few miles to Slimbridge.

Being a Saturday and the start of the holidays for some, (though not Gloucestershire) the centre was fairly busy with families though the hides were nearly empty for the most part. You could also feel the cold wind blowing in through the hide windows.  A few wigeon and pintail were still on site although the wintering Bewick and Whooper swans had all left. There  were few birds of note really apart from the long-staying spoonbill. I didn't see many waders at all, just a lapwing, godwits and some avocets. though apparently there were reports of a spotted redshank and a greenshank but I didn't find them. Some snakes-head fritillaries were in flower in a wild area of the grounds which reminded me  of the fields of them in Cricklade which may be worth a visit soon, often the field is flooded but this year I imagine it would be quite dry. Watch this space!

ring necked duck

little egret

spoonbill

snakes head fritillaries

chiffchaff

BUTTERFLIES ON THE WING IN SPRING

This fine spring weather is bringing out a few of the spring butterflies and with  an afternoon of sunshine forecast I decided to make the most of it and visit Lower Moor Farm in the Cotswold Water Park to see what I could find.

Lower Moor Farm is owned by the Wiltshire Wildlife trust and has a lovely little cafe called the Dragonfly Cafe which overlooks one of the lakes, and from which sometimes you can see otters. 

There are three hides but they were very quiet today and I turned my attention to butterfly spotting. 

I saw a Brimstone flying along one of the lakeside paths which is bordered with a thick hedge. At the same time I became aware of a smaller white butterfly but which one was it? 

After flying up and down for a while it then halted and settled on a bramble stem from where  I could see it was a green veined white, its greyish-green veins very obvious in the sunlight. 

I continued my walk and  saw an orange tip flying past at speed, that was two  species new for the season now. I stopped off at the cafe for a cup of tea, and a chat with the Wildlife Trust representative  who had a stall adjacent to it. Rather than return to my car I decided I would re trace my steps, and perhaps find a few more butterfly species. However, I didn't see anything apart from a flyby peacock. until I reached the entrance to  children's  education wildlife area which has a pond and a couple of huts some grassy paths.

I met someone coming out  who told me they had seen various butterflies including an orange tip so decided I would linger in the area.  I soon saw a couple of peacock butterflies which obligingly perched on some blackthorn flowers. Then a small white butterfly again, another  green veined white?  But a closer look revealed it was a female orange tip, which lack the orange tips to its wings, but has black tips instead. I didn't get a glimpse of the underside which is a sort of mottled green and white  colour. 

An old notice board had something on it, which turned out to be a butterfly with wings closed, but its small white 'comma'  gave its identification away. A Comma. After a while it  opened and shut its wings a few times before  flying off on to some dried grasses and turning to face its wings to the sun. .

It was a nice afternoon to be out in the sunshine and always satisfying to see my first of any butterlfly species for the year.

 

green veined white

green veined white

peacock

female orange tip

comma

 

BACK TO FARMOOR

 After not having visited the Farmoor Reservoir for many months I was back again for the second time in a week. Last weekend I went to see a black redstart which departed soon afterwards then today I saw a report of two summer-plumaged Slavonian grebes. These grebes are a rare visitor to Farmoor and  I knew that it was likely that they would not stay long, so I managed to squeeze in a visit this afternoon. It was sunny but breezy and I knew I would be walking into a stiff westerly wind as I crossed the reservoir via the causeway so ensured I had some extra layers. 

Not knowing exactly where on F2 the birds had been seen, I asked a couple of photographers who were obviously returning.  It was right on the opposite side they told me, near a  shelter which I could see from where I was standing and there would  be some people there with tripods. The grebes had apparently been fairly close in but were mobile and dived often.

I headed over the causeway  and then turned left along the west bank when I reached the other side, aiming for the aforementioned spot where  I could see a two or three people in the distance. There were not many birds on the water apart from  a small flock of tufted ducks which I passed  as I walked. I noticed that the people I'd seen were coming towards me and when I asked about the grebes they said that they were now with the group of ducks I had just passed! The grebes must have been beneath the water and I didn't spot them! 

At first the two grebes were further out than the ducks but still with in photographing distance. I knelt down by the wall and prepared to wait to see if they came any closer or if they went further away.  As the minutes passed, I  realised that they were facing towards the shore line and were heading  nearer. Their golden 'ear tufts'  caught the sun's rays from time to time, making their summer plumage stand out. Occasionally they would dive and I would wait to see where they would reappear. 

After spending a while photographing and admiring these birds it was time to head for home, pleased that I made the effort to go and see them as it is unlikely they will stay around for long. 

N.B No sign of grebes the next day