EASTLEACH TWITCH AND A WALK AT SLIMBRIDGE

 I'm not normally a twitcher although I do note the unusual species from looking at Bird Guides on a regular basis. Recently, crowds of bird watchers flocked to see a 'mega' bird species, a long tailed shrike in Scotland, some driving from as far away as Cornwall I believe.

Whilst  amazed at the lengths people will go for another 'lifer' , I was even more amazed when another ( or the same?)  long tailed shrike turned up at Eastleach Martin, only 20 minutes away from my home! With no excuse not to go and see it, I read the instructions for parking and turned up  in the allocated field around 9.30 am.  I reckon  at least  70 cars were already  in situe, and  a short walk back up the lane found me amongst a line of birders, mostly with long lenses, scopes and tripods all pointing towards one spot along the hedgerow, some distance away. With my binoculars I could only make out the shape of the shrike, but a kind person  allowed me to take a look through their scope which was set up next to me. From time to time the bird would make a short flight to another perch, either on a teasel, on the branch of a tree  or at the front of a bush. Each allowed for good sightings, particularly those with the more expensive gear. 

I learned afterwards that the bird's  preferred locations were  actually along the Gloucestershire/Oxfordshire border, thus causing some interesting dilemmas for county birdwatchers, anxious to add a tick to their own patch birds. 

With the bird being so distant, I could only get a blurry shot on my own camera, but if opportunity allows, I might have another go and pay an additional £5  charity donation, for the privilege of parking in the farmer's field.  Altogether, I would agree with the  general opinion that  the kindness and co-operation of the local farmer, made for a well-organised and friendly 'twitch.'

Next day, I had a pre-booked walk   at Slimbridge WWT with writer and broadcaster David Lindo. I had been surprised when I managed to secure one of only 20 free  tickets for the event which was one of a series of free walks at the WWT Centres of which he is vice-president, organised to  celebrate   20 years of his work as 'The Urban Birder'.   The walk was actually led by chief warden, Martin McGill , with David Lindo providing interesting facts about his life and birding in general along the way.  Although we only visited   four of the centre's hides,  I managed to add another four bird species to my own year list, ( spotted redshank, yellow wagtail, green and common sandpipers.)  and a couple of new dragonfly species. 

It was an enjoyable walk with other like minded birders and ended with book signing by the author. 

green sandpiper

ruff

David Lindo

Red veined darter

the new estuary shoreline area looking beautiful in the sunshine

SOUTHERN MIGRANT HAWKER at Otmoor

 I visited rspb Otmoor reserve yesterday morning, more in the hope finding butterflies rather than dragonflies. With reports of brown hairstreaks in various parts of the country I wondered if Otmoor's hairstreaks would be on the wing too.  However, despite a  thorough look along the Roman road, I was unable to find any although there were plenty of other species including, comma, red admiral, numerous gatekeepers, meadow browns, ringlet and holly blue. 

However, after turning left along the bridleway I was excited  to find  a  male  southern migrant hawker, a species I'd never seen,  then back along the Roman road, there was a migrant hawker. 

   comma

gatekeeper f

large skipper

ringlet

migrant hawker

migrant hawker  eating breakfast?

southern migrant hawker

southern migrant hawker

GRAYLINGS AT 100 ACRE PIECE, MORTIMER

Graylings are often found near coasts, but I know of a colony that can be found at the edge of a conifer plantations in the village of Mortimer, West Berkshire. It also happens to be the next village to my daughter's home, so can be combined with a visit to see her.   Graylings, are a master of disguise, often settling on bare ground, and closing their wings, so they appear to merge in with their surroundings and therefore difficult to spot. 

Often the only way to see them is when they are disturbed and noting carefully the spot where they have landed.  I decided to try the site at 100 Acre Piece,  for a change, and in the short time I was there, I found two or three graylings, so could tick this species off for another year! 

FRITILLARIES IN THE ALUN VALLEY

 Last year I made my first visit to the Alun Valley in South Wales with the purpose of finding my first High Brown Fritillary. Similar to the Dark Green Fritillary, it can be identified by the row of reddish brown spots on its underwing - that's if it settles of course!  The Alun Valley is one of the small number of places in the UK where this increasingly  rare butterfly can still be found. Sadly, I was unsuccessful, mainly due to a change in the weather which deteriorated quickly after I had arrived. However, I did at least get my bearings of the site, and met someone who helpfully told me where to look. 

A week ago, I  revisited in better weather conditions hoping to see both  species of fritillaries.  The forecast was a mix of sun and cloud, with reasonable temperatures. Arriving at  just after 8 am, some butterflies were already on the wing and after parking in a gravelled area just before the cattle grid leading into St Bride's Major, I climbed up the grassy hillside, and followed a path between the bracken on to the top of Old Castle Down through  some grazing sheep. At the corner  I followed the path downhill where I had been directed last year. A few fritillaries were seen now and then  but did not settle, These were skimming over the bracken, making it impossible to photograph or identify them and as the hours passed I saw plenty of gatekeepers, meadow browns, painted lady, red admiral, whites, and small heath butterflies. However, finally I did find a couple of fritillaries feeding on thistles, which proved to be Dark Green Fritillaries, a species  I hadn't seen so far this year. Once settled they were readily photographed.  I spent several hours walking up and down the paths, looking for any fritillaries that might be High Browns, but without success until the skies clouded over and it seemed unlikely that I would see any further fritillaries which  are a species that fly in sunshine. I therefore returned home, thinking I would have to wait another year to tick of this  species on my UK list. 

However, this week, I was reading a blog which said that High Browns were still being seen in good numbers so  I decided to have a second shot at finding and photographing a  HBF .I got up early again in order to make the hour and three quarters journey before rush hour. I quite enjoy the trip; an hour along the M4, across the Severn Bridge then further along the M4 to J35. Hopefully it would not be another  wasted trip. 

No one was parked at my usual spot, (I guess it is more popular at the weekend) and I made my way up to the top of the  Down. It was a cloudless sky so maybe I would see more fritillaries this time. As usual, other species were in evidence but strangely no fritillaries! I met a dog walker who recommended a route which circuited the Common where  I might find some High Browns as they can have particular favourite areas.  I followed the route, passing a small herd of cattle as I went, but which thankfully ignored me. Still no fritillaries! As the path started to  ascend the hill again, I decided to  turn back and retrace my steps.  A glimpse of orange caught my eye, a fritillary was flying near the hedgerow about 30 feet away. but where did it go?  I made my way through some bracken to get a bit closer in the hope that it would fly out again. Then looking down, I spotted what looked like a dark triangle  shape, low down on some brambles. Was it a butterfly? Could it be..?   Yes!  A High Brown, showing the distinctive  dark reddish brown spots on its underwings. I grabbed a couple of photos, and then it flew off again, over the hedge. 

It was still only mid- morning, but temperatures were getting  hotter so, having achieved my aim, I returned to my car, but before making the journey home, drove down to Dunraven Bay where I sat on the beach to enjoy some lunch. 

Above - Dark Green Fritillary

Below, High Brown Fritillary

PURPLE EMPEROR AT BERNWOOD FOREST

 With Purple Emperor Season now upon us, I decided to pay a visit to my usual location at Bernwood Forest. Being in the middle of a heatwave with extreme heat warnings,  I'd need to get up extra early to be in with a chance of seeing these large butterflies before they retired to the tree tops. 

Accordingly, I arrived at my location at just after 8 o'clock,  with the car temperature  already showing 23 degrees. There were already quite a few cars in the carpark, though I assumed these were mostly dog walkers though I did bump into several butterfly enthusiasts as well. 

 Earlier experiences of searching for Purple Emperors  have sometimes proved difficult,  involving a lot of neck craning to spot butterflies flying high above the sallows, but today I easily found at least three butterflies resting on the ground along the main track.

The first one was mostly keeping its wings shut, though did fly into a fir where it rested for a while. One butterfly flew around me before landing on me, (attracted by the insect repellent?!)  while another rested on the ground, giving me some lovely shots of its purple sheen.  

Other butterflies seen included a dozen or more silver washed fritillaries. one white admiral which preferred to remain behind the trees at the side of the path, marbled whites, small and large skippers, meadow browns, red admirals and commas. 

BUTTERFLIES IN SHROPSHIRE

Not long ago I was talking to someone  about the butterflies I still had to  see  to complete my UK list of sightings. One of these is the Large Heath and I learned from him that the nearest place I could see them was   at  a place called Whixall Moss in Shropshire, about 3 hours' drive. As this would be too far for me to drive as a day trip, I decided to make a short break of it, and accordingly booked some air bnb accommodation nearby. A bonus was the fact that another rare butterfly, the silver studded blue can be seen at another reserve close by, although this is a species I have seen regularly each year in Berkshire.

Whilst doing some research I found that   the large heath butterfly can be found at two locations in the area,  Bettisfield Moss as well as Whixall Moss, so I decided to visit both to give me the best chance of success. These are both peat bogs and I was warned that  biting insects can be  prevalent!  I therefore dressed with long sleeves, despite being a hot day, and sprayed myself liberally with insect repellant, 

At Bettisfield there was just one other car in the small car park  and I   walked up the main path onto the reserve. I had been  told   that I might find the butterflies along this path, but the ones I did see  were  flying over the peat bog itself but  they were very  active and I couldn't  really see the markings clearly as they didn't stop! 

I decided to try my second location, and parked at Morris' bridge car park right next to the Llangollan canal. You have to go over a lifting bridge to get to the car park, and soon after I got there   I saw  the bridge being lifted to enable a narrow boat to pass through,

I'd looked at a map of this reserve and took the path from the car park, past a gate and then turned right at a  t junction. This   led to a wide path between two vast bog areas.  I wasn't really sure what to expect a peat bog to look like, but it seemed like a lot of dry grass with a scattering of small trees. However, there were warnings to stay on the path.   Again the large heaths were flying  in the   peat bog area each side of the path,   occasionally crossing over  but never stopping to settle. I spoke to a lady who said she had seen one or two settle earlier that morning  but it certainly seemed unlikely now. After walking up and down the path, I decided to call it a day, and head over to Prees Heath Common to look for my second rarity of the day the silver studded blue. 

 I'd already located the car parking area on a map so found the spot with little difficulty. I'd been told the butterflies were on the right of the car park, and even when stepping out of the car, I could see a number of figures with cameras  This was going to be easy, and it was. There  were dozens of silver studded blues, many of them settling regularly, sometimes with open wings and sometimes with closed wings showing their blue 'studs'. I soon found I had plenty of photos to choose from!

Although pleased to have finally seen a large heath butterfly, I really felt I needed a photo to confirm the identity and to add to my album of butterflies, just in case I never had an opportunity to see another one  So  the following day  I got up early and was on the heath by 7.45. am. It was sunny and quite warm and I soon saw skippers flying and thought may be the large heaths would be out early too, However,  the bog area proved a lot windier than yesterday, and it even became quite cloudy and a bit cooler and no butterflies appeared. I could see that a  break in the cloud cover was imminent so decided to stick it out.  Finally my patience paid off, as suddenly two  butterflies seemed to appear from nowhere, and started chasing each other before one decided to settle for a few seconds on a piece of grass  about 10 feet  away. Now was my chance, and I took it!  I didn't see them again, but was quite satisfied  to get a photo at last. 

the lifting bridge in action

the  Llangollen canal 

The bog where the butterflies were flying

the path in between two areas of bog

My only photo of a large heath butterfly!

Silver studded blue

On my way home, I decided to break the journey at Burlish Meadows, a place I'd never visited before but had seen recent reports of white letter hairstreak butterflies there. It's been a while since I've seen this species properly so after reading some local blogs I arrived at the car park of this nature reserve near Stourport. Reports suggested that they could  be found in a row of elms not far from the car park so I began to look around, and eventually located two or three elms between the car park and the road. A path had been trampled leading to them, confirming that indeed I was in the right place and it stopped in front of one of them. It was only a few minutes before two small butterflies twirled and twisted into view, one  stopping to rest long enough for me to identify it before it was off again.  A few minutes later they were back, this time one stopped closer, and at eye level, enabling one record shot . Having seen my target species, I decided I would return to the car and leave for home. It had been a satisfying few days away from home. 

LARGE BLUES AT DANEWAYS

So many butterflies are on the wing in June, it's sometimes hard to know which species to look for first.  I had it in mind to visit  Ravensroost Wood to see if I could find any White Admirals or Silver washed fritillaries, but then my phone showed a notification saying that  Large Blues had been seen at Daneway banks near Cirencester. Large blues are rare, and were introduced successfully at this location ten to fifteen years ago and this remains one of the few places where you can find them,  Now I know from experience that Large Blue butterflies don't like the sun too much so if they settle they tend to keep their wings closed. So I needed a mix of sun and cloud, so that the sun would cause them to fly, and the cloud would encourage them to settle with open wings. It was still fairly sunny as I finished work at lunch time but with some cloud cover forecast for the afternoon, so  I drove the 35 minute journey over to Daneway  banks where there were thankfully still several parking spaces left in the layby at the bottom of the hill. I walked over the bridge, and took the narrow steep road which passes the reserve enteance at thd top of thd hill.  On the way to the reserve, I met one or two visitors who said they either hadn't seen any large blues or  had just had a possible brief glimpse of one. Things weren't looking so good. Maybe I'd picked a wrong day. However, I tried to  remain optimistic as yesterday's report said six butterflies were seen so surely they must still be around somewhere! 

The first butterfly I saw was a large orange butterfly which almost flew straight at me -   it stopped to rest briefly on a number plate of a car parked in the gateway and I saw that it was a silver washed fritillary! Not what I was expecting, but possibly had flown over from Siccaridge woods on the opposite side of the road ( where I saw the Pearl bordered fritillaries back in April)  Well that was one tick for the year anyway. 

I walked slowly through the reserve, which I've visited many times before, and spotted numerous marbled whites, and a few small heaths, ringlets, meadow browns and painted lady.  Eventually I reached the far corner, where a number of people seemed to be congregating. Yes - a blue butterfly was fluttering around and settled on some thyme - a large blue! I do like this pretty butterfly -   a gorgeous wedgwood blue in colour with black markings. It stopped long enough for a quick photo before  flying back and over the hillside behind.  After a short wait,  another one was spotted but didn't rest.  A couple of other blues further away caught my eye,  but when I went to investigate they turned out to be common blues. 

With no further sightings, I decided to take a narrow path  up the hillside and just before it came to the top, spotted another three large blues which I was pleased about. They did just about open their wings, but I couldn't get in position for  a decent photo so had to be content with record shots.  As I returned downhill, the sun had gone in, and so had the butterflies.  It seems I had made the trip just in time today, though doubtless the next couple of weeks will prove good for them, and delight a good number of visitors. 

silver washed fritillary having a brief rest on a number plate

marbled white

painted lady

large blue