CHERHILL

Lots of butterflies flying at Cherhill this afternoon in the warm sunshine, probably the best visit I've had to this site

Adonis blues had been reported here this week, and I saw plenty of them, also several small  blues, a common blue and a few brown argus. Good numbers of wall browns, too, though they were reluctant to settle. Other species seen included small copper, dingy skipper, green hairstreak,  small heath, brimstone and speckled wood.

adonis blue

brown argus

common blue

marsh fritillary

small blue

wall brown

DANEWAY BANKS

A beautiful afternoon for butterfly spotting at Daneway Banks reserve just outside Cirencester. I normally visit in June for the large Blue, but thought I'd pay an early visit to see what was about. I spent a couple of hours traversing the slopes; the most common butterfly was the common blue, but I did manage to find a couple of small blue butterflies, new for my year list. I also spotted a single  green hairstreak. 

In total I  found 11 different species; small blue, common blue, brown argus, green hairstreak, dingy skipper, small white, green veined white,  speckled wood, small copper, small heath and peacock, but still no grizzled skipper!  Am I going to miss this one again this year? 

 view of the reserve

carved post 

carved bench showing  life cyle of the Large Blue butterfly

common blue

brown argus

green veined white

poor shot of green hairstreak!

peacock

small blue

small copper

small heath

SPRING ARRIVALS

A pleasant afternoon spent at WWT Slimbridge today; a mix of sun and cloud but warm with hardly a breeze. Lots of new life around, broods of goslings and ducklings everywhere, also coots and moorhen with young of varying ages. At the Discovery Hide, a family of oyster catchers with chicks only a few days old were feeding close to the hide, where they had made their nest on the roof. Avocets and blackheaded gulls were nest sitting. 

I didn't see the mediterranean gulls which pay regular visits to South Lake but I did manage to find the spoonbill which gave distant views from the Zeiss hide and added another tick to my year list.

avocet pair

coot feeding chick

greylag

Canada goose

siesta for greylags

"Who's that crossing over my bridge?"

moorhen chick

oyster catcher

on sentry duty

shelduck

spoonbill and avocets

spoonbill

almost missed these!

SANDERLING AND BLACK TERN

Several degrees cooler today with plenty of cloud cover but with a black-necked grebe reported from Farmoor Reservoir, that's where I headed straight from work today. There was a moderate breeze so I was glad of my warmer coat again, but it wasn't unpleasant as I walked the length of the causeway. 

I stopped to ask someone if they had seen the grebe but they said it appeared to have gone which was disappointing. However, I did see a common sandpiper as it flew off over the water, and had some nice views of a couple of sanderlings and a dunlin. In the distance, flying over F2 were 3 black terns. 

sanderling

MARSH FRITILLARIES

Having unsuccessfully searched for Marsh Fritillaries at Morgan's Hill, I decided to try Pewsey Downs Nature Reserve on the southern edge of the Marlborough Downs where they had been recorded a few days ago. 

There were more clouds about today, and an easterly breeze but I thought I would still be able to find some sheltered areas where butterflies might be seen. 

Once on the reserve I walked along the eastern side of the roadside hedge and soon found a green hairstreak on the hawthorn. A dingy skipper was also seen. The first orange butterfly I saw turned out to be a wall brown, but then a smaller butterfly came into view, and although it didn't settle, I was able to detect the pattern on its wings which identified it as a marsh fritillary. Shortly afterwards another I came across another and this time it settled, wings open. 

The hillside was covered in cowslips and above me I could see and hear skylarks singing. 

I continued my walk, and then made my way towards the top of the hill, exploring the banks and gulleys as I did so, where I managed to find  a common blue, brown argus, small heath and small coppers. Near the top of the hill, I found a further marsh fritillary. I decided to continue westwards towards the chalk white horse in the hillside, which would be sheltered from the wind, and in this area I found plenty more marsh fritillaries, around 25 in total I think. I managed to coax one with its wings closed onto my finger, from which it flew and landed on my camera!

I still didn't manage to see a grizzled skipper although one was recorded here recently... the search continues....

Marsh fritillary

small copper

white horse

brown argus