SMALL BLUES AT CROG HILL

 Yesterday I paid my annual visit to Crog Hill, near Lambourn where there is a a colony of small blue butterflies. Although it had been sunny all morning, a few clouds had gathered, blocking out the sun for a time, and I didn't see any small blues for a while as I walked up the deeply rutted track. However, as I reached the corner where there were some more  open areas, they began to appear, though not in the large numbers I saw last year ( 100+) . I suppose I probably found a couple of dozen at the most, together with two common blues, Brimstone, Peacock and some whites which I couldn't identify in flight.  The sun was shining again by the time I returned to the car so a few more butterflies were around in that area. 

hawthorn and cow parsley turning the countryside white at crog hill.

small blue

common blue

small blue

this green carpet moth had chosen a good leaf as camouflage

common blue

SLIMBRIDGE BLUETHROAT

 Once more the white spotted bluethroat has decided to pay its annual visit to WWT Slimbridge. Its favoured location is in the reedbeds adjacent to the River Severn and it can be viewed from the summer walkway. Some taller sticks have been erected amongst the reed bed, providing suitable perches from which the bluethroat can sing, and at the same time give visiting birders an improved, though distant view. 

I therefore paid a visit to Slimbridge this morning, making straight for the Shepherds Hut positioned on the sea wall, where visitors tend to congregate to get the best views. Within minutes the bluethroat had been pointed out to me, a dark shape amongst some distant reeds, but it wasn't long before it hopped onto the nearby post, enabling me to get a good view of its blue breast and white spot which gives the bird its name. It spent the next half hour moving around the area, sometimes unseen in the reeds before re appearing. I think I saw it at least four times in half an hour, which was probably the most frequent sightings I've had over the years. Always distant though, so the photos I took are very heavily cropped. 

Back at the centre, there were many broods of goslings, of differing ages, together with coot and moorhen chicks and a brood of mallards. The first avocet chicks had also hatched. One of the pairs of cranes had hatched a chick but it was hidden in the vegetation although I could see one of the parents obviously attending to it. 

Sedge and reed warblers were singing their hearts out, though not always easy to see. Not a large total of birds seen today, but nevertheless a lovely late spring morning to enjoy the sights and sounds of the centre. 

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