Dragonfly Pond & Stags Lodge - Cuerden Valley Park - 14th June 2014

With Emperor Dragonflies being reported I decided to head up to the dragonfly pond to see if they were flying locally. I counted 3 including a female oviposting,  20 four spotted chaser as well as blue tailed and azure damselfly. A single Buzzard showed overhead briefly and a Chiffchaff called near by. I only managed one butterfly in the form of a Large Skipper but picked up 1 Meadow at Wigan Lane car park and 2 Speckled Wood on Stags Lodge. A little disappointing for butterflies locally with numbers being very low (a walk around Stags Lodge tonight - 17th brought a single Meadow Brown)

A walk back through Stags Lodge brought a Greater Spotted Woodpecker near to a previous found nest site. It seemed to be excavating a fresh nest, not sure if they have a second brood but I'll be sure to keep an eye out. Another Chiffchaff (no Willow Warbler at Stags this year) and 4 Whitethroat were the only wablers and 4 young Coot on the pond, not bad since they started with seven (I did see a Grey Heron on the pond quite a bit when they first appeared). A small number of Banded Demoiselle, Male and Female were on the River Lostock as well as a young Wren by the bridge no sign of the Dipper though

 Above & below four spotted chaser

 Above Blue tailed Damselfly

Above male Emperor Dragonfly below female

 Above young Coot below Common Spotted Orchid

 Above & below Greater Spotted Woodpecker

 Above & below Large Skipper

 Above Meadow Brown below Speckled Wood

Above young Wren