Bowdown Woods BBOWT - 29th July 2011

I haven't had much chance to increase my Butterfly list that I started last year so when I knew I was working in Thatcham I couldn't resist in calling in at Bowdown Woods where 2 of my target species the Silver-washed Fritillary and White Admiral are currently flying. Unfortunately things conspired against me and after a phone call from the office I had to cut short my visit without seeing either. I came across a small glade where I saw most of the species which included an unusual marked Green-veined White (below) and thanks to Andy on the UK Butterfly forum for helping with its ID.

Green-veined White

Speckled Wood

Meadow Brown

Some luck was with me and I stopped to watch 2 Green Woodpeckers as finished my walk along the Bomb Site path I noticed an Oak Tree and knowing there are Purple Hairstreak reported I took a good look finding one high up and just within my lens range, though the quality wasn't to good with shooting into the sunlight.

Purple Hairstreak 

 Male Common Blue

Female Common Blue

Other butterflies included Peackock and Gatekeeper

Brockholes Nature Reserve LWT - 24th July 2011

I spent 3 hours in the sunshine wandering around the reserve with Howard Prescot looking mainly for the White-letter and Purple Hairstreaks that are seen in small numbers at this time of year. Though the sun was out there was no sign of them on this visit but there were many other species flying across the reserve.

  Comma

 Green-Veined White

 Red Admiral

Meadow Brown
Including the above there were also Peacock, Gatekeeper and Speckled Wood also Small and Large Skipper have been reported recently.
With the variety of flowering plants across the reserve is wasn't a supprise to see a great number of bumble bees including the 2 shown below.

 Red-tailed Bumblebee

Buff-tailed Bumblebee
Dragonflies and Damselflies were around in numbers including 6+ Brown Hawkers as well as those shown below.

  Common Darter

Female Empreror Dragonfly oviposting

I believe the bottom photograph is of a newly emerged Common Darter as the wings are much more transparent. Whilst I was looking for the White-letter Hairstreak I came across this Common Toad amongst the undergrowth and quite a way from any of the pools.

Common Toad

Bishop Middleham Quarry - 27th July 2010

I was working in the North East of England and decided to take my lunch brake at Bishop Middleham Quarry as I'd read that it was a good area to observe both buterflies and orchids.
Having now looked at the map the area seems to cover quite a large area which is why I missed the Northern Brown Argos which I'd hoped to see. The area I covered was around NZ329325 and I only managed a brief visit so more than likely missed quite a lot that can be seen in the area.

SMALL COPPER

MEADOW BROWN

BELOW SMALL SKIPPER

ABOVE SMALL WHITE BELOW GREEN-VEINED WHITE

Other butterflies included Peacock and Gatekeeper. Also in the area I came across 2 species of orchid, Common Spotted which I've seen at several sites including Stags lodge though the plants do have a slightly different shape here than the ones I have seen before. The other orchid I found was the Chalk Fragrant-Orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea)  the first time I have come across this orchid.

ABOVE COMMON SPOTTED ORCHID

ABOVE AND BELOW CHALK FRAGRANT-ORCHID

Butterflies, Brockholes Nature Reserve - 18th July 2010

After getting the Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown mixed up in an earlier post (now corrected thanks to Bill Gregory) I decided to make the most of a brake in the rain this afternoon to try and photograph both species down at Brockholes Nature Reserve. The Gatekeeper flies between the end of June to the begining of September and can be found south of Cumbria in England and mainly coastal areas in Wales. The main distinguishing features between the two species is the Meadow Brown is a duller butterfly and the Gatekeeper has 2 white pupils in the eyespots of the forewings.

ABOVE GATEKEEPER BELOW MEADOW BROWN

NOTE THE DIFFERENCE IN THE EYESPOTS

The Meadow Brown has a longer flying season starting from the begining of June and going through to the end of September and can be found through out Britain below 300m.

TOP FEMALE GATEKEEPER BELOW MALE GATEKEEPER,

NOTE THE SEX BANDS ON THE FOREWING OF THE MALE

ABOVE A NEWLY EMERGED GATEKEEPER WITH ITS WINGS YET TO EXTEND

ABOVE A FEMALE MEADOW BROWN

There were several white butterflies flying but I only managed to photograph these Green-veined Whites the most common of all the whites. It can be found through out most of Britain and flies between the beginig of April and the end of September, being such a long flighing period it is one of the species of buterflies that has 2 broods.

ABOVE & BELOW GREEN-VEINED WHITE, NOTE THE GREEN VEINS

ON THE UNDERSIDE OF ITS WING THAT GIVES IT ITS NAME

Stags Lodge, Cuerden Valley Park

I wouldn't call myself a patch birder but if I was to be asked what my local patch is I'd have to say Stags Lodge. I spend most evenings and a few mornings there usually walking my 3 dogs but do manage to see what goes on even though I don't always blog it. Its not one of the best patches but does have a few nice birds our favourite of this year being the Whinchat that made an appearance earlier in the year. At the moment there are warblers calling again, Chiffchaff, Willow and Whitethroat which look to have bred successfully this year with 4 young on show with 2 adults this evening. On the pond the Coot have done well with 2 pairs raising a total of 5 young though no Moorhen this year we can't forget the large Mallard brood. Across the park we regularly see Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Magpie, Rook, Carion Crow, Greater-black Backed and Black-headed Gull, Coal, Long-tailed, Great and Blue Tit, Chaffinch, Bullfinch, Greenfinch, Swallow, Wren, Robin, Jay, Woodpigeon, Collard Dove, Kestrel, Grey Wagtail, Grey Heron and even the odd Buzzard from time to time. During the week though I found what I believe to be a young Sparrowhawk, what has taken it I'm not sure but possibly a Peregrine.

YOUNG SPARROWHAWWK FOUND DEAD ON THE PARK

The meadows were cut just over a week ago which caused me some concern not only beacause of the lack of flowers for the Bees and Butterflies but also beacause the meadows contained Common Spotted Orchid. A number of plants still remain in a ditch and a few more in the wilder part of th every bottom meadow which is usually left to grow its course so hopfully we will see them in future years here.

Butterflies can still be seen on the park with much smaller numbers of Meadow Brown than some weeks ago, a couple of Speckled Wood, Small Tortoiseshell, Coma, Green-veined White and a single female Brimstone.

ABOVE COMA BELOW FEMALE GREEN-VEINED WHITE

ABOVE PEACOCK CATERPILLAR ON ITS FOODPLANT THE COMMON NETTLE

All photo's on this post taken with my Sony Ericsson C905 mobile phone (who needs a fancy camera?)