Local Patch, Warblers & Butterflies - 29th April 2011

I managed a few trips up to the local patch the first being on the way back from an early walk with the dogs at Cuerden Valley Park. On the way up I’d heard a Willow Warbler calling by the top kissing gate and more were heard on Cuerden itself as well as a Whitethroat calling near the paddock and Chiffchaff calling around the park.
On the way back through as well as the usual calling Chiffchaff there were 2 calling Whitethroat and 2 other Whitethroat in the area where 2 successfully nested last year which was a good sign and prompted a return visit with the camera.
Though I heard 2 Whitethroat calling the nesting pair were very elusive and it took a 45 minute wait sat in the long grass before I got the few shots shown.

ABOVE AND BELOW WHITETHROAT

Though the wind was up there were several species of butterfly in evidence and I came across a single Blue-tailed Damselfly which I think is a little early for them and the first dragonfly/damselfly I have seen this season though I have been checking the Dragonfly Pond at Cuerden regularly.

ABOVE AND BELOW MALE ORANGE TIP, THE FEMALE LACKS THE ORANGE TIPS

ABOVE WORN PEACOCK BELOW SMALL TORTOISESHELL 

ABOVE SMALL WHITE BELOW BLUE-TAILED DAMSELFLY

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

Brockholes Nature Reserve - 24th July 2010

Okay I thought I'd start the post with this juvenile Robin as I haven't posted much about birds lately on what started out as a birding blog and it looked kinda cute sat amongst the undergrowth. More about birds later, the reason for this trip down to Brockholes NR was again to try and see the White-letter Hairstreak. The sun had been out all morning but by the time I managed my visit it was still warm but the sun was behind a mass of white cloud so spotting one was going to be difficult. The caterpillar feeds exclusively on the leaves of elm and the butterfly feeds on the honeydew in the canopy of elms only occasionaly coming down to feed on brambles or thistles in the warmth of sunlight. On my walk up to the area they had previously been sighted I counted 20+ Meadow Browns amongst the grass as well as several Gatekeepers, Small Tortoiseshell and Green-veined White. As I approached the brambles several species were feeding and taking in the warmth and while l scanning through them a single White-letter Hairstreak flew from the bottom of the brambles and perched on a high branch.

ABOVE AND BELOW WHITE-LETTERED HAIRSTREAK

Other species on the Brambles including those already mentioned were Coma, Peackock and Small White.

ABOVE PEACOCK BELOW COMA

BELOW SMALL WHITE IN FLIGHT AND 2 GATEKEEPERS

Bill and Mike joined me but as Mike arived the White-letter Hairstreak flew back into the woods not to return on our visit.

Text had been coming through over the last few days about a Hobby that has been hunting around the M6 end of pool No1 so this was the next stop with the hope of seeing my first one of the year. Nick Green (who later spotted an Osprey breifly over the Ribble) and several other birders were watching the Hobby as it sat on the top of a lamp post. I managed a few record shots including a poor one in flight but it was just to far for my 300mm lens.

ABOVE HOBBY ON ITS REGULAR PERCH AND BELOW POOR FLIGHT SHOT

Once the Hobby flew off I spotted a female Common Darter which thankfully stayed around while both Mike and I photgraphed it.

TOP, MIDDLE AND BOTTOM FEMALE COMMON DARTER

A single Small Skipper few from under the undergrowth, the first I'd seen but not much different from the Large Skipper I photographed a few weeks ago here.

ABOVE AND BELOW SMALL SKIPPER