Dusk Birding and More Butterflies

It was a beautiful evening on Tuesday 17th June as I headed up to the edge of Dartmoor to meet Mavis and Kay for a Nightjar walk. There was only a little breeze and it felt quite warm although it cooled down quickly as dusk fell, the skies were mostly clear too but the bits of cloud present made for a beautiful sunset. It was lovely to have Mike join us too and we all kept our fingers crossed for some Nightjar action.

Myself, Mavis and Kay set off for a walk while Mike stayed in the car and we managed to find a few birds in the fading light, the best being a Spotted Flycatcher flitting about between Hawthorn bushes before disappearing from view. Stonechats, Meadow Pipits and Linnets were vocal and showy too while Willow Warblers were melodiously singing away.

We headed back to the car and drove over to another car park to set ourselves up for the Nightjars as the light continued to fall. We could hear a very distant Cuckoo calling while Kay sadly found a dead Slow Worm on the footpath, my second one of the year. A male Yellowhammer was seen perched up on top of a bush and a group of Fallow Deer showed nicely as they crossed the road, skillfully avoiding the frequent cars passing by.

Fallow Deer at dusk - a very lovely photo courtesy of Mavis

As we were scanning about I caught sight of a distant white bird flying over the Down, at first I thought it was a Little Egret (!) before realising it was in fact a Barn Owl! We watched it for a while as it quartered over the ground, it occassionally hovered and dived down into the vegetation although it never appeared to catch anything. It eventually drifted off out of sight but I was pleased to have seen only my second ever Devon Barn Owl, an unexpected and very delightful surprise.

Eventually we heard a Nightjar churring, a strange and wonderful sound, it sang away for a good 30 minutes as it moved position around the Down but unfortunately we never got a view of it and no other males were heard either. The light eventually went and it was time to leave with Kay very kindly dropping me off closer to civilisation so I could catch a bus home. It had a been a very enjoyable evening indeed despite the lack of a Nightjar sighting but listening to their churring song is always a special treat.

With the weather beginning to heat up I headed out to Wembury for a walk on Thursday 19th June, I arrived off the bus at around 9:45am and it was already very hot in the strong sunshine and there was very little breeze to cool things down. I was on the lookout for butterflies again so didn't pay much attention to bird life, there wasn't much to see anyway and I didnt even find any Oystercatchers or Stonechats on my walk which is very unusual but there were Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Whitethroats and Cirl Buntings singing away and I also briefly heard a Cetti's Warbler in the valley to the beach. I was pleased to see 2 Swifts hawking insects over the village amongst the House Martins as I passed by on the bus and the only other sightings of note were 2 Little Egret and a female Mallard along the beach.

I did find some butterflies though with sightings of my first Small Skippers and Ringlets of the year along with 2 Green Hairstreak, a Common Blue, a Painted Lady, 2 Red Admiral, Large Skippers, Meadow Browns and Commas.

Green Hairstreak

Sand-tailed Digger Wasp carrying a Weevil back to it's nest

I stepped off the bus at Morrisons on the journey home from Wembury to meet up with Mavis and Kay to look for the Oreston Hairstreaks. It was baking hot by now but quite breezy and the tree tops were swaying away making viewing difficult but we did find White-letter Hairstreaks flitting about and I also managed a brief view of a Purple Hairstreak, making it a rare 3 Hairstreak day. To finish off we had a look at the nearby Bee and Pyramidal Orchids before heading home, I'd had a great time but was very glad to get indoors and out of the heat.

White-letter Hairstreak

It was even hotter the next day (Friday 20th June) and with David finally having his Op at Derriford Hospital that morning I had a few hours to kill while waiting around for him to emerge from his surgery. I went to see a few of my old work colleagues and also had a wander around Bircham Meadow, a nature reserve at the back of the hospital. It was baking hot in the sun but there were Ringlets, Meadow Browns, Small Skippers, Marbled Whites and Large Skippers buzzing around everywhere. I also saw a Red Admiral, a Comma, a Painted Lady and a Silver-washed Fritillary with a Golden-ringed Dragonfly, a male Beautiful Demoiselle, a Broad-bodied Chaser and an Emperor Dragonfly also found. A Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Buzzard and Stock Doves were seen while a Jay, a Goldcrest, a Nuthatch, Chiffchaff and Blackcap were heard but again I was very glad to get back indoors and out of the heat.

Ringlet

More Local Butterflying

I headed out to Wembury on Saturday 14th June for a walk, it's been a while since my last visit and I was hoping to catch up with some butterflies. It was cool and breezy despite the mostly sunny skies but I did find a Painted Lady, 2 Red Admiral, 3 Large Skipper and 4 Meadow Browns along with a single Small Copper and a very faded Common Blue. I also had a brief glimpse of a probable Small Skipper but it was off and gone before I properly got onto it along with a brief view of a flitty Marbled White which was my first for the year.

Painted Lady

Marbled White

A few moths were seen too with the highlight being my first Hummingbird Hawkmoth of the year feeding on Valerian. A Silver Y, 2 Rush Veneer and a Double-Striped Pug were also disturbed from the vegetation and a worn looking Shears, a new moth for me, was found resting on a Mullein where 2 Mullein caterpillars were also feeding. A large Lackey Caterpillar was also seen basking on a fence post.

Shears

Mullein and Lackey Caterpillars

Mating Black-and-Yellow Longhorn Beetles

There wasn't much going on with the birdlife as expected, the highlights were 44 Oystercatcher roosting along the beach on the high tide before being flushed by dog walkers, Fulmars around The Mewstone, vocal and showy Whitethroats and a hovering Kestrel near the Church.

I headed out to Saltram for a walk on Sunday 15th June, it was warmer and sunnier than the previous day but still breezy and again I hoped to see some butterflies. I caught the bus to Laira Bridge and started off by having a look at the Elm near The Range where I found 3+ White-letter Hairstreaks flitting about amongst the leaves of a very healthy looking tree. They were keeping high up in the tree though and binoculars were needed for decent views, it's easy to forget how spoilt we are with the views we can get at the Oreston site.

White-letter Hairstreak

I then headed along The Ride towards Saltram Beach where a Whitethroat was heard singing away with a second bird then seen flitting about on Chelson Meadow along with a juvenile Stonechat. There were also House Martins and 2 Swifts hawking for insects overhead, Skylarks singing away and lots of Grass Vetchlings in flower amongst the long grass.

Grass Vetchling

A few Marbled Whites, Meadow Browns, Large Skippers and Common Blues were fitting about along with a Small Heath, a Red Admiral, a Large White and a Comma. I had a look for White-letter Hairstreaks at the site I first found them at last year but other than a very brief view of a potential Hairstreak disappearing over the tree tops I was out of luck.

It was hot and sunny on Monday 16th June and the breeze had died down as I headed up to Long Ash on Dartmoor to meet up with Dave the Buttefly Guy for a Fritillary walk. Long Ash is apparently a good site for Dark Green Fritillary and is not too far as the Fritillary flies from my High Brown Fritillary site and we were both intrigued to see if we could find High Browns at Long Ash too.

I caught the bus to Yelverton where I found a Small Fan Foot moth on the toilet block wall before I walked over the Down to Long Ash to meet up with Dave, birds I saw along the way included a female Bullfinch, 2 Coal Tit, a male Yellowhammer and 4 Long-tailed Tit with Willow Warblers and a garden Warbler also heard. At least 6 Silver-washed Fritillary were flitting about too and I managed some good views of 2 of them when they landed briefly before dashing off again.

Small Fan Foot

Silver-washed Fritillary

Silver-washed Fritillary

Silver-washed Fritillary

After meeting Dave at Long Ash we headed off into the valley to look for Fritillaries, a few were seen dashing about over the Bracken but didn't settle for a second. Eventually we arrived at Daves Dark Green Fritillary hotspot where Brambles and Thistles were in flower and we settled down to stake them out for any nectaring butterflies. There were Fritillaries dashing about all over the place and again they rarely and only briefly settled on the flowers to feed but we positively ID'd 1 Dark Green Fritillary and an amazing 4 High Brown Fritillary!

High Brown Fritillary

Meadow Browns, a Small White, a male Brimstone and a Red Admiral were also seen along with a possible Ringlet while birds noted included 2 Stock Dove, a flyover Grey Heron and a pair of Bullfinch with Siskins calling overhead and Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and another Garden Warbler heard.

As we headed back to the car park at Long Ash we found a male High Brown Fritillary on the muddy footpath, presumably newly emerged and taking in minerals, and we finally got some proper views of the underwings.

High Brown Fritillary

It had been an interesting walk and I was very surprised to have seen High Brown Fritillaries, I really hadn't expected to find any at all but it does go to show what is out there if you go and look. The apparent lack of Dark Green Fritillaries is odd too, a situation echoed at Aish Tor where High Browns are also having a good season and Dark Green not so much, maybe the Dark Green are just running late this year.

With news of Purple Hairstreak amongst the White-letter Hairstreaks at Oreston I headed out there for a quick look on Tuesday 17th June. It was hot and sunny and on arriving on site at around 9:45am there were 3 butterflyers already present and they had been watching a Purple Hairstreak for around 30 minutes before it flew off just as I arrived - typical! 

There were White-letter Hairstreaks flitting about though, there must have been at least 10 present and despite being very active I had some great views of them and they were all looking very smart.

White-letter Hairstreak

White-letter Hairstreak

Eventually a Purple Hairstreak showed itself and gave some nice views with a second individual briefly seen as well.

Purple Hairstreak

Purple Hairstreak and Wasp

A Comma, 2 Speckled Wood and a Large White were also seen and on the walk over to the nearby Elm tree at The Range I found Bee Orchids and Pyramidal Orchids still in flower, I did also see at least 2 White-letter Hairstreak buzzing around the Elm but again the views were tricky and distant looking up into the tree top.

White-letter Hairstreaks and Flitty Fritillaries

White-letter Hairstreak 

The summer birding doldrums may have arrived but it does now mean that I get to spend the next few weeks looking down at the ground for insects and plants instead of looking up at the sky for birds.

With reports of the White-letter Hairstreaks having emerged at Oreston while I was away in Suffolk I decided to head out there for a look on Sunday 8th June. It was cool and breezy with occassionally sunny spells and I wasn't sure if the conditions would be conducive to seeing finicky Hairstreaks but I thought I'd give it a go. I needn't have worried though as no sooner than I had arrived on site I found one perched in the Elm tree and I eventually managed to see at least 3 of them with some very good views obtained of them too.

White-letter Hairstreak

White-letter Hairstreaks

Dave the Butterfly Guy unexpectedly arrived and we had a good catch up, he had first seen the Hairstreaks on the 2nd, a very early date. Today's date is the earliest I have ever seen them too and presumably due to all the recent dry and sunny weather we have experienced even though the nights were often chilly.

White-letter Hairstreak

After watching the Hairstreaks for a while I then headed over towards The Range to check out the Elm tree there but didn't find any White-letter Hairstreaks although I wasn't on site for long, I did see some nice Bee Orchids and Pyramidal Orchids along the way though.

Bee Orchid

Pyramidal Orchids

We had a walk around Saltram on Monday 9th June and despite it being overcast but warm and humid I only saw 2 butterflies, a Meadow Brown and a Speckled Wood. The tide was low but there were 2 Mute Swans feeding out on the river near the rowing club and on Blaxton Meadow a single Shelduck was fast asleep out on the mud. An interesting sighting was of a presumed male Scarce Chaser buzzing around the duck pond but it never settled for a second while the male Mandarin Ducks here were already beginning their moult into eclipse plumage. The only other sighting of note were 11 Swifts feeding over Saltram House amongst  the House Martins and Swallows.

It was warm, sunny and humid on Wednesday 11th June as I headed up to Dartmoor to look for Fritillaries, it was perfect weather for butterflies but maybe not so much for trying to get a good look at them.

I started off at my usual site but the only butterfly seen here was a Meadow Brown and so I headed over to the nearby new site where I immediately found what I at first thought was a Dark Green Fritillary sat up in the branches of a tree. It actually turned out to be a Silver-washed Fritillary, a butterfly species I wasn't really expecting to see on this visit as it is a little early for them, however with the warm and dry spring we've had this year emergence dates do seem earlier than usual. Sadly it quickly disappeared and was never seen again but I did manage to get a few photos of it.

Silver-washed Fritillary

There were other large Fritillaries dashing about over the bracken, the most I saw at any one time were 4 but there were undoubtedly more than this number present. I managed to confirm the ID's of just 4 of them, 2 Dark Green and 2 High Brown, and with a bit of patience and a lot of luck I managed to get some decent views along with some decent photos although they were extremely flitty and rarely settled for long.

Dark Green Fritillary

High Brown Fritillary - my favourite UK butterfly

High Brown Fritillary

High Brown Fritillary

High Brown Fritillary

High Brown Fritillary

A Large White, 3 Large Skippers, 4 Brimstone (2 males), a Speckled Wood and Meadow Browns were also seen along with Brown Silver-line moths, 2 male Broad-bodied Chasers, a Golden-ringed Dragonfly, 2 Black-and-Yellow Longhorn Beetles and an Orchid Beetle.

Orchid Beetle

Black-and-Yellow Longhorn Beetle

Bird wise singing Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Willow Warbler were heard along with a Goldcrest, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Siskin while a Buzzard was seen soaring high overhead and a pair of Bullfinch skulked in the undergrowth.

After getting my fill of the Fritillaries I returned to the original site for another quick look before heading home and was very pleased to find a single High Brown Fritillary here, presumably a separate colony to the other site and good to know they are still present here after last years blank.

High Brown Fritillary - just gorgeous

A Trip to Suffolk

It was off to Suffolk on Monday 2nd June for a few days away to visit my Mum and Dad and neither of us were looking forward to the drive there as the roads are increasingly a nightmare to travel on and especially the M25. The journey was as heavy going as always with the usual sightings of Red Kites soaring overhead brightening things up along the way, not so nice was seeing so many accidents and breakdowns too plus the usual large volume of roadkill by the side of the road including Badger, Pheasant, Woodpigeon and Muntjac Deer.

The weather really wasn't that great during our time away and with yet more ongoing dental problems I was in quite a bit of pain and didn't feel that well which resulted in a trip to an emergency dentist and this did put a bit of a crimp on things but never mind.

I didn't have any real plans for our time away but as I hadn't visited RSPB Minsmere for almost 2 years I decided to catch the train to Darsham on Wednesday 4th June and then a community minibus from the train station to the reserve, the minibus service being a similar council-run scheme as The Robin that I used to get to Slimbridge back in February this year. The first available time slot with the community minibus wasn't until 10:25am and so I had to catch the 09:16am train from Ipswich to Darsham, much later than I had planned, and I ended up losing quite a bit of birding time at Minsmere but never mind, at least it only cost me £3.50 for the minibus instead of the £30+ for a taxi.

It was cool, breezy and mostly overcast when I finally arrived at the reserve and I started off my Minsmere visit by looking for Stone Curlews in the usual field but I was out of luck so I continued on to the Island Mere Hide where a Purple Heron has been seen regularly. I could here Cetti's Warblers, Reed Buntings and Reed Warblers singing away as I walked along the boardwalk towards the hide and as I opened the door and entered I could hear the guide pointing out the Purple Heron flying over the reedbed but it dropped down out of sight before I even got my binoculars up to my eyes!

I scanned around and had some nice views of a Kingfisher, 2 Hobby, Marsh Harriers, a Common Tern and a Mediterranean Gull before the cry went up that the Purple Heron was in flight again. This time I got onto it quickly and watched it land at the waters edge where it had a good preen before slinking off into the reeds and out of sight, some very nice views unlike last years distant flight views of one at Exminster Marshes.

Purple Heron (the blob in the reeds just left of the wooden post!) and Gadwalls

I carried on towards the South Hide and along the way heard a distant Cuckoo calling while Four-spotted Chasers, Norfolk Hawkers and "Blue" Damselflys buzzed around. I had hoped to see Bearded Tits at the Island Mere Hide but was out of luck so I was pleased to hear some "pinging" in the reeds by the South Hide just as I was about to enter and I managed to get a very brief flight view of one too.

Four-spotted Chaser

Norfolk Hawker

Southern Marsh Orchid

I had also hoped to see Little Terns amongst the Common and Sandwich Terns out on the South Scrape but again was out of luck. A Common Tern with an all dark bill had been seen here recently, possibly a bird of the eastern race or an immature bird, but I didnt find it amongst the large number of Gulls and Terns present here. A very nice consolation though was finding a Roseate Tern instead, a lovely looking bird with an all black bill but a noticeable rosy wash across the chest and looking smaller, paler, daintier and shorter legged than the nearby Common Terns. It was ringed but it was too distant to get any real detail even with my scope and sadly it eventually took to the air and headed off towards the sea when it looked very white and very elegant in flight.

It was good to see the Tern and Gull colony thriving though after the ravages of Avian Flu had reduced bird numbers here on my previous visits but I did notice 3 long dead Gull corpses out on the mud. A summer plumaged Dunlin was also noted feeding out on the scrape and amongst the Gulls and Terns and Avocets a few Kittiwakes were also seen before it was time to continue my walk.

Avocets

I headed towards the East Hide and along the way a loud and showy Sedge Warbler and a female Stonechat were noted. There were Yellow-horned Poppies, Sea Bindweed and Sea Kale in flower along the beach and an interesting sight was the tower that had been erected offshore for the Kittiwakes to nest on. 

Kittiwake Tower

Yellow-horned Poppy

Sea Bindweed

From the East Hide a Lapwing, a Redshank, 2 Oystercatcher and Black-tailed Godwits were found to add to the days wader list with family parties of Barnacle Geese and Egyptian Geese present and Shovelers and Gadwall also seen.

All too soon it was time to head towards the visitors centre for my rendezvous with Mum and David but along the way I watched a Red Kite overhead being hassled by a Carrion Crow and found a large Drinker Moth Caterpillar on the boardwalk which I moved to safety.

Red Kite and Carrion Crow

Drinker Moth Caterpillar 

After some lunch in the Minsmere cafe we drove to nearby Snape Maltings, Mum and I had a cup of tea in the River View Cafe where I watched 2 Avocet, a Marsh Harrier, a Kestrel, a Bearded Tit, Reed Warblers, 2 Reed Buntings, a Little Egret and 2 Oystercatcher with my binoculars from the cafe window while David busied himself perusing around the antiques shop.

The view from The River View Cafe

Art at Snape Maltings (the top sculpture by Henry Moore, 1961/69, titled Reclining Figure : Bunched)

Our trip to Suffolk was too early in the season for the usual Essex Skipper, White Admiral and Purple Emperor sightings of July and the poor weather meant the only butterflies I saw on my visit were a single Painted Lady (in Mums garden) and a Speckled Wood (at Minsmere). The only other sightings of note were a Red Kite flying overhead on a windy and cloudy visit to Battlesbridge in Essex and a Whitethroat singing away at Landguard Fort despite the wind and rain.

The journey home was busy but OK, the usual Red Kites and Buzzards were seen soaring overhead and due to a repeat visit to Battlesfield along the way we ended up going over the Dartford Bridge on the M25 for a nice change.

We very much enjoyed our short time away despite the weather being more like April than June and my wildlife watching opportunities limited. The best day of weather was fortunately on my visit to Minsmere and I did get to see 2 cracking birds there, a Purple Heron and a Roseate Tern, both lucky sightings and firsts for Suffolk for me and so I can't

complain although I really wish my teeth would start behaving themselves.