Another week of work in the South-East was once again very productive, with plenty of bird activity, as well as lots of insects. In total, I managed three new species of Butterfly as well as many more views of Norfolk Hawker, which was a lifer last time I was down this neck of the woods.
The birding
was high quality, with Hobbies seen regularly, Spotted Flycatchers active in a
nearby plot of woodland as well as Marsh Tit being abundant. We also spent a night on a nearby heathland looking for Nightjars, of which we found four. There was also a distant Stone-Curlew flying in the gloom calling. Otherwise, my
attention was largely drawn to the insects that were around.
The dragonflies
were in fine form. In addition to Norfolk Hawker being seen every day, we also
found Southern Migrant Hawker although they did not land. There was also
Southern Hawker, Brown Hawker already on the wing. There was not as much in the
damselfly this time, as I was unable to find any Variable Damselflies at all,
not for the lack of trying.
On the butterfly front, I managed to tick off White Admiral on the first morning’s survey. That afternoon through some research, we discovered a nearby site that held Purple Emperor and the next day I tried it out. Despite the overcast weather, there were a few Purple Emperors in the canopy but only a single female came down to the floor of the woodland, where someone had left a box of rotting fruit for the butterflies. The following day I tried again in sunnier conditions but the wind had picked up and I did not even see a Purple Emperor. Also here I finally connected with Purple Hairstreak, although they too spent most of their time in the canopy. Still, it was good to finally get that species onto my list. There were also more White Admirals here, as well as Grayling and Silver-washed Fritillary, producing a fantastic selection of butterflies for the week.
Undisclosed Location: Mallard, Common Wood Pigeon, European Nightjar, Common Swift, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Stone-curlew, Black-headed Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Grey Heron, Common Buzzard, Common Kingfisher, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Marsh Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Barn Swallow, Common Chiffchaff, Long-tailed Tit, Eurasian Blackcap, Eurasian Wren, Song Thrush, Spotted Flycatcher, European Robin, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Goldfinch, Yellowhammer, Common Reed Bunting, Banded Demoiselle, Azure Damselfly, Large Red Damselfly, Ruddy Darter, Common Darter, Broad-bodied Chaser, Four-spotted Chaser, Black-tailed Skimmer, Southern Migrant Hawker, Southern Hawker, Brown Hawker, Norfolk Hawker, Emperor Dragonfly, Small Copper, Small Skipper, Essex Skipper, Large Skipper, Common Blue, Purple Hairstreak, Meadow Brown, Grayling, Small Heath, Ringlet, Gatekeeper, Speckled Wood, Large White, Small White, Peacock, Red Admiral, White Admiral, Purple Emperor, Silver-washed Fritillary,
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