Sunday June 26

An initially sunny morning with cloud building and a light to moderate westerly breeze. I was joined by Dave for the first time for about three weeks, and we soon noticed good numbers of Swifts culminating in a new site record count of 130.

Other birds on view included a Little Grebe on the pool, seven Lapwings, five Green Sandpipers, and a Little Ringed Plover on the flashes, a pair of Sedge Warblers feeding young at the dragonfly pools, two Sand Martins, and a photogenic young Great Spotted Woodpecker.

There were plenty of butterflies on the wing, with good numbers of Large Skippers, Meadow Browns, and Ringlets in particular. Right on cue came my first couple of Marbled Whites of the season.

Marbled White

In the grasslands we saw several Small Heaths, and I was particularly pleased to find a male Common Blue butterfly. They should be renamed the Increasing Scarce Blue butterfly.

Common Blue

Meadow Browns

Keeping with the lepidoptera theme we located two very attractive moths.

Blood-vein moth

Cinnabar moth

The Cinnabar is regularly seen here during July, but I cannot remember ever having seen a Blood-vein before.

Dragonflies on show included two Emperors, at least five Black-tailed Skimmers, Four-spotted Chaser, numerous damselflies, and the first Common Darter of the year.

Four-spotted Chaser

A female Banded Demoiselle

The newly emerged Common Darter

Finally, we made the grizzly discovery of a deceased young Red Fox, and saw numerous other interesting looking insects including lots of Dark Bush Crickets and a Splayed Deer Fly.

Dark Bush Cricket

Splayed Deer Fly Chrysops caecutiens

So the country may be about to go down the plug-hole but Morton Bagot keeps delivering.