Sunday July 1

Very hot and sunny with a light easterly breeze. Once again, today was a butterfly fest of remarkable magnitude.

The sheer numbers of butterflies was spectacular. I had to count in tens for the commoner species and came up with 290 Meadow Browns, 250 Ringlets, 80 Marbled Whites, and 70 Small Skippers. The rest I noted individually. Particularly well represented were Small Tortoiseshells (16), Small Whites (21), Large Whites (15), and new for the year eight Gatekeepers.

Gatekeeper

Some species may already be coming to the end of their flight period, and I only noted six Small Heaths, and five Large Skippers. On the other hand some were perhaps newly emerged as I saw two Green-veined Whites, and three Brimstones for the first time in a while.

As I reached the Flash field I got a stroke of luck followed immediately by misfortune. A large orange butterfly flew into the hedge and I immediately realised it was a Silver-washed Fritillery,  my first for Morton Bagot. The down side was the attempt to photograph it. I got a dot shot of an orange blob, and was zooming in when it took off down the hedge at speed. Although this was my first for Morton Bagot, it wasn't the first. About this time last year Mike Inskip saw several at the corner of Bannam's Wood, so many in fact that he wondered whether there had been a deliberate release by butterfly conservationists.

I scanned the Flash, noting that the water level is continuing to drop. Running around on the dry edge of the nearest flash were 52 Lapwings, nine Pied Wagtails, and a Little Ringed Plover. The furthest flash could hardly be seen due to dropping waterlevels and rising vegetation, but I could just make out a Green Sandpiper. I should also mention that the main pool is starting to gain an edge of mud, which bodes ill for the single Little Grebe currently in residence.

Anyway, back to butterflies. I approached the two Elms in the hedge and was delighted to find at least one White-letter Hairstreak still present.

White-letter Hairstreak

The walk back continued in similar vein, and I managed to see a group of three or four Essex Skippers, although they were too flighty to allow a photograph.

Dragonflies were on the wing in numbers, and I recorded at least two Southern Hawkers in addition to most of the species I had been seeing all summer. At the dragonfly pools there was a spectacular showing of mating Emerald Damselflies, and I got a better shot of a Small Red-eyed Damselfly. The Ruddy Darters are now turning bright red, but curiously I didn't manage to find any Common Darters.

Common Emeralds mating

Small Red-eyed Damselfly

Ruddy Darter

At this point I had a good idea. I drove to the corner of Bannams Wood. Here, whilst on the phone to Mike, a large fritillary flew past. I set off in hot pursuit and to my relief it reappeared and settled giving me a second chance of a record shot.

Silver-washed Fritillary

I don't know whether they have colonised naturally or have been assisted. It would be nice to think its the former.

Finally, and somewhat anticlimactically, there is a brood of six Tufted Duck ducklings on Paul's latest pond.