Sunday June 9

Sunny with a very light breeze.

I thought my mammal list was going to get a boost when we saw Sue's cat with a rodent in its mouth. I believe it was some kind of Vole sp, but the cat eventually trotted off home and I was left none the wiser.

The grassland provided all the usual insect species, butterflies including about 30 Small Heaths, a Brown Argus, and a Common Blue, while moths included a Laticed Heath, a Silver-ground Carpet, three Mother Shiptons, and four Cinnabars.

We reached the flash field in time to see a Little Owl before it disappeared into its favoured oak. The Shelducklings are down to six and were again on the furthest flash. To our surprise, however, by the time we had walked to where we view the nearest flash they had beaten us to it. For a moment I thought it must be a different brood, but we couldn't see them on the furthest pool so had to conclude it was the same brood. Those ducklings can really shift.

Most of the Shelduck family

Under the trees I spotted a new damselfly for the year. The White-legged Damselfly is associated with riverine meadows, so its a bit surprising that they occur here, albeit in small numbers.

White-legged Damselfly

We continued along Morton Brook seeing about seven Broad-bodied Chasers, and two or three Beautiful Demoiselles as well as the usual damselflies.

Always on the lookout for day-flying micro-moths we saw several Garden Grass-veneers, and a moth I think is Cochylimorpha straminea, but I will need to check that.

Garden Grass-veneer

Cochylimorpha straminea

At the dragonfly pools we found more species including Black-tailed Skimmer, and several Emperors.

Black-tailed Skimmer

Emperor

As usual the Emperors would not settle and were all males, so I had to try for a flight shot.

Reed Buntings were feeding fledglings, and I will finish with a bird singing from wires. A Chiffchaff.

Chiffchaff