Sunday August 9 - Morton Bagot

 The continuing heat makes it a torrid time for late morning birders like me and Dave, but we completed our usual circuit and came up trumps with a patch tick for me (and a lifer for Dave). Shame it wasn't a bird.

What it was, was a Lesser Emperor dragonfly. I spotted it as we scanned the virtually birdless nearest flash. Although it was patrolling back and forth over the nearest edge of the flash I couldn't tell whether it was Lesser or Vagrant Emperor until I switched to the scope (which fortunately I'd brought with me). The clincher was seeing it had green eyes (which rules out Vagrant).

I didn't think there was much point trying to photograph it, but knowing that the current Warwickshire odonata recorder won't accept any record on irecord without one, I gave it my best shot.

Lesser Emperor

Whether it gets accepted or not, it definitely was one and its going onto my patch dragonfly list (currently just lodged in my head).

The only previous record for the site was one seen by Mike Inskip about 10 years ago, when they were really rare. I believe they have now colonised southern Britain, and I may well get a chance to photograph one more satisfactorily in the future. Mind you, like male Emperors they seem very reluctant to land.

We did have one surprise bird today. A male Redstart was in exactly the same hedge as the one seen three weeks ago. Although I've checked the hedge a few times since without success, it is still tempting to speculate that it could be the same bird. The Long-tailed Shrike has been hanging around for a similar time. Perhaps the Redstart too has just been completing its moult (it was preening a lot when I last saw it).

Redstart

One other interesting creature seen today was a non black-tailed Black-tailed Skimmer. Checking the books when I got home it is likely to have been an old female. 

Black-tailed Skimmer

All my other "ticks" were plants which I have seen many times before but never recorded in writing. So here for posterity I can confirm I have definitely seen: Ash, Hawthorn, Greater Willowherb, and Wild Angelica. 

I plan to put the moth trap out tonight, so there may be a supplement later.