Week 32

The week started quiet slowly mainly due to the overcast weather, with only a few species of butterfly on the wing, with Whites being the more numerous. These included Green Veined White, Large White, and Small White around the fields at work. Along with the whites Small Copper, and Meadow Brown could still be seen. On the 11th, Wednesday, I had a surprise in the form of a male Sparrowhawk take out a young Swallow which had been gathering along with his mates on the telephone wires. I had a first at work this week in the form of a Common Darter which was also going to be the theme for the end of the week as we had a day at Fairburn Ings on the Saturday. There wasn’t many birds about at Fairburn, did add Greenshank to the year list thou with 1 at Lin Dike and 1 at the centre (only to find out later that day that there was 2 at Ingbirchworth Res, My Patch, well can’t get them all). Along with the Shanks Green Sandpiper were about the highlight with birds at the feeders Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit and Willow Tit, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Tree Sparrow, Blackbird, Chaffinch and Pheasant (You can click the pictures to make them larger)

Around the pond walking areas we enjoyed ourselves in the splendor of Butterflies, Dragonflies and Damselflies my first Brimstone of the year along with Green Viened White, Large White, Small White and Speckled Wood. Common Blue and Emerald Damselflies and a splendid male Ruddy Darter, see photo, then were we started the week we ended up with Common Darter.