Monthly Archives: June 2020

Still in week 26 of the year and week 14 of the lockdown and I was having another day out to get my Common Blue Butterflies this time to a new site over near North Cave.

Arriving on site at Kiplingcotes Chalk Pit car park (Location) at around 10am and parking to the sound of a Yellowhammer was a warm welcome, a quick snack and I was off.

A was soon picking up butterflies species on way to the pit, Red Admirals, and Meadow Browns, the walk is along an old railway line lined with flowers, a few hoverflies were seen here Pied Hoverfly being one.

On site I could see plenty of Marbled White Butterflies about and a few great photo opportunities. Common Blue was on site but not settling, need a lot of patience today I think to catch these. During the walk around the site I picked up on Small Tortoiseshell, Ringlet, Large White Butterflies and Moths were Cinnabar, Narrow bordered Five Spot Burnet and Silver Y’s

Common Blue Butterfly

Marbled White Butterfly

That was Kiplingcotes I was heading home but found myself passing North cave Wetlands so popped in (Car Park Location), well had to really. So off looking for Dragonflies and Damselflies it would be nice to final catch up with a Black tailed Skimmer here (it wasn’t to be). Damselflies were about Blue tailed and Common Blue Damselflies were the ones I found, the larger dragonflies were Broad Bodied Chaser, Four Spotted Chaser and Emperor Dragonfly. One of the highlights was a Twin lobed Deer fly of which I got lucky with, it landed on my hand but it wasn’t till after I took the photo that I saw it was a female (these can give a nasty bite).

Birds seen around NCW were…. Black headed Gull, Cettis Warbler, Coot, Greylag Goose, Lesser Whitethroat, Moorhen, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Sand Martin, Sedge Warbler, Shelduck, redshank, Swallow and tufted Duck

Twin lobed Deer Fly

More photos can be seen at my Flick Account HERE

and a video diary of the day at my You Tube Channel HERE

Week 26 of the year, week 14 of the Lockdown with things still slowly being lifted but the big changes will come on the 4th of July when the Pubs, Restaurants etc will be opening and people once again coming closer together.

Out again the and out to lockdown site No2 for more Dragonflies. My first find on site were Common Green Grasshoppers, so a nice little macro shot of that. Nearer to the ponds I came across Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Small Heath and Large White Butterflies.

On the ponds were Broad Bodied Chaser, Emperor dragonfly and finally a Four Spotted Chaser put it was around the edges on the vegetation I was more interested in with all the Damselflies settling now and again, a great macro opportunity of Common Blue, Blue tailed, Azure and Large Red Damselflies

Other highlights around the ponds were Cinnabar Moth and Cinnabar Moth Catapillars, Latticed Heath Moth and a Tipula lateralis Cranefly

More Photos can be seen at my Flickr site HERE

Common Blue Damselflies

Week 25 of the year and week 13 of the Lockdown, still furloughed, so with sun shining I decided on a all but brief visit out to one of my lockdown sites for a look around for Common Blue Butterflies.

There were a few of the common butterflies around (Large Skipper, Small Skipper, Small Tortoiseshell) and now Ringlet and Meadow Browns were being prominent but alas no Common Blue

Moths around were a few Silver Y Moths, Narrow bordered Five Spotted Burnet Moth, Latticed Heath and a nice find was a Yarrow Plume Moth

Yarrow Plume Moth

I now find myself furloughed for a three week stint, thank you Covid-19. Restrictions continue to slowly ease but with no news of restrictions for the vulnerable, life carries on in a difficult format.

Sun was shining, vitamin D was calling and so was my well being, so a local walk where I knew I wouldn’t come across anyone.

My first stop was near a cluster of daisies were I saw my first Meadow Brown of the year along with Large Skipper, a seven spot ladybird larvae was a nice find also. Moving on I came across an area of bramble where I found more Meadow Brown and Large Skipper with as very brief view of a Common Blue.

Walking thru the wood I came across a Large Red Damselfly before I finally reached my target area where I was hoping for larger dragonflies.

On approaching the first pond I could see a couple of large dragonflies on settling in I found a singles of Emperor and a Male Broad Bodied Chaser.

Looking around the other ponds I came across more Emperors, Broad Bodied Chaser and also a single and all but brief view of a Four Spotted Chaser which was seen off by an Emperor

View a Video of my day at the Ponds HERE

Broad Bodied Chaser ♂

We carry on in lockdown with the news this week that the vulnerable people can now visit a family member elsewhere but at a social distance, I myself enter my 12th week of isolation.

I was back at the lockdown reserve where I knew I wouldn’t come across anybody hoping this time to come across the Common Blue Butterfly, my hopes were to be dashed when the rain soon set in. I did however manage a couple of flower macros along with bees and hoverflies before I left the site in a brighter moment of sunshine.

I headed back home but decided on stopping off at a local viewpoint, the weather had now brighted up closer to home but the wind was still a concern. On entering the site I was a bit dismayed, the long grass had been cut this was a first for me on this site. I was here now so I had a look round and picked up a couple of Small Heath Butterflies, which after disturbing them soon went to ground in the grass keeping out of the wind. I found a part of the site which had been left uncut, mainly due to its passion I think, it was also catching the sun along here too. I spent a while down this ride picking up a couple of Common Carpet Moths… hoverflies inc. Helophilus trivittatus, Episyrphus balteatus (Marmalde Hoverfly) and Rhingia campestris

Episyrphus balteatus