A members day with today being a Butterfly and Dragonfly walk, the walk was due to start at at 10:30am, setting off from the visitor centre, I arrived on site for a walk around before that at 9:30am and to be sure of a car parking space.
The first bramble batch I encountered held a Common Green Shieldbug along with various ladybird larva, Harlequin, and Seven spot.
I took a right after going thru the first gate, finding my first Large Skipper of the year. Followed the path up and round and down again, finding a Yellow barred Longhorn Moth on route.
I decided on going down to a small pool I knew, but with the weather over the last few weeks, it was dry, so I looked around the nearest bramble patch, finding a nice snipefly, Rhagio sp.
The feeders were quiet with more squirrels than bird species, only finding Great Tit and Dunnock. It was now just after 10am, so I headed off to the visitor centre, ready for the walk.
The group had gathered, so off we went, sticking around the visitor center gardens and pools first seeing , Small Tortiseshell, Small Heath and Meadow Brown Butterflies, Damselflies about were mainly Large Red and Azure.
Up onto the North loop of the reserve were we found, Small Heath, Large Skipper and Common Blue Butterflies, also finding a Golden bloomed Grey Longhorn Beetle. Onto the top of the loop, where the pools are, finding more Azure and Large Red Damselflies, but the find was a splendid male Broad Bodied Chaser, needless to say a few photos were taken.
We moved onto the reserve then and down to the dipping pond, finding more Azure and Large Red Damselflies, a few Speckled Wood Butterfly were new for the day, I ended the day on another Golden bloomed Grey Longhorn Beetle
Huddsbirder 