New records everywhere. 27th June

A remarkable afternoon out around Hadham Hall. The intention was to capture dragonfly photos but the day became more successful than anticipated. Firstly, a marbled white butterfly appeared (1st for year). Unfortunately, after 25 minutes of trying to get a photo it headed off over the rape. Secondly, 10+ black tailed skimmers ( blue bodies) were observed and photographed (a first for the parish list) then remarkably 2 ringed plovers dropped down, alighted on the "shore" for a few seconds before heading off north, rapidly gaining height. Again, a first for the parish. An large skipper ( shown here) was then witnessed (1st for year) along with numerous meadow browns, a common blue, several small and large whites, 1 peacock butterfly and 1 ringlet. 3 emperor dragonflies ( blue and green) were also observed and photographed

Other highlights were linnets, yellowhammers, green woodpecker, a heron, a flyover cormorant, a common buzzard and a pied wagtail. A super few hours before the thunderstorm.
Also depicted are a pair of soldier beetles, (rhagonycha fulva) a one legged blackbird, and the local heron. The flyover cormorant and the rather tatty common blue are also shown.

Late news: last night 2 lapwings headed west over my allotment. Another first for the year.

Hadham Hall walk 26th June

An eveing walk under heavy grey skies, looking for dragonflies. As I arrived at the pond the heavens opened and little was recorded. 1 emperor dragonfly was a new addition to the parish list but little else apart from several azure damselflies.

Birds were in good numbers, with both coot and moorhen feeding young. 2 grey herons alighted in a local tree and a reed bunting sang from on top of the rape. Skylarks were also in good voice once the rain stopped and plenty of swallows and house martins sat on the wires or drank from the lake. A song thrush (shown here) was heard near The Hall.

A good find was a bee orchid on the banks of the largest lake, shown here. Other photographs show the distant reed bunting and a peacock! The latter will not be on my bird list.

Millennium Wood 25th June

An evening wander to Millennium Wood for a spot of early evening butterfly photography. 1st for the year were small skipper (shown here) and ringlet (above), with also meadow brown, small tortoiseshell (above), painted lady, speckled wood, comma (below) and small white. A successful evening.

On the bird front, nothing unusual with chiffchaff and blackcap being vociferous. Plenty of swifts feeding and screaming overhead.

To Much Hadham and back

An evening walk, in fine weather took me along the ridge path and then back along te River Ash Valley. In all 20 species recorded, with highlights being a solitary lesser black backed gull heading north west, and swifts and swallows over the barley fileds.

Several painted lady butterflies, 4 meadow browns and a particularly impressive white plume moth were also witnessed.

This evening's photos show the white plume moth in take off mode, as well as alighted, a greying sky full of jackdaws and rooks at pre roost and, an as yet, unidentified moth.

UPDATE: moth now identified as Yellow Shell, a new moth for me, as in fact are nearly all of them as I am just beginning to study these with a view to identifying to species.

Short evening walk along New Road

A quick evening wander gave up all the usual local species, with 3 herring gulls being recorded heading north west, numerous painted lady butterflies. However, the highlight being 2 turtle doves purring on my allotment.
Late news. A red kite was well observed over the Nags Head pub and Brick Kiln Hill on the 14th.

Brick Kiln Hill and Millennium Wood

A recording walk on the 18th June was successful in as much as I recorded a respectable 26 species of bird along with several insects.

Swifts were noisy overhead and yellowhammers equally so from local hedgerow. At Millennium Wood the evening chorus started with great tits and blue tits before blackcaps, whitethroats and willow warblers joined in. These were soon joined by a few chiffchaffs, before a noisy lesser whitethroat began calling from near the polo field in Hoecroft Lane. Only the 5th recording of this species this year. An adult lesser black backed gull headed south in the evening light as long tailed tits, a family party, "buzzed" from the hedges that border the bridleway.

A newly emerged nest of peacock caterpillars was observed, shown here and meadow brown and painted lady butterflies were evident. Ladybirds, both the invasive harlequin and the regular 7 spotted were also found in nettle patches by Muggins Wood. Both dog rose and honeysuckle flowered in hedgerows, as shown here.

Chapel Lane wander 06.06.09

A brief morning walk up Chapel Lane in search of reported Little Owls. None were on offer, and in all a very quiet bird morning.

Skylarks sang over the golf course as a common buzzard mewed overhead. A sparrow hawk disturbed the peace in a roadside hedge whilst linnets and blackcaps sang along the bridleway towards Westland Green.

Photos attached show a goldfinch near the stables and the first harlequin ladybird for 2009