I set out this afternoon for my 2nd visit to Stocking Wood to check for the rarer butterflies that can be found in the ride between Stocking Wood and Stocking Wood Plantation at TL458209: namely Silver Washed Fritillary, purple hairstreak and white letter hairstreak.
As I wandered along the track I noted: large white, green veined white, small and Essex skippers, ringlets and meadow browns. The ride was fairly devoid of butterflies upon arrival but after 15 minutes or so a few meadow browns, a comma and a male brimstone. The latter evaded photographic attempts. None of the targets were seen so I wandered back to Bury Green. Along the path I stopped to photo a meadow brown when a silver washed fritillary shot past me, before alighting upon bramble. A few shots and it was off, high over the oaks towards the ride, so worth paying another visit early next week.
Other species noted: common blue damselfly, chiffchaff, great and blue tits and a hobby being chased by a party of angry house martins. I suspected the hobby bred successfully locally last year and every chance it is again this year, Soon find out as the juveniles, once fledged can be really noisy and like to sit around on pylons demanding food for busy parents.
A quick visit to Millennium Wood gave views of speckled wood and a red admiral whilst a gatekeeper on the herbs in the garden when I got home was a first for the year. Still very few small whites, peacocks and common blues this year.
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| Essex skipper |
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| Meadow brown |
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| comma |
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| Silver washed fritillary |
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| Silver washed fritillary |
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| meadow brown |
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| Speckled Wood |
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| Common blue damselfly |
Earlier this week I wnt out at dusk to set up a moth trap. En route came across a late flying red kite and a distant little owl, latter shot when the light had really faded.
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| red kite |
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| Little owl |
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