Afternoon visit to Amwell

Few hours at Amwell NR this afternoon. Not too much about, but a black necked grebe, juvenile, was a good bird, albeit too far for a good photo. Coots, gadwall, mallard, single common tern, 4 little egrets, snipe, lapwing, canada and greylag goose, solitary wigeon, moorhens, tufted duck, great crested grebe, 3 common buzzards along with lesser black backed and black headed gulls were all on show.
A single common sandpiper was also seen from the viewing point.

from the viewing point

gadwall

tufted duck

black necked and great crested grebe

great crested grebe

cormorant

Some moths!

After Wednesday's empty trap due to the cold night, it was good to trap a few this morning. A broad bordered yellow underwing was the first for a few months, as was a green carpet and garden carpet. Micros were represented by Agriphila tristella and geniculea as well as a return of a single Celypha lacunana.
Setaceous hebrew characters made up 11 of the total of 37 moths of 17 species

lesser and broad bordered yellow underwings

Broad bordered yellow underwing

green carpet

Agriphila tristella

Agriphila geniculea

Long morning wander

Setting off from Tescos in town I took to the footpaths around East Wood, Stocking Wood plantations and Stocking Wood and then on to Bury Green. From here, headed south west to the parish boundary before steering a course north west to Acremore Street and down to the war memorial in the village and home.
In all: 38 species of bird, 11 butterfly sp and 4 dragonfly species. Super 4 hour walk.
In the silver birches out side the house, a willow warbler was calling, posing for a few photos in what was good light. Sadly this light didn't last and by 12.00 noon it was decidedly murky.

After being dropped off at Tescos and a morning coffee I wandered over to East Wood. Here there was an elder tree groaning with berries. The occasional flicker of a branch informed me birds were feeding and, so it proved. Chiffchaff, blackcap and garden warbler were all having a feast. I sat quietly and awaited, chatting with several folk, including an interested chap called Ben, as they passed with their dogs. This didn't seem to phase the birds at all.

female blackcap

garden warbler

After spending 45 minutes trying to improve on photos I moved on. At least 4 buzzards were over Stocking Wood as well as several seen earlier. Good thermals were encouraging flight.

Near Bury Green I met up with David, who had yesterday informed me of brown argus in a field, so I thought a quick check would be in order. None found but a ruddy darter, migrant hawker, brown hawker and common darter were all at his pond. A grey heron alighted in the field next door as I chatted to another David, who also runs a moth trap. Had he not had some gardening to do, I am sure we could have exchanged moth news for a few hours! Good to meet all of these folk, along with David's wife, Susan.

common darter

migrant hawker

ruddy darter

young grey heron

Also around here, I came across my first hornet of the year along with various butterflies and a yellowshell moth. In the grass were Agriphila tristella and Agriphila straminella.

hornet

speckled wood

a very worn gatekeeper

More butterflies followed as I took the path past Harvey's Wood and towards the paddocks. Here, small and large white, brimstone, a fly by peacock, small heath and a red admiral were all recorded.

distant brimstone

small heath

large white

Plenty of bullfinches heard in the hedgerow and more speckled woods and red admirals around. As I headed down Acremore Street, migrating swallows overhead after observing a large flock of goldfinches, containing many juvenile birds as shown here.

juvenile goldfinch

Robins, long tailed, blue and great tits all called and a small heath and common blue butterfly headed passed, the former stopping briefly for a photo, see above. I stopped to check around the banks of the River Ash, but much disturbance from the work being carried out by the EA, but this blue tit posed well whilst a bank vole did not

blue tit

singing robin in silhouette

By the time I got home I had covered a fair few miles. However, all was not done because, as I sat down to sort out photos, I looked out of the window into the garden to check buddleia and, unbelievably, there sat a spotted flycatcher. A garden first. Immediately I had photo'd this, 3 juvenile swallows came to rest on the garden telephone wires. A busy few minutes being stealthy around the garden.

spotted flycatcher

and another shot of spot fly

swallows

confiding swallow.

What an amazing morning, with some great wildlife.
Bird species: willow warbler, common buzzard, garden warbler, chiffchaff, blackcap, blue tit, great tit, herring gull, carrion crow, chaffinch. wood pigeon, wren, robin, jay, swallow, linnet, great spotted woodpecker, green woodpecker, blackbird, bullfinch, goldcrest, dunnock, reed bunting, grey heron, kestrel, jackdaw, magpie, long tailed tit, rook, goldfinch, treecreeper (heard), house martin, little owl (heard), moorhen, collared dove, house sparrow, starling, spotted flycatcher.

Butterflies: speckled wood, red admiral, peacock, small heath, large white, small white, common blue, brimstone, small tortosieshell, meadow brown, gatekeeper.

Dragonflies: common darter, ruddy darter, brown hawker, migrant hawker.

Afternoon wander and new plants and butterfly for parish

A pleasant afternoon wander around the north and the east of the parish. At Hadham Hall, I encountered this common darter by the ponds where also plenty of house martins were overhead.

common darter

A few migrant hawkers were about, but not roosting for a photo. However, this fine common blue damselfly did want to pose. Over the water were 35 or so, frequently resting on floating leaves.

common blue damselfly

Bird-wise, very quiet. A common buzzard overhead, magpies, linnets, goldfinches, corvids and a few chiffchaffs were about it along with 2 flyover mallards. 3 swallows were dropping down to drink. Trying to get a sharp photo in cloudy conditions was tricky, but this photo may help us understand why the Tudors thought that swallows lived at the bottom of lakes. They saw them doing this on their migration and then, didn't see them again until the following spring.

common blue damsels

linnet

drinking swallow

However, around the pond at Hadham Hall I noted 2 flowering plants, firstly a mint species which I believe to be water mint and next to this a stand of purple loose-strife. 2 new plants and then, even better, a small brown butterfly appeared near the footpath heading east towards Hadham End. I followed it and eventually rested, giving me the opportunity to identify as a brown argus, a new butterfly for my parish records. The black dash on the forewing, the white streak on the underwing and the 2 dots, one large, one small on the top of the hind underwing are all diagnostic of this species, helping to distinguish it from the superficially similar common blue (female.)
All in all, a good few hours.
Edit: water mint now confirmed

brown argus

underwing of brown argus to clinch identification

purple loose-strife

water mint

On my way back to Chapel Lane, I noted a stand of hazel, all showing blisters on the leaf, signs of the hazel blister moth has been present; a tiny leaf mining moth. Also, in the grass, nearby an Agriphila tristella.

Signs of the hazel blister moth

Agriphila tristella

Butterfly selection + new hoverfly for the garden

An awful night for moths, with just 4 species and 6 moths due to a clear and cold night in the Ash Valley. This morning, bright sky and warm so my attention was drawn to the buddleias in the garden. God numbers of small tortoiseshell, red admirals, 2 peacocks, large whites and a very worn painted lady.
Also of interest, a very large hoverfly visited the flowers throughout the morning, but never put itself into a good position for a photo, these were the best I could get of this species: Volucella zonaria. This is a recent colonist of southern Britain and one of the hornet mimic hoverflies.

painted lady

red admiral

Another landmark figure.

Last night's haul of 15 moths of 13 species was decidedly poor but a small Acleris sp had me interested. First glance made me think asperana but after residing in the fridge a while it turned out to be an extremely worn Ac rhombana, which, although taken in parish woodland is a first for the garden and so becomes the 400th species for my garden since 2011 (June.)
Other species this morning were:
Ag tristella, Ag geniculea, Amblyptillia acanthadactyla, Pleutopyta ruralis square spot rustic, yellowshell, lesser BBY underwing, setaceous hebrew character, small square spot, vine's rustic, orange swift and straw underwing.

Lesser Broad Bordered Yellow Underwing

small square spot.

Orange swift

square spot rustic