Wednesday 24 July 2019

St Aidan's

The day after Adel Dam we headed over the St Aidan's. It was a beautiful day and straight off we saw a Green Woodpecker by the dragline and a Great Spotted flew to the feeders by the visitors centre.



We walked down to Bowers lake, dragonflies and butterflies everywhere. By the lake a flock of birds flew in the bushes in front of us - Bearded Tits, after missing the showy one earlier in the year there was no mistaking these, around 6 of them in and out of the reeds following us along the path. Such beautiful little birds!



There were a lot of Common Terns all over the reserve, I could happily watch them diving for fish all day long.


Pochard (thank you David!)





Common Tern


Wren


A Greylag nursery, there were around 20 young geese together


Stonechat


It was a good day for Dragonflies too. I'm not sure all the Id's are correct.

Common Blue


Blue-tailed Damselfly


Common Darter?


Banded Demoiselle


Common Blue


Blue-tailed


And then there were Butterflies............everywhere! In places you were surrounded and it was lovely (really pleased my daughter wasn't with us this time, the hysteria would have been a touch overwhelming!)

Small Skipper


The only Painted Lady we saw and a rather worn one too


Small Skipper


Gatekeeper




A worn Meadow Brown (thanks Louise)


Meadow Brown


Small White



Giant Horntail (?) and Soldier Beetle



Five-spot Burnet Moth


Another good morning!

12 comments:

  1. Great day out with a wonderful variety of organisms, Pam. I think the duck you identify as a Tufted Duck is a Pochard.

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    1. Thanks David, you're right a Pochard not a Tufted!

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  2. SO many beautiful butterflies and birds and more in this post! The shot of the wildflowers is really striking. Glad you got to see the Bearded Tit this time.

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    1. Thanks Sondra, honestly the amount of Butterflies was just wonderful!

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  3. So envious of your Bearded Tit sightings! - I still haven't seen one. A wonderful selection of insects. I must be the only person not to have seen a Painted Lady during the current influx!!!

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    1. I'd forgotten they'd been seen here till they popped up in front of us! That's the only Painted Lady i've seen all year so the aren't influxing here either really!

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  4. Lovely photos. Your 'worn gatekeeper' is actually a meadow brown. Gatekeepers have two white spots on the black wing spot.

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  5. Lovely photos. Great to see the greylags. Your photos of the butterlies and drgonflies are super and you saw so many different ones too:)

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  6. Always good to see what you are seeing, think it has been a good year between the showers for Butterflies, Meadow browns being a tricky one this year(for me too) with many variations to their colour . Good tip by Louise.
    Amanda xx

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    1. Thanks Amanda, yes they can be especially when they are worn too! x

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