Royston Wildlife Blog: UK Wildlife Sightings June 2024

To be honest, I would describe myself as a 'glass half empty' person. I don't expect much when I go on my wildlife watching trips and often my expectations are confirmed! However, for about 24 hours between the morning of the 5th and the morning of the 6th my hopes were, if anything, exceeded. Despite cool, cloudy weather on the 5th I decided to visit Glapthorn Meadow nature reserve near Oundle, to look for Black Hairstreak butterflies, which had first been seen there in warmer weather a couple of days beforehand. The sun came out as I arrived, and so did the butterflies! I was able to get close enough to them to get some decent photos and, because they had only recently hatched, they were in pristine condition.

Black Hairstreak, Glapthorn Meadow NR, 5 June

A singing male Wood Warbler had been reported from Harry's Wood, near Corby, a twenty minute drive away from Glapthorn. I decided to go for it and, within half an hour, I was standing in a clearing in the wood, listening to this beautiful songster in full voice as it moved around the clearing, totally ignoring me and coming quite close at times. Wood Warblers are an increasingly rare migrant species in the UK, favouring (usually) oak woodlands in the north and west. This individual was perhaps 50-60 miles away from the nearest members of its species, so will be doomed to fail to find a mate. As I listened to him singing, I felt a mixture of joy at seeing and hearing this enthusiastic individual and sadness that he would probably never pass on his genes to the next generation of Wood Warblers. Of course, I took a few photos whilst I had the opportunity.....

Wood Warbler in Full Song, Harry's Wood, Corby, 5 June

Wood Warbler, Harry's Wood, Corby, 5 June

The following morning I was up and off early for a trip to the Peak District. My intention was to park off the A57 at Cutthroat Bridge and do a walk up onto Derwent Edge (target species Ring Ouzel), followed by another walk up Lathkill Dale, looking for Dippers in this beautiful part of the world (and one I know well from my student days in Sheffield). I arrived at Cutthroat Bridge at 10.00 and had a look at the stream (which usually yields Grey Wagtails) before setting off for my walk. I had never seen a Dipper here - until today! The first bird that I saw looked to be rather dirty and unkempt. However, on closer inspection it turned out to be a juvenile. A parent (with a leg ring) was further away and called to it, presumably to alert it to my presence. However, the juvenile kept on rather half-heartedly perching on a rock, looking into the stream and perhaps rather hoping that it wouldn't have to immerse itself. Eventually the parent (which I saw catch [I think] a Caddisfly larva, extract and eat the contents) came along and presumably had harsh words with the youngster before they flew off together - my third great experience in 24 hours. I finally caught up with (distant) Ring Ouzels on the walk and also heard and saw several Pied Flycatchers in the hanging woodland that rises up from the A57. As a bonus, I saw three Spotted Flycatchers on different parts of the walk - this area has always been good for both species and it was a pleasure to see them doing so well.

Adult Dipper with (?) Caddisfly, Cutthroat Bridge, 6 June

Juvenile Dipper, Cutthroat Bridge, 6 June

The final RSPB Local Group coach trip of the 2023-24 season on the 9th took 34 of us to Hickling Broad NWT reserve in the Norfolk Broads. Despite the continuing cool weather and only intermittent sunshine, the Swallowtails were flying and I managed to get one or two mediocre images of this, our largest butterfly. Between us we saw 84 bird species, including Common Cranes, Osprey (!) and Spoonbills, but I missed out on what was becoming this summer's bogey bird, Bittern. I did see my first Black-tailed Skimmer of the summer and got some decent photos of a singing Willow Warbler (compare the image below with those of the similar Wood Warbler, above).

Female Black-tailed Skimmer, Hickling, 9 June

Great Crested Grebe Adult, carrying a Juvenile on its Back, Hickling, 9 June

Swallowtail Butterfly, Hickling, 9 June

Willow Warbler, Hickling, 9 June

On the 14th I was back at Minsmere, determined to see Bitterns, which I had missed on the RSPB trip. With females now making feeding flights to supply their young, I was rewarded with several views. However, one or more Roseate Terns that had been regularly reported here eluded me, despite much searching. On the way out of the reserve I stopped off to see one of the Stone Curlews that were nesting nearby. I had more Bittern sightings on the 18th, when I returned to RSPB Lakenheath Fen. although the main purpose of my visit was to see and photograph some of the many dragonflies that were on the wing there. Cramming a lot of wildlife watching into the first sustained dry and warm period of the year, I went looking for Nightjars on the late evening of the 19th at Mayday Farm in Thetford Forest, where I have led 15-20 RSPB 'Nightjar Walks' in the past. Several fenced off areas of dense, high vegetation have been created in the area that I visit, presumably to encourage the large, night-flying moths upon which the Nightjars feed. At least two families of Stonechats were seen here, perched on the fences, and I also had good views of at least two Nightjars, churring on branches and in flight, during the 20-25 minute period at dusk that I always get between the start of Nightjar activity and the descent of complete darkness. As a bonus, on the way back to the car I had two sightings of roding Woodcock, an increasingly rare event in the UK (most of my Woodcock sightings are of wintering birds from Europe).

Bittern in Flight, RSPB Minsmere, 14 June

On the 27th I ventured south of the Dartford Tunnel for the first time in 2024, with the twin objective of seeing Heath Fritillary butterflies at Blean Woods near Canterbury in Kent and the returning summering Bonaparte's Gull at Oare Marshes, near Faversham on the north Kent shoreline. I was successful on both counts, although the fritillaries were well past their best and the Bonaparte's Gull (summering for its 12th year!) spent the best part of three hours during my visit to Oare, asleep and hidden in amongst roosting Black-headed Gulls on the East Floods. On the following day I was bird watching again, driving up to Smithy Fen near Cottenham in Cambridgeshire to see two Black-winged Stilts. Whilst I was there another bird watcher kindly mentioned to me that he had seen Turtle Doves further along the path and, after a bit of searching, I was able to connect with either one or two of these vanishingly rare birds, seen distantly on wires. These two 'firsts' for 2024 took my year list up to a respectable 210 species seen - all in England.