Some time ago I booked with the Great Bustard Group (GBG) to see Great Bustards on Salisbury Plain on the 3rd. This was my second visit. A member of the GBG picked us up in one of their Land Rovers and drove us along rough tracks to a hide, from which we were able to observe the bustards, at distance, out on the plain. Male and female bustards were seen, both on the ground and in flight, as well as Stone Curlews, Lapwings, Kestrels and a variety of small birds including Corn Bunting. The history of the Great Bustards on Salisbury Plain (this is a re-introduction scheme, which has been going on for many years - however, the birds that we saw were completely wild) and much information about this species (which is the heaviest flying bird in the UK and, arguably, the world) was freely imparted. In the UK Great Bustards can only be found on Salisbury Plain. We finished at the visitor centre where, surprise surprise, lots of Great Bustard souvenirs could be purchased. I can recommend this as a very worthwhile visit, with online booking on the GBG web site (£25 for a two hour visit). Some 'record shots' of the bustards are shown below.
Female Great Bustard, Salisbury Plain, 3 July
Male Great Bustard, Salisbury Plain, 3 July
I made an afternoon visit to Santon Downham near Thetford on the 10th, with a view to getting (a) decent photograph(s) of the hundreds of Banded Demoiselle damselflies that flutter about along the banks of the River Little Ouse. With so many to choose from, you would imagine that they would be easy to photograph but, in common with other odonata, they have great eyesight and tended to move away into patches of dense vegetation as I approached. Eventually I got a few ok images. Whilst I was walking along the river bank I noticed what appeared to be mating robber flies perched on a fallen leaf. When I see robber flies they are usually mating! However, when I got home and looked at my images I realised that a robber fly was actually holding a smaller fly as prey and actually eating it! This is normal behaviour for robber flies - I've seen gruesome photos that fellow photographers have taken. Warning: I've attached one of my own images below.
Female Banded Demoiselle, Santon Downham, 10 July
Male Banded Demoiselle, Santon Downham, 10 July
Kite-tailed Robber Fly with Prey, Santon Downham, 10 July
My partner and I made a return visit to the Knepp Estate in West Sussex on the 14th, to go on the guided 'Purple Emperor' walk. Last year it rained all afternoon and we didn't see any 'emperors', but this year the sun shone and several males were seen, in flight above the trees and/or perched in the trees. We also saw some of the many White Storks that nest on the estate (53 young fledged this year!), including a 'kettle' of 16. A White Admiral butterfly was apparently quite a rare sighting for the estate and we also saw several Purple Hairstreaks, including one that opened its wings at ground level (unusual) to show us how it got its name. The rarest sighting was of a small colony of flies called the Downland Villa Bee-fly, a species that was only first reported in the UK around 20 years ago and which can still only be found at a very few sites in southern and western England. An image is included below.
Downland Villa Bee-fly, Knepp Estate, 14 July
Purple Emperor perched near the top of a Tree, Knepp Estate, 14 July
Purple Hairstreak Butterfly, Knepp Estate, 14 July
White Stork in flight, Knepp Estate, 14 July
On the 17th I made a return visit to Thursley Common in Surrey. My first visit, in May, had been mainly to look for rare breeding birds, but this time dragonflies were my target. I saw around 14 species, including Small Red Damselfly, Black Darter and Keeled Skimmer. I had hoped to see Brilliant Emerald dragonflies on the Moat Pond (near the car park), but couldn't identify any amongst the few remaining Downy Emeralds, which I had seen in May. I spent a lot of time watching female Emperor Dragonflies laying eggs in some of the smaller ponds around the site, being pursued by still amorous males. At one point I managed to photograph two females together. Also seen were lots of Common Lizards along the boardwalks and a few of the rare and localised Heath Tiger Beetles - Thursley is one of the few sites that supports this species. A few of my images are below.
Male Black Darter, Thursley Common, 17 July
Common Lizard, Thursley Common, 17 July
Female Emperor Dragonflies Laying Eggs, Thursley Common, 17 July
Heath Tiger Beetle, Thursley Common, 17 July
Keeled Skimmers Mating, Thursley Common, 17 July
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