Local Wildlife Sightings, August 2024

Summer proper finally arrived in late July and persisted throughout the first half of August, with dry, warm and sometimes hot weather, which reached 33C (hottest day of the year) on the 12th. Just back from holiday on the 4th, I stepped into the back garden to look at the tomato plants and found a Jersey Tiger Moth resting on one of the leaves - another garden 'first'.

Jersey Tiger Moth, Royston, 4 August

Local bird records included a Cattle Egret, which I saw at Amwell on the 6th, and a Quail, which I heard from the track leading from the Baldock-Wallington road towards Clothall Common and the model aircraft field on the 7th. Apparently three 'singing' birds were in the same area at the time in this, the 'Quail centre of Britain'. A Tawny Owl, probably a different one to the individual that was heard from the house and garden throughout most of 2023, was heard twice from the house early in the month. Phillup's Lake was pretty quiet, although two adult Little Grebes were seen there on the 12th (no sign of juveniles this year). The Swifts had departed by the time I got back from Scotland. Juvenile warblers (Chiffchaffs and Whitethroats) were seen in local hedgerows as their main food source changed from invertebrates to ripe or ripening berries. On the 22nd I visited RSPB Rye Meads, looking for Garganey and Great White Egret, which had been reported there earlier in the day and on the days before. Sadly, I missed out on both my targets - lots of 'eclipse' Teal were seen from the Draper Hide (where the two Garganey had been seen), but despite my best efforts I couldn't turn any of them into the very similar Garganey.

'Record Shot' of Cattle Egret (left) with Little Egret, Amwell NR, 6 August

Insect numbers were well down on where they usually are at this time of the year, with only grasshoppers increasing in numbers and size. Chalkhill Blues were still emerging early in the month and I found an 'aberrant' female (quite a rare event) on The Heath on the 6th (image below). By the end of the week to the 9th I had seen very small numbers of second generation Common Blues and Brown Argus at all the sites I regularly visit. Numbers rose somewhat in the following week, but it was clear that this was going to be a very poor year for both species. Likewise, I failed to see any Silver-washed Fritillaries on The Heath this year. Numbers had never been high and the woodland areas are not extensive, so conditions for this species are far from ideal. Hopefully, they will return in due course, weather conditions permitting. However, I did see at least three Silver-washed Fritillaries at Scales Park, near Meesden, on the 9th, so I know where to go to see them next year. I also visited Clothall Common (Baldock) on the 7th, where around 15 Chalkhill Blues were seen in far from ideal conditions (image below).

Black-and-Yellow Longhorn Beetle, Scales Park, 9 August

Aberrant Female Chalkhill Blue (some Spots Missing), Therfield Heath, 6 August

Two Male Chalkhill Blues Extracting Salts from 'You-know-what', Clothall Common, 7 August

On the 12th (a very hot day) I visited Hertford Heath Nature Reserve, looking for dragonflies. I was rewarded with the sight of two Southern Migrant Hawkers (a rare but increasing in numbers immigrant from The Continent) flying backwards and forwards across the Brick Pits (they wouldn't settle, so I have no photographic evidence), Willow Emeralds and lots of Ruddy Darters, singly, laying eggs in tandem and mating. At one point a female Southern Hawker made a beeline for my trainer and landed by the side of it, adopting a position as if she was laying eggs (she may have been, but I couldn't find any after she eventually left). I also recorded an Emerald Damselfly, presumably recently hatched (image below) which I couldn't initially identify. However, somebody sent a photo of what looked like the same individual to the Hertfordshire Dragonfly Society Facebook page (an excellent read!), identifying it as a Scarce Emerald Damselfly, so I'll stick with that!

Immature Scarce Emerald Damselfly (?), Brick Pits, Hertford Heath, 12 August

Male Ruddy Darter, Hertford Heath NR, 12 August

Female Southern Hawker interacting with my Trainer, Hertford Heath, 12 August

Locally, Common Darter, Migrant and Southern Hawker dragonflies were on the wing. A few Common Blue Damselflies and Emperor Dragonflies were still active at Phillup's Lake (Reed End). Several members of the wasp mimic hoverfly Volucella inanis were seen, with one found in the garden. Numbers of Common Blue butterflies continued to increase slowly, with around ten males seen on my local wild flower meadow on the 19th. However, Brown Argus butterflies remained scarce.

Female Common Darter, Royston, 20 August

Hoverfly Volucella Inanis (a Wasp mimic), Royston, 19 August

Reports of Adonis Blue butterflies in the Old Rifle Range area later in the week encouraged me to visit The Heath on the afternoon of the 23rd, following a morning rain shower and three days of strong winds. I found several other butterfly photographers there and lots of male Adonis Blues! I counted around 15, most in pristine condition, and there must have been more. Most were on Lankester Hill, at the far eastern end of The Heath. Significant numbers of Common Blues and Brown Argus were also seen and quite a few Chalkhills, mostly females, were still active. I saw a smart Holly Blue on my way up to The Heath, making five species of 'blue' in total. Maybe all is not lost for the blues after all - if only we could now have a colder, drier winter and a drier, sunnier spring in 2025! Most of the female Common Blues seen were suffused with lots of blue (example below). A new generation of Speckled Woods was on the wing. Later, I visited Church Hill. No blues at all were seen on the south side of Church Hill, but around the bottom of the hill I counted nine Chalkhill Blues, including a female, so there is hope that the colony here will revive one day, assuming that the right ants are present. Small Heath butterflies have been here from late April, throughout the spring and summer, and a new generation was on the wing (pristine example below). Some tiny voles were scampering about in the bottom field, where at least five Common Blues were roosting dangerously close to the web of a Wasp Spider.....

Male Adonis Blue, Therfield Heath (East Side), 23 August

'Blue' Female Common Blue, Therfield Heath, 23 August

Small Heath, Therfield Heath (Church Hill), 23 August

Two Roosting Male Common Blues, Therfield Heath (Church Hill), 23 August

Twelve hours of rain on the following day put a dampener on things, and on each of two further visits to this area I was only able to find two male Adonis Blues. No females at all were seen, assuming that the few very tatty females that I did see were all Chalkhill Blues. This is not too surprising, since females are far less active than the males and not at all showy. I presume that some were there - if not, we won't be seeing any Adonis Blues on The Heath next year.

Male Adonis Blue, Therfield Heath, 30 08 24

On the 29th I made a return visit to Wilstone, hoping to see birds at the reservoir and photograph dragonflies along the Grand Union Canal. Two distant Hobbies, two Greenshanks and a Green Sandpiper were seen from the hide at the reservoir. Dragonflies were few here, with most being Black-tailed Skimmers. Migrant Hawker dragonflies were abundant along the canal. No White-legged Damselflies were seen, but I did find a mating pair of Blue-tailed Damselflies. Other insects photographed included some interesting flies, such as a fly with an orange abdomen, possibly Musca domestica (image), and a distinctive fly with a long snout, Rhingia campestris.

Fly (Musca domestica??), Wilstone, 29 August

Migrant Hawker, Wilstone, 29 August

On the 30th a 'there and back' walk from the large layby off the A505 just outside Royston to Heydon Pig Farm failed to produce any surprises. The farm is noted for the large numbers of wintering gulls, occasionally including rarities, that can be seen there. I didn't expect to see many at this time of year, but in fact there were hundreds there, the vast majority Lesser Black-backed. However, farming operations had pushed them further away from my viewpoint, so I wasn't able to check through them for rarities. A Raven was heard, but there was no sign of Lapwings (a familiar sight in the winter) here or elsewhere on the walk.

UK Wildlife Sightings August 2024

 Having got back from Scotland on the 3rd, my first trip of any distance was to Snettisham on the 8th. A reasonably high tide was forecast, although only a few hundred Black-tailed Godwits were pushed back on to the lagoons. As the tide started to recede there were some spectacular murmurations of gulls, terns and (predominantly) waders, with several species involved. On the newly exposed mud, hundreds or possibly thousands of small waders flew and ran about, feeding. I spent a lot of time looking for White-rumped Sandpipers (four had been reported earlier). Eventually one was found and a kind bird watcher put me on to it. It revealed its white rump as it briefly flew. I also saw a Little Stint (see if you can find it in the image below), in amongst the Dunlin, Sanderlings and Ringed Plovers. Walking back to the car park, a bonus came in the form of a Wall butterfly, the first that I have seen this year.

Waders at RSPB Snettisham, 8 August

Waders, Terns etc. taking off, spooked by a Peregrine, RSPB Snettisham

Record Shot of a Wall Butterfly, Snettisham, 8 August

On the way home I stopped off at Dersingham Bog to look for invertebrates in this distinctive sandy, marshy nature reserve. Sand wasps were seen along with a multitude of dragonflies. Black Darter dragonflies breed here, or so I had been led to believe, but on several previous late summer visits I had yet to see one. Imagine my surprise when I saw not one, but several Black Darters, along with a single Keeled Skimmer. They do exist here, after all! Unfortunately, I could find no sign of Grayling butterflies, which I have seen here in the past but not in the last 3-4 years. Perhaps they no longer occur on this site.

Male Black Darter, Dersingham Bog, 8 August

In recent years I have been looking to go on pelagic boat trips off the UK coast, in order to try to connect with some of the rarer seabirds (Cory's and Great Shearwaters, for example), which I would have very little chance of seeing onshore. The boats go out a few miles from land and drop horrible smelling fishy mixtures ('chum'), which attracts the seabirds. A 'Naturetrek' trip, leaving from Falmouth harbour in Cornwall last September, was cancelled due to inclement weather conditions. Foolishly, I put my name down for another 'Naturetrek' trip, this time departing from Weymouth, on the 15th of August and booked a B&B in Weymouth for the night of the 14/15th. Again the trip was cancelled the day before, this time because the wind was in the wrong direction (!). I was committed to travelling to Weymouth, so made the best of a bad job by spending four hours (mainly) sea watching at Portland Bill on the morning of the 15th, followed by a visit to Arne RSPB on the way home. Sea watching provided sightings of both Manx and Balearic Shearwaters, alongside many Fulmars, Kittiwakes and Gannets as well as a few auks and an Arctic Skua. It was difficult at distance to separate the two shearwater species, which are similar in size and rarely revealed their underparts (Balearics are significantly darker below) and even more difficult to photograph them! Their behaviour was somewhat different - the Manx Shearwaters did more 'shearing' in flight and moved through quickly, whilst the Balearics tended to fly on flatter wings, hung around for longer and sometimes landed on the sea, diving to feed. The composite image below shows 'record shots' of both species, although you will have to take my word for it!

Composite image of Manx (left hand and right hand birds) and Balearic (central birds) Shearwaters in Flight, Portland Bill, 15 August. The Manx Shearwaters are darker above and paler below and have sharper wings than the Balearic Shearwaters. Sorry about the poor quality of the individual images!

Land birds seen at Portland Bill included Ravens, one of which landed close by to inspect the contents of a plastic bag, many migratory Wheatears and several Rock Pipits. One consolation from this brief visit was that I was able to enjoy an excellent breakfast at my B&B, which I wouldn't have had time for if I had been on the boat trip. This was something to digest on the five hour, stop start journey home from Arne. I think that I'll avoid booking Naturetrek pelagics in future!

Raven, Portland Bill, 15 August

Wheatear, Portland Bill, 15 August

On the 16th I spent an afternoon at Paxton Pits (near St Neots), photographing darter dragonflies. One particular group of bushes close to a path usualy holds many (usually) Common Darters and I wasn't disappointed on this occasion. However, getting an uncluttered background for my shots (I always aim to produce images suitable for competitions and exhibitions, however unlikely it is that I'll achieve my target) wasn't easy. One example is shown below.

Common Darter, Paxton Pits, 16 August

My only other trip of any note was to RSPB Frampton Marsh on the 27th. A Baird's Sandpiper (an American wader, which occasionally finds its way to the UK) had been seen the day before but was absent on the day of my visit. However, many other wader species were showing there, including Curlew Sandpipers. Yellow Wagtails were abundant here, with around 20 seen in one small area where cattle were feeding (image).

Three Curlew Sandpipers, RSPB Frampton Marsh, 27 August

Two (of many) Yellow Wagtails hanging around cattle, waiting for flies to eat, RSPB Frampton Marsh, 27 August

Holiday: Scotland and Northumberland, Late July and early August 2024

 I  was on holiday for the last few days of July and the first few days of August, driving up to Nethybridge in The Highlands, for a week with the holiday company Heatherlea which included two nights and a full day on North and South Uist and Benbecula - my first visit to the Outer Hebrides. On the way up I stopped off for a night in Northumberland (Warkworth) which, apart from breaking the 500 mile journey, was intended to allow me to connect with Arctic Terns and Common Eider ducks for my year list, in this beautiful part of the world. As it happens, I got really lucky because a very rare wader, Greater Sand Plover, was found a few miles down the coast at Newbiggin shortly before my visit and, on a glorious evening, I was able to connect with this bird (a 'lifer') and also add Roseate Tern, as well as Arctic Tern and Eider Duck, to my year list. The terns were amongst four species sharing a rocky outcrop on the coast with several species of wader as the tide came in. The combination of beautiful light and birds and an attractive four mile 'there and back' walk along the coast made this one of my bird watching highlights of the year.

Record Shot of Greater Sand Plover with Ringed Plovers (below), Newbiggin, 26 July

In Scotland, the plan was to spend the first day looking for local specialities and the last two days wildlife watching on the Black Isle, Moray Firth and Findhorn Valley. In between we would take the ferry from Mallaig to South Uist and spend two nights on Benbecula, exploring the Uists, before returning by Ferry from North Uist to Skye and driving back to Nethybridge. Crested Tits and Crossbills were duly seen locally on the first day. The ferry crossing turned out to be a bit of an ordeal: whilst the south of England basked in a heatwave, we had to endure strong winds, temperatures in the low teens and, later, driving rain as a weather front passed by. I had been looking forward to seeing lots of different seabirds, but in fact the crossing was dominated by Manx Shearwaters from the huge colony on Rhum, as well as smaller numbers of auks (including Puffins), Gannets and Kittiwakes. A couple of distant Great Skuas were seen and at least three Storm Petrels were found by our leaders, Holly and Dave, but frustratingly I wasn't able to pick any of them out. A handful of Common Dolphins were also seen.

Skye, seen on the Ferry Crossing from Mallaig, 29 July

One of Hundreds of Manx Shearwaters seen on the Ferry Crossing, 29 July

We had time to explore South Uist before booking into our hotel, but the wind and rain made things uncomfortable. However, we did have one piece of luck: a young White-tailed Eagle gave reasonably close views as it sat on a mound in the 'machair'.

White-tailed Eagle in the Rain, South Uist, 29 July

The weather for the rest of the week was fine, although the temperature on the Uists never went above 15C. The machair scenery and beaches were very pleasant, but not spectacular, with a multitude of lochans and estuaries being passed. Apart from the main north-south road, all the roads we used were single track with passing places. Gaelic is still spoken here, and all the road signs placed Gaelic as the first language, but we didn't hear any Gaelic spoken at the hotel, which was our only contact with the 'locals'. We enjoyed numerous views of Hen Harriers, Merlin and (eventually) Short-eared Owls. Arctic Skuas were seen on the final morning and a Black Guillemot, seen as we departed on the ferry from Lochmaddy (North Uist) for Skye, was my first and only sighting, although others in our party (two leaders and twelve clients) saw other Black Guillemots. Porpoises were seen off the coast and there was a moment of drama when Andrew, one of my fellow clients, spotted a young Stonechat trapped in a lobster pot. This was safely extricated and released by Dave (image).

Young Stonechat before Release (see above), Uists, 30 July

Short-eared Owl in Flight, Benbecula, 30 July

Back on the mainland, the trips to the Moray coast and Black Isle provided lots of interest, whilst a distant Golden Eagle (my 14th and last year 'tick' for the holiday) was a highlight of our trip up the Findhorn Valley. With temperatures reaching 20C, invertebrates became more of a part of the wildlife seen. For me the very tatty Large Heath, seen at Lochindorb on the 28th, was the butterfly highlight, but dragonflies and ichneumon wasps were also seen. A moth trap run by Holly produced some particularly attractive species, with no fewer than 71 'July High Flyer' individuals being counted. Some late-flowering Autumn Lady's Tresses (an orchid) and the beautiful Mountain Pansy were floral highlights.

Turnstones and Redshanks, Moray Coast, 2 August

Ichneumon Wasp, Findhorn Bay, 2 August

Light Emerald Moth from the Trap, Nethybridge, 1 August

Mountain Pansy, Upper Findhorn Valley, 1 August

This was quite a sedentary holiday and most of my exercise involved pre-breakfast or evening walks. One bird that was missing from our combined list of 124 species (I saw 118) at the end of the week was Dipper, but on my final walk of the holiday I caught up with one, feeding on the River Nethy - too late to go on the list! After that, it was time to drive the 505 miles back home in a single day, a mind numbing exercise that I am determined not to repeat if I ever go to Scotland again!