Local Wildlife Sightings, July 2025

 Back from holiday early on the 3rd and with an enormous amount of sleep to catch up on, I nevertheless managed a short evening walk on the same day along the Greenwich Meridian Trail, south of Royston, where I knew that I would find hundreds of Essex Skippers. Most had clearly been on the wing for a few days and were looking rather ragged, but I did manage to get a few photos of decent specimens in what is a very large colony. As expected, Chalk Hill Blues and Gatekeepers had emerged (the first Chalk Hills were reported on the 25th of June, the day I left the UK). Marbled Whites were still flying on The Heath when I visited on the 4th. Chalk Hill Blues were seen in relatively small numbers, but very large numbers of Gatekeepers were seen. The first of the second generation of Brown Argus were already on the wing, very early but in line with other butterfly species that have emerged early in what promises to be a long, hot summer.

Essex Skipper, Royston, 3 July

Brown Argus, Therfield Heath, 4 July

Male Chalk Hill Blue and Hoverfly on Knapweed, Therfield Heath, 4 July

A visit to Phillup's Lake on the 7th was rewarded by seeing families of four Little Grebes and three Coots. A handful of moulting Mallards and a single female Tufted Duck were also present. Nearby, I saw my first local Small Copper butterfly of the year, as well as an Emperor Dragonfly and several Common Blue Damselflies. As I reached three score years and ten, two more birthday related holidays kept me (happily) away from my local patch, so sightings were very sporadic until the 20th. However, I did manage visits to The Heath (Old Rifle range area) on the 12th, where I saw my first local Small Copper of the year, and Hertford Heath, where I saw Purple Hairstreaks flitting around in various Oak trees. The ponds had almost completely dried up and dragonflies were scarce here.

Female Chalk Hill Blue, Therfield Heath, 12 July

Small Copper, Therfield Heath, 12 July

On a visit to Fox Covert on the 14th I was very pleased to encounter an admittedly rather battered male Silver-washed Fritillary, the first that I have seen here since 2023. This species, which only arrived in the woodland a few years ago, is struggling to survive here in habitat that is not ideal, but will likely have bred here in 2024 (or maybe this male arrived from another colony this year?). Also seen in the woods were single Common and Ruddy Darters, the latter having a split and twisted abdomen, perhaps caused on emergence from the chrysalis.

Ruddy Darter with Damaged Abdomen, Fox Covert, 14 July

Record Shot of a rather battered male Silver-washed Fritillary, Fox Covert, 14 July

Following another holiday (see my UK blog) I was finally home for more than a couple of days from the 20th. The weather had finally deteriorated into what for many years was a typical English summer (thunderstorms, showers and longer periods of rain, average temperatures) and there was plenty to catch up on at home, but I did manage a few visits to local sites and, strangely, had my best week of the summer for local wildlife photography. Several female Chalk Hill Blues were now on the wing, and I photographed four mating pairs during the following week, including two pairs that were almost side by side at the bottom of Church Hill. Common Blues were also seen mating, whilst the dominant species on the wing, certainly on The Heath, was still Gatekeeper. On the 21st I led a Royston Photographic Society wildlife photography session on The Heath, near the Therfield Road, where in addition to lots of Chalk Hill Blues being seen, we found mating Burnet Moths and a large, female Wasp Spider!

Mating Chalk Hill Blue Butterflies, Therfield Heath, 22 July

Mating Common Blue Butterflies, Royston, 21 July

Mating 6-Spot Burnet Moths, Therfield Heath, 21 July

Female Wasp Spider, Therfield Heath, 21 July

Two Roosting Male Chalk Hill Blues, Therfield Heath, 22 July

Lizard Orchids

Back in the middle of June, two Lizard Orchid plants were found just off the Old Rifle Range (Nick Keep). This is, as far as I am aware, the first time that this species of orchid has ever been seen on Therfield Heath, although it is possible that they may have been here before without anybody noticing. I was asked not to publicise their appearance, as they are an uncommon plant and there was a risk of them being (unwittingly or maliciously) damaged. However, I did take some photos of the plants (one appears in the August issue of 'The Listing', where some of my butterfly photographs can also be seen), a couple of which are shown below. Lizard Orchids are particularly large orchids, which don't (in my eyes) look particularly attractive. However, they are a great addition to the flora of The Heath - I wonder whether any will appear next year? At the time of writing (30 July) the plants can still be seen, although they are wilting and decaying.

The two Lizard Orchids, Therfield Heath, 17 June

Detail of the flowers of one Lizard Orchid, Therfield Heath, 17 June

During the final week of July I concentrated, when I could, on photographing (mainly) roosting Chalk Hill and Common Blues, both on The Heath (Old Rifle Range) and at Clothall Common near Baldock, where the colony is doing well (I estimate that 200 - 250 individuals were roosting there when I visited on the 30th). I was hoping to find some aberrant individuals, but it seems that nowadays all Chalk Hill Blues look the same (well, obviously males and females differ and their colour changes with age). Here are a few more images. Incidentally, I have been asked to spell 'Chalk Hill' as two words, rather than the one 'Chalkhill' word that is in my butterfly identification books - don't ask me why!

Male Chalk Hill Blue, Therfield Heath, 29 July

Male Chalk Hill Blue resting on Scabious Flower, Therfield Heath, 29 July

Two Female Chalk Hill Blues, Therfield Heath, 29 July

Two Male Chalk Hill Blues, Therfield Heath, 29 July

Towards the end of the month, a number of pristine looking Painted Lady butterflies were seen in the Royston area. These would be the offspring of butterflies that flew across from the Continent in the late spring. Some were seen feeding voraciously on a variety of nectar, preparing themselves for the long journey back to Southern Europe, which they undertake in the late summer and early autumn.

Painted Lady, Royston, 31 July

Swift Survey

Every year I carry out an unofficial survey of the swifts in Royston town centre. The best time to do this is in late July, when the young birds have fledged but before the birds begin their migration back to Africa in early August. The best (only?) time of day to carry out the survey is in the 40 minutes or so before dusk, when the birds descend and form 'screaming parties' over the town, so I have to work quickly! I can only get a very approximate figure, because the birds are flying around rapidly, in groups of up to 15 which can splinter and re-form. However, they do tend to stay close to their breeding sites which makes my job somewhat easier. This year my rough estimate was of 85 birds, similar to last year. I report my findings to the BTO ('Birdtrack'). I have to say that I really enjoy seeing Swifts flying around like this - they appear to be so happy! I hope that they will return in good numbers next year.

UK Wildlife Sightings, July 2025

 I was away from Royston on three separate holidays from late June until mid July. The first holiday was a 'Naturetrek' holiday to North Macedonia, which I will write about in a separate blog post, when I have finally finished editing and sorting out over 200 images. I would have done this sooner, if I hadn't been on two further, shorter holidays to Wales and then Stockholm in July. From a wildlife point of view these were very low key - I'll deal with them briefly here.

Wales

My partner and I visited Aberystwyth in early July, as part of a family holiday (we met up with my brother and his family). Rock Pipits was seen around the castle ruins and I also saw Dipper and Red-breasted Merganser nearby. Aberystwyth is well known for its winter Starling murmurations around the pier, but of course we were six months too early (or late) to see these.

Young Rock Pipit, Aberystwyth, 8 July

Stockholm

For my 70th birthday my lovely partner booked a surprise four night holiday for us in Stockholm (I knew I was flying somewhere, but not to where). This beautiful Swedish city, situated on an island archipelago, held a few minor surprises. For one thing, the gulls threatening to steal your fish and chips were not Herring Gulls, but Common Gulls! Lesser Black-backed Gulls would then steal from the Common Gulls. A few Herring Gulls and Black-headed Gulls were present, but these kept themselves to themselves. The only (feral) geese that I saw were Barnacle Geese (and lots of them). Other sightings included Common Terns and a single Common Redstart. Stockholm, and Sweden in general, is very expensive (not that it bothered me, because my partner was paying for everything!), but if you can afford it and don't mind missing out on the excitement of bird watching for a few days, it comes highly recommended. Most Swedes speak good English, too. Don't fly British Airways, though - they cancelled our return flight....

Back to the wildlife, and on my birthday itself we used public transport to Hammersmith and walked along the Thames to spend an afternoon at WWT Barnes, encountering a variety of hoverflies and a Jersey Tiger Moth on the way.

Hoverfly Volucella zonaria, Barnes, 13 July

Jersey Tiger Moth, Barnes, 13 July

The reserve itself was pretty quiet - most of the wildfowl collection were moulting - but I did add three Odonata (Small Red-eyed Damselfly, Willow Emerald Damselfly and, best of all, Lesser Emperor Dragonfly) to my year list. At least two Lesser Emperors were buzzing around the many pools, but sadly they never settled for me to take their photograph, so you will have to make do with the other two. Lesser Emperors are slowly establishing themselves in Southern England (climate change?), and can be distinguished in flight from the Emperor Dragonfly by their slightly smaller size, duller colouring and a pale band around the abdomen, close to the Thorax.

Small Red-eyed Damselfly, WWT Barnes, 13 July

Willow Emerald Damselfly, WWT Barnes, 13 July

On my return from Stockholm, my next significant sortie was to Aston Rowant on the 23rd, with my target being the rare Silver Spotted Skipper butterfly. On a very dull day the reserve was very quiet, with few butterflies on the wing, but I did manage to find at least one Silver-spotted Skipper (image below).

'Record Shot' of Silver-spotted Skipper, Aston Rowant NR, 23 July

On the 25th I treated myself to a day out in Norfolk, my first visit to the county for some time. My first stop was at WWT Welney. The Wood Sandpiper, reported the previous day, had gone but I did enjoy watching a Common Tern trying to feed a fish to its chicks, which totally ignored it although a nearby Ruff took an interest. I added Brown Hawker to my 2025 dragonfly list here. I travelled on to Dersingham Bog, which was predictably rather short of water, but I did see a single male Black Darter and a single male Keeled Skimmer here. Better still, after having failed to see any here for quite a few years, I also had a couple of sightings of Grayling butterflies in flight. Once disturbed, these butterflies head rapidly for the nearest tree and hide on the trunk, where they are very hard to find.

Immature Male Black Darter, Dersingham Bog, 25 July

Encouraged by these sightings, I headed on to Snettisham, which proved to be my final stop. I hoped to see Turtle Doves here, but had no joy searching for an hour in the Coastal Park, where I have seen them many times before. With the tide coming in, I decided to head south along the muddy beach towards the RSPB reserve. Ringed Plovers were much in evidence and, as I approached the reserve, some impressive wader murmurations were seen. A huge flock of (mainly) Sandwich Terns was resting on the beach, close enough to pick out individuals with my binoculars and camera, but not close enough to be certain about identifying some of the smaller terns that were sitting alongside the hundreds of Sandwich Terns. Quite a few Common Terns were present, as were one or two Little Terns. I'm pretty sure that a handful of Arctic Terns were present too, based on bill size, colour and shape, but I could not convince myself to put them on my year list.

Terns and a Black-heade Gull at Snettisham, 25 July. Is the nearest bird an Arctic Tern??

More Terns at Snettisham, 25 July, with another possible Arctic Tern centre front

As the tide came in further, things got even more interesting as hundreds of waders flew in closer and closer. These turned out to be mainly Dunlin and Sanderling (are Sanderling, like Knot, on The Wash all year round?). A single Curlew Sandpiper was amongst them: these birds were heading for the southernmost lake on the RSPB reserve, where a White-rumped Sandpiper and a Pectoral Sandpiper had been reported on the day (and, indeed, for the remainder of the month). On a hot day, I didn't have the energy to go further but a couple of surprises awaited me as I turned to go back. Firstly, I heard the unmistakable purring of a Turtle Dove, which eventually revealed itself after much searching. Then, I noticed a family of warblers moving about in a line of bushes and sometimes coming out on to the ground to feed - a family of Lesser Whitethroats! I've never had such good views of this species before - the birds looked quite tame. Of course I took some photos: I may never have such a good opportunity again. To complete the day, several Wall butterflies were flying about in the same area. This double brooded butterfly became extinct in Hertfordshire many years ago, and Snettisham is probably one of the closest places to home where they can still be reliably seen. What a day!

Adult and Juvenile Lesser Whitethroats, Snettisham, 25 July

Record Shot of a Wall Butterfly, RSPB Snettisham, 25 July