Local Wildlife Sightings, July 2026

 Early in July, we received the very sad news that a developers' appeal had successfully overturned the council blocking of a 280 home development on fields adjoining my estate. Along with the inevitable major traffic disruption that the building work will entail and the further dilution of local services, this will mean the loss of a lovely wild flower meadow near the house - very bad news indeed, and another kick in the teeth for conservation and green field sites.

Back from holiday, I visited Therfield Heath (east side) on the morning of the 5th. Initially everything was quiet, but as soon as the sun came out clouds of butterflies emerged from the grasses. Foremost amongst them were Chalkhill Blues - I reckon that I must have seen at least 200. I also saw my first Gatekeeper butterflies of the year: these tend to congregate around the bushes on The Heath. A few Dark Green Fritillaries were still flying and I actually managed to get a few photographs of one - quite a challenge, as this fast flying butterfly never seems to stay still for more than a couple of seconds.

Male Chalkhill Blue, Therfield Heath, 5 July

Male Chalkhill Blue Variant (Smaller or Incomplete Spots, c.f. the Butterfly above), Therfield Heath, 5 July

Gatekeeper Butterfly, Therfield Heath, 5 July

Dark Green Fritillary, Therfield Heath, 5 July

Closer to home, a new (for my local patch) micro-moth, Pyrausta purpuralis, was recorded.

Pyrausta Purpuralis, Royston, 5 July

The hot, dry summer continued with another heatwave, starting around the 5th and lasting for at least 10 days with temperatures reaching 34C (so not as hot as in June!). After that the weather cooled somewhat, with an easterly wind bringing in early morning cloud, but not a drop of rain was to be had. By the middle of the month thousands of Chalkhill Blues had spread all over The Heath and a few males were seen a mile or two away from the nearest colony, although they would have been frustrated at being unable to find any of the far more sedentary females. I spent a lot of time in the evenings photographing roosting 'blues' (second generation Common Blue and Brown Argus butterflies were on the wing from the middle of the month), because they were too active in the hot, daytime temperatures. However, the females emerge from their chrysalises in the morning and immediately mate with whichever passing male is lucky enough to find them. I was therefore lucky to find a mating pair on a rare morning visit to The Heath (just east of the Therfield Road) on the 11th.

Mating Chalkhill Blue Butterflies, Therfield Heath, 11 July

Following the emergence of Chalkhill Blues and Gatekeepers, I had only one 'regular' butterfly species left to see on The Heath - Silver-washed Fritillary. This butterfly was seen for the first time in the Fox Covert / Jubilee Wood area six or seven years ago and has since colonised This woodland, albeit in very small numbers. I now know their favourite areas, and saw my first butterfly on the 9th. I returned on the 11th, when I saw at least three, including both a male and a female, and on the 14th when, perhaps getting tired of being pursued by me, I was able to photograph two different males and a female, whilst a fourth butterfly (another male) was seen. Hopefully more females are around, and this colony will (continue to?) grow. Silver-washed Fritillary was the 28th butterfly species to be seen this year on my Local Patch and six days later the 29th, a Clouded Yellow, was seen on The Heath (Old Rifle Range). This was no big surprise, as several were reported elsewhere in Hertfordshire in July. Of the 29, only Clouded Yellow and Painted Lady are not resident, although in good summers the latter goes through a full breeding cycle here, but neither species can survive our winters - yet!

Female Silver-washed Fritillary, Therfield Heath, 14 July

Male Silver-washed Fritillary, Therfield Heath, 14 July

Silver-washed Fritillaries were also seen on two visits to Scales Park in the first half of the month, whilst three second generation Small Blues were seen when I visited Clothall Common (Baldock) on the 15th. The colony of Chalkhill Blues at Clothall must have numbered well over 100.

Small Blue, Clothall Common, 15 July

Local dragonflies were rather thin on the ground. It was surprising not to see Common Darters by the middle of July: have all the local ponds dried up? I visited Panshanger Park (between Hertford and Welwyn Garden City) on the 17th, hoping to see a reported Southern Migrant Hawker (still a rare dragonfly, although expanding in numbers and area - another beneficiary of climate change). I missed this, although there were plenty of the commoner dragonflies about, with Black-tailed Skimmer being the commonest. I saw lots of Ruddy Darters there, but no Common Darters. As the month wore on, Migrant Hawkers (first seen on the 14th) started to appear locally. This smallish hawker dragonfly tends to become very common here in August.

Black-tailed Skimmer, Panshanger Park, 17 July

Record Shot of a Migrant Hawker, Therfield Heath, 14 July

Hereabouts, bird activity dies back to practically nothing in July, as nesting finishes for most and I take a break from the delights of failed gull identification (there aren't any gulls to identify). However, after a Herts. Bird Club report (Paula Moore) of Spotted Flycatchers in Fox Covert on the 13th I realised that I had been neglecting this species. An investigation on the 14th revealed at least five birds in two areas of the woodland that were separated by a few hundred metres. One adult bird was feeding at the edge of woodland. I managed to photograph it (after putting my arm on to barbed wire and losing a fair bit of blood) and noted it feeding a juvenile at one point. Whether the birds were from one family or from two separate ones, it was good to know that they have successfully bred again in the woods.

Adult Spotted Flycatcher, Therfield Heath, 14 July

The path that loops round Phillup's Lake from the road between Therfield village and the A10 had become impassable, being blocked by brambles, nettles, thistles and various other stinging and cutting plants I don't know who is responsible for maintaining it, but they are not doing a very good job! I decided to cut a swathe through this jungle earlier on the 14th. It took 25 minutes and I ended up covered in cuts and scratches (I was wearing shorts). My reward was to see at least six Little Grebes on the lake - at least three adults and three tiny young - suggestive of two pairs having bred on the lake. It is so difficult to count the grebes, because as soon as they sense my presence they dive under the water and head for cover at the side of the lake. However, the baby grebes apparently can't dive at an early stage and don't swim very fast, which makes it easier to count them!

UK Wildlife Sightings July 2026

 I spent the last few days of June and the first few days of July on holiday with my partner, in the North of England. We visited a couple of Dipper haunts, and I was lucky to see an adult with a recently fledged youngster in Hawes (North Yorkshire) and another adult in Wasdale, Cumbria. I had hoped to have a go at looking for Black Grouse from the road between Keld, in Swaledale, and the Tan Hill Inn, but unfortunately the road was closed on the day of our visit. However, there was a bonus in the form of a couple of Whinchats, birds that I had not expected to see, in Nether Wasdale.

Adult Dipper, Hawes, North Yorkshire, 29 June

Recently-fledged Juvenile Dipper, Hawes, 29 June

'Record Shot' of a Whinchat, Nether Wasdale, Cumbria, 2 July

On the 8th I paid a return visit to the Great Bustard Project on Salisbury Plain. This was my third visit (I go every couple of years). Only a single female Great Bustard was seen from the hide on this occasion and it was only briefly visible, so I didn't get any photos (memo to myself: this is the worst time to visit, because the grass is so high that the Bustards are not easy to see. Next time I should go in early spring or autumn). However, I did purchase a rather nice and very appropriate 'Fat Bustard' T-shirt! On the way back, I called in at Wilstone, visiting the Grand Union Canal and the reservoir, looking for dragonflies. The dominant damselfly along the canal was the (hoped for) White-legged Damselfly. Blue-tailed and Small Red-eyed Damselflies, as well as a handful of Banded Demoiselles, were also seen. Brown Hawker and Emperor dragonflies were patrolling the canal and I also saw a female Lesser Emperor laying eggs here. Several Lesser Emperors (a recent addition to our Odonata, spreading north through the country accompanying Climate Change) were at the reservoir and, judging by their rather tatty state, had been present for some time. Black-tailed Skimmers were also common here.

Male White-legged Damselfly, Grand Union Canal, Wilstone, 8 July

Female Lesser Emperor Laying Eggs, Wilstone Reservoir, 8 July

Male Lesser Emperor, Wilstone Reservoir, 8 July

Small Red-eyed Damselfly, Grand Union Canal, Wilstone, 8 July

Continuing the dragonfly theme, on the 10th I drove up to Dersingham Bog near Snettisham in Norfolk, which holds, as far as I am aware, the closest population of Black Darter dragonflies to my home. Several mature males were seen, as were some male Keeled Skimmers (another acid heathland species). I also looked for Grayling butterflies here. A few large, strong flying butterflies were seen distantly, but I couldn't confirm their identification as being Graylings.

Male Black Darter, Dersingham Bog, Norfolk, 10 July

I continued up to Snettisham, where in previous years I have been lucky to see Turtle Doves. Frustratingly, on this occasion a Turtle Dove was heard shortly after I arrived at the RSPB reserve, but could not be seen. On yet another very hot day I did a circuit of the southern-most lake. Several hundred Dunlin and Black-tailed Godwits were roosting there and a dozen or so Mediterranean Gulls were seen, including one with a (begging) youngster. It was too hot for me to carry a telescope as well as my camera, so I was unable to confirm the earlier sighting of three Curlew Sandpipers, which were presumably in amongst the Dunlin.

A few of several hundred Dunlin present at RSPB Snettisham, 10 July

Adult Mediterranean Gull with youngster, RSPB Snettisham, 10 July

I have done very little 'twitching' this year, but a long-staying Long-tailed Shrike (the 3rd for Britain) on the Oxfordshire-Gloucestershire border captured my attention and on the 22nd I drove the 119 miles from Royston to see it. The bird showed well at times, albeit rather distantly, and I managed a few 'record shots' of it during my 50 minute stay. Following on from the Turkestan and Brown Shrikes that I saw in 2025, this was my third UK shrike 'first' in less than a year.

Distant Record Shot of the Long-tailed Shrike, Oxfordshire-Gloucestershire Border, 22 July

My journey took me along the M40, so on the way back I stopped off at the Aston Rowant nature reserve to look for Silver-spotted Skipper butterflies. I had, for a change, chosen a good time because several of this rare species were on the wing and I was able to photograph them. Aston Rowant is like Therfield Heath in being unimproved chalk grassland and its remaining butterfly species were very familiar to me. Chalkhill Blues were abundant and I was lucky to photograph a couple of mating Common Blues. I believe that there was an unlicenced introduction of Adonis Blues here, at about the same time that they were introduced to Therfield Heath, but the colony at Aston Rowant appears to have died out.

Silver-spotted Skipper, Aston Rowant NR, Oxfordshire, 22 July

Mating Common Blue Butterflies, Aston Rowant NR, 22 July

During a family meet-up at Newark in Nottinghamshire, my brother and I noticed a small colony of Banded Demoiselle dragonflies on the River Trent. One female rested on a reed in a particularly photogenic position and several photographs were taken of it, of which my 'best' is shown below. Although far from perfect (the lighting conditions were poor) it represents the sort of graphic image that I aspire to create when photographing this and other Dragonfly species.

Female Banded Demoiselle, Newark, 25 July