Otmoor: last day of July

So much for July being a quiet month for birding, at least not at Otmoor just at the moment.  Sunday morning was a perfect opportunity to see Otmoor at its best - lots of birds, butterflies and flowers.  A very sociable place to be too, with lots of people sharing of knowledge and experiences.  Many highlights, not least the wonderful juvenile Cuckoo with it attentive Reed Warbler parents and equally attentive stream of photographers!

juvenile Cuckoo and Reed Warbler parent

 

Grass Snake on the pump house wall

Bitterns were much in evidence making flights across the reedbed and the pair of cranes were striding around on Big Otmoor.  A Marsh Harrier drifted across, then a Hobby dashed more energetically across the sky.  A Turtle Dove was still purring from the tall hedge along the bridleway.

Along the Roman Road (adjacent to the car park), butterflies were the main course, with elusive Brown Hairstreaks on the wing (I missed them) but lots of Peacocks and Commas amongst others.

Peacock

Comma

Next year it will be twenty years since the first land was purchased to start off the RSPB reserve, what a transformation since.....

This morning it seems that summer has started to recede already: no swifts calling in the skies above Banbury.

Tadmarton Heath: two pairs of ears

two young Roe Deer sat in the grass at Tadmarton Heath

I've grabbed a few opportunities to get out in the field in the past few days, checking out a few off-the -beaten track sites.  I have "bumped into" a lot of Roe Deer on my travels, most memorable were these two youngsters sat in the long grass at Tadmarton Heath BOS nature reserve. Eventually my presence spooked them and the hidden doe Roe Deer led them off down the hillside.

Four spotted Chaser, ponds near Helmdon, Northamptonshire

Sharp-leaved Fluellen, arable fields near Otmoor (a tiny flower)

Sharp-leaved Fluellen, arable fields near Otmoor (a tiny flower)

Sneezewort, Asham Meads, Otmoor

Marbled White butterfly nectaring on Devils-bit Scabious, Asham Meads

Beautiful and Banded demoiselle damselflies

Male Beautiful Demoiselle, Mid Cherwell Valley

Banded Demoiselle - male displaying his wings and "tail light" Upper Cherwell Valley

Pair of Beautiful Demoiselles, female on the right, Mid Cherwell Valley

Male Banded Demoiselle, near Wendlebury

The first warm summer weather of the year has inspired me to post a few photos of our two gorgeous Calopteryx damselflies, currently on the wing along our rivers.  These images were taken over the past six weeks in various locations in the local area.

The River Cherwell supports healthy populations of both species, and in some places they occur together. The Banded Demoiselle C. splendens is much the commoner and often occurs in quite large numbers.  The Beautiful Demoiselle C. virgo, in my experience, tends to prefer the Middle and Upper Cherwell and is most common in the upper reaches.

Although July is traditionally a quiet month for birding, there are lots of young birds around andt is a good time to catch up with the juveniles.  As they are learning the ropes they can be quite confiding - like this Green Woodpecker at Bicester Wetland Reserve this morning - one of two feeding on the mown verge beside the entrance road.

Green Woodpecker - juvenile

Fenny Compton Tunnels and Bucknell Wood: Wood White & Grizzled Skipper butterflies

Today started off cool and murky - sunshine was forecast by mid-morning - so I stuck with my plan to visit Bucknell Wood near Silverstone (Northants), one our best local woodlands for butterflies and a very good place to find Wood White at this time of year.  It is also a really large site - around 250 hectares are managed by the Forestry Commission - and has much natural history interest.
Arriving about half eight I knew it would be a little while before the weather improved so I focused on getting to know the site and had a good stomp around the rides and footpaths.  A cuckoo was calling, quite a rare sound in Banburyshire these days (and though technically Bucknell is just outside Banburyshire, I don't think they are faring much better in neighbouring areas).  A Roe Deer buck then walked into view, quite close, but not too nervous.  Further on, I added Spotted Flycatcher and Green Woodpecker to my bird list, but no butterflies thus far.  The path got muddier but passed alongside a block of scrub-stage woodland and full of warblers - Garden Warbler Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler.  Then I spotted a butterfly.  Of course it had to be a Wood White.  Perched very still in the grass beside the path.

Wood White

I took some photos but got a bit too close and it fluttered across the ride and settled onto a grass stalk, where it was more relaxed and allowed me to take a few more pics.

Wood White

I moved on, thinking maybe I'd see some more (often counts are in double figures) but I didn't.  Pulling out of the car park at 11am of course the sun finally shone through.

Later in the afternoon, I made a short trip into Warwickshire to visit the Fenny Compton Tunnels nature reserve, a recent collaboration between Butterfly Conservation and the Canal and River Trust.

Butterfly Conservation have already made huge progress, removing large areas of encroaching scrub from the surviving areas of flowery grassland.  They have also put an excellent information board at the entrance showing what you can see and when. They are running a guided walk there next Saturday.

I had a slow wander around and managed to find a small colony of the Grizzled Skipper, one of the rarer butterflies found here, but not the Small Blue, the other speciality. 

Grizzled Skipper

Lots of Common Blue, plus single Small Copper, Brimstone, Green-veined White, Small White, Speckled Wood and Painted Lady.

Painted Lady

This added up to a nice variety after my single butterfly at Bucknell in the morning.

Meanwhile, in the back garden, less than a week after fledging four chicks from their nest, our pair of blackbirds are starting their third nesting of the year, having already raised two broods.  The female who only yesterday was busy feeding the chicks all day was now preoccupied building a new nest in the same patch of ivy-covered wall.

One of the brood of four (three surviving as of today), needing to find its own food. 

Last weekend, thanks to some very helpful guidance from John Friendship-Taylor, I was able to connect with my first Duke of Burgundy Fritillaries (at Rodborough Common) and my first English Marsh Fritillaries (at Stawberry Bank). 

Duke of Burgundy Fritillary

Marsh Fritillary

Marsh Fritillaries mating

Small Blue, Rodborough Common

Both these sites are near Stroud in Gloucestershire and well worth a visit.  More details can be found on John's blog and the Gloucestershire Butterfly Conservation website.