Chalkhill Blue Butterflies and Brown Argus - superb images taken by Stuart Read
MONDAY 20 JULY
A much better day following the weekend heavy rain showers. It stayed dry all day and brightened up with warm sunshine late afternoon. Another day checking breeding successes as well as doing a few butterfly transects. There was no sight nor sound of any of the Spotted Flycatcher families seen yesterday.
WILSTONE RESERVOIR, TRING
(Afternoon visit; with Stuart Wilson)
Great Crested Grebe (22 present still including the juvenile)
Continental Cormorant (sinensis) (15 on bank)
*LITTLE EGRET (both juveniles roosting in Willows north of the Drayton Hide)
EURASIAN WIGEON (eclipse drake still)
Common Teal (1)
Tufted Duck (6 well grown fledged young)
Coot (3 separate feeding rafts, swirling in circles and diving to retrieve weed; 115 + 103 + 96 = 314)
Lapwing (243 roosting on bund)
LITTLE RINGED PLOVER (juvenile still present in front of hide)
COMMON SANDPIPER (3 on algae bunds)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (2 adults dropped in for a bathe late afternoon)
SAND MARTIN (just 8 noted in good westher conditions)
House Martin (12+)
Wren (family group in hedgerow by new overflow)
TRINGFORD RESERVOIR
Great Crested Grebe (2)
Mute Swan (3 adults)
MANDARIN DUCK (female)
Coot (43 adults, 17 fledged young)
Greenfinch (pair)
STARTOP'S END RESERVOIR
Mute Swan (30)
Mallard (female with 6 very small ducklings plus further females with 3, 5 and 8 well grown youngsters)
Tufted Duck (female with 4 small young)
Coot (43) (418 Coots counted in total)
COMMON SANDPIPER (adult feeding on the extensive mud)
MARSWORTH RESERVOIR
Great Crested Grebe (3)
Red-crested Pochard (female of presumably captive origin)
Coot (just 1 adult)
COMMON KINGFISHER
Western Reed Warbler (1)
IVINGHOE HILLS NR
At Gallows Hill (SP 967171) late afternoon and in warm sunshine, large numbers of butterflies were on the wing, including 55+ CHALKHILL BLUES, 31 MARBLED WHITES, good numbers of both ESSEX and SMALL SKIPPERS and large numbers of Large White, Meadow Brown and Ringlet. The best area was that 220 yards along the lower footpath from the car park (besides the B489) in the clearing to the right of the track.
Nearby, DARK GREEN FRITILLARIES (mostly faded) were showing well in the cutting north of the S Bend at SP 959 164, with a few MARBLED WHITES and a BROWN ARGUS.
Whilst on the subject of butterflies, PURPLE EMPERORS have had their best ever season at Finemere Wood (SP 720 216) with up to 6 showing daily since 2 July.
I was disgusted to see over 60 worn tyres dumped in the parking area at Ivinghoe Beacon (at SP 964 172), whilst some poor innocent soul that had an accident at the junction and left his car there (a 1998 Mazda 626) will return to find that it has been broken into - the rear quarter window had been smashed and the boot rifled and ransacked.
A much better day following the weekend heavy rain showers. It stayed dry all day and brightened up with warm sunshine late afternoon. Another day checking breeding successes as well as doing a few butterfly transects. There was no sight nor sound of any of the Spotted Flycatcher families seen yesterday.
WILSTONE RESERVOIR, TRING
(Afternoon visit; with Stuart Wilson)
Great Crested Grebe (22 present still including the juvenile)
Continental Cormorant (sinensis) (15 on bank)
*LITTLE EGRET (both juveniles roosting in Willows north of the Drayton Hide)
EURASIAN WIGEON (eclipse drake still)
Common Teal (1)
Tufted Duck (6 well grown fledged young)
Coot (3 separate feeding rafts, swirling in circles and diving to retrieve weed; 115 + 103 + 96 = 314)
Lapwing (243 roosting on bund)
LITTLE RINGED PLOVER (juvenile still present in front of hide)
COMMON SANDPIPER (3 on algae bunds)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (2 adults dropped in for a bathe late afternoon)
SAND MARTIN (just 8 noted in good westher conditions)
House Martin (12+)
Wren (family group in hedgerow by new overflow)
TRINGFORD RESERVOIR
Great Crested Grebe (2)
Mute Swan (3 adults)
MANDARIN DUCK (female)
Coot (43 adults, 17 fledged young)
Greenfinch (pair)
STARTOP'S END RESERVOIR
Mute Swan (30)
Mallard (female with 6 very small ducklings plus further females with 3, 5 and 8 well grown youngsters)
Tufted Duck (female with 4 small young)
Coot (43) (418 Coots counted in total)
COMMON SANDPIPER (adult feeding on the extensive mud)
MARSWORTH RESERVOIR
Great Crested Grebe (3)
Red-crested Pochard (female of presumably captive origin)
Coot (just 1 adult)
COMMON KINGFISHER
Western Reed Warbler (1)
IVINGHOE HILLS NR
At Gallows Hill (SP 967171) late afternoon and in warm sunshine, large numbers of butterflies were on the wing, including 55+ CHALKHILL BLUES, 31 MARBLED WHITES, good numbers of both ESSEX and SMALL SKIPPERS and large numbers of Large White, Meadow Brown and Ringlet. The best area was that 220 yards along the lower footpath from the car park (besides the B489) in the clearing to the right of the track.
Nearby, DARK GREEN FRITILLARIES (mostly faded) were showing well in the cutting north of the S Bend at SP 959 164, with a few MARBLED WHITES and a BROWN ARGUS.
Whilst on the subject of butterflies, PURPLE EMPERORS have had their best ever season at Finemere Wood (SP 720 216) with up to 6 showing daily since 2 July.
I was disgusted to see over 60 worn tyres dumped in the parking area at Ivinghoe Beacon (at SP 964 172), whilst some poor innocent soul that had an accident at the junction and left his car there (a 1998 Mazda 626) will return to find that it has been broken into - the rear quarter window had been smashed and the boot rifled and ransacked.
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