Date: 13th July 2020
Time: from 9:30 a.m.
Weather: dry, sunny, light to moderate wind, 17°C to 20°C
Many of my recent visits to St. Nicholas Church and the surrounding areas have started between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. in order to watch the Red Foxes.
However, today I had a mid-morning visit with the primary aim of seeing and photographing butterflies.
Before starting my search for butterflies, I revisited the 2 locations where I had left food for the Badgers and Red Foxes last night. It seems both approved of my offerings 😀: all the peanuts had gone from the entrance to the Badger sett and all of the bones and other remains from my slow-cooked free range chicken had gone from outside one of the entrances and exits to the hedge that the Red Foxes regularly use. I also noticed that the chewed up tennis ball that I had seen last night was in a different location so it seems like an after-dinner ball game took place 😀.
So, to the butterflies. It turned out to be a good visit but the diversity of species and numbers was less than I had encountered at Noak Bridge Nature Reserve on 12th July 2020. In addition, during my visit, the wind strengthened from light to moderate. This didn’t necessarily reduce butterfly numbers but it did make photography more challenging with the frustrating movement of vegetation on which butterflies were nectaring or resting.
I recorded 11 species of butterfly on this visit: Marbled White (6), Peacock (c.15), Ringlet (c.20), Gatekeeper (c.10), Comma (5), Small Skipper (2), Speckled Wood (1), Meadow Brown (c.10), Green-veined White (2), Large White (c.10) and Small White (c.10).
This was my first record of Green-veined White taking my butterfly list for the site to 19 species.
The most remarkable sight was c.15 Peacocks nectaring on a small buddleia bush in the central area of the cemetery.
Photo: the buddleia bush ....
Photo .... the temporary home for c.15 Peacocks
Photo .... the temporary home for c.15 Peacocks
I saw 6 Marbled Whites on this visit but surprisingly none in the usual rough grassland area between St. Nicholas Church and St. Nicholas Lane. Instead I saw 2 in a small area of rough grassland just along from the Larkins Tyres entrance to the site and 4 in the cemetery close to the buddleia bush.
As expected, both bird song and bird activity was very quiet and the species list is relatively short. However, I did see 2 “screaming” Swifts over St. Nicholas Church and a Green Woodpecker in the cemetery. I also heard 2 male Blackcaps sing briefly plus a calling Great Spotted Woodpecker.
Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):
Swift
Blackcap
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Robin
Wren
Green Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Jay
Magpie
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Herring Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Marbled White
Peacock
Ringlet
Gatekeeper
Comma
Small Skipper
Speckled Wood
Meadow Brown
Green-veined White
Large White
Small White
Here are some photos from my visit:
Photo: Peacock
Photo: Peacock
Photo: Peacock
Photo: Peacock
Photo: Peacock
Photo: Peacock
Time: from 9:30 a.m.
Weather: dry, sunny, light to moderate wind, 17°C to 20°C
Many of my recent visits to St. Nicholas Church and the surrounding areas have started between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. in order to watch the Red Foxes.
However, today I had a mid-morning visit with the primary aim of seeing and photographing butterflies.
Before starting my search for butterflies, I revisited the 2 locations where I had left food for the Badgers and Red Foxes last night. It seems both approved of my offerings 😀: all the peanuts had gone from the entrance to the Badger sett and all of the bones and other remains from my slow-cooked free range chicken had gone from outside one of the entrances and exits to the hedge that the Red Foxes regularly use. I also noticed that the chewed up tennis ball that I had seen last night was in a different location so it seems like an after-dinner ball game took place 😀.
So, to the butterflies. It turned out to be a good visit but the diversity of species and numbers was less than I had encountered at Noak Bridge Nature Reserve on 12th July 2020. In addition, during my visit, the wind strengthened from light to moderate. This didn’t necessarily reduce butterfly numbers but it did make photography more challenging with the frustrating movement of vegetation on which butterflies were nectaring or resting.
I recorded 11 species of butterfly on this visit: Marbled White (6), Peacock (c.15), Ringlet (c.20), Gatekeeper (c.10), Comma (5), Small Skipper (2), Speckled Wood (1), Meadow Brown (c.10), Green-veined White (2), Large White (c.10) and Small White (c.10).
This was my first record of Green-veined White taking my butterfly list for the site to 19 species.
The most remarkable sight was c.15 Peacocks nectaring on a small buddleia bush in the central area of the cemetery.
Photo: the buddleia bush ....
Photo .... the temporary home for c.15 Peacocks
Photo .... the temporary home for c.15 Peacocks
I saw 6 Marbled Whites on this visit but surprisingly none in the usual rough grassland area between St. Nicholas Church and St. Nicholas Lane. Instead I saw 2 in a small area of rough grassland just along from the Larkins Tyres entrance to the site and 4 in the cemetery close to the buddleia bush.
As expected, both bird song and bird activity was very quiet and the species list is relatively short. However, I did see 2 “screaming” Swifts over St. Nicholas Church and a Green Woodpecker in the cemetery. I also heard 2 male Blackcaps sing briefly plus a calling Great Spotted Woodpecker.
Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):
Swift
Blackcap
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Robin
Wren
Green Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Jay
Magpie
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Herring Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Marbled White
Peacock
Ringlet
Gatekeeper
Comma
Small Skipper
Speckled Wood
Meadow Brown
Green-veined White
Large White
Small White
Here are some photos from my visit:
Photo: Peacock
Photo: Peacock
Photo: Peacock
Photo: Small Skipper
Photo: Comma
Photo: Comma
Photo: Gatekeeper
Photo: Meadow Brown
Photo: Speckled Wood
Photo: Green-veined White
Photo: Green-veined White
Photo: Seven-spot Ladybird
Site totals to date:
Birds = 48
Mammals = 4
Butterflies = 18
Dragonflies and damselflies = 6
Reptiles = 1
💚🦆 🦉 🌼 🌳💚
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature
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