Date: 5th July 2022
Time: from 8:30 a.m.
Weather: dry,
sunny/cloudy, light wind, 15°C to 20°C
As
on my last visit on 22nd June 2022, the main focus of this visit was also on butterflies, dragonflies and
damselflies.
It proved to be an excellent visit for butterflies, particularly at the following locations:
- The grass strip known as Hilly Road which runs down from the church to St. Nicholas Lane and the rough grassland area adjacent to St. Nicholas Lane
- The small area of Buddleia bushes in the central section of the cemetery
- The area of rough grassland and bramble bushes in the south west corner of the site
- The large field in the north of the site and the area around the pond
I recorded 12 butterfly species: Marbled White (c.20), Ringlet (c.50), Comma (3), Red Admiral (1), Gatekeeper (1), Large Skipper/Small Skipper/Essex Skipper (c.50), Speckled Wood (2), Green-veined White (1), Large White (c.5), Meadow Brown (c.20)
Ringlet, Comma, Red Admiral,
Gatekeeper, Green-veined White and Large White were all first site records for 2022,
bringing the total number of butterfly species recorded to 16, already higher
than the total of 15 that I recorded in 2021.
It was a surprisingly disappointing
visit for dragonflies and damselflies. I saw 2 Emperor Dragonflies
hawking over the field in the north of the site on the way to the pond which
held just a single Azure Damselfly.
With regard to birds, I saw a single Swallow
fly over the north of the site, my first record for 2022, bringing the total
number of bird species recorded to 42.
Other highlights included the following: Common Whitethroat (a
singing male in bushes close to the pond in the north of the site), Blackcap
(1 female or juvenile seen plus 2 briefly singing males heard), Chiffchaff
(1 calling bird heard plus 3 briefly singing males heard), Greenfinch (1
male in bushes in the north of the site), Stock Dove (1 calling
male in the woodland in the south of the site)
With regard to mammals, I saw a Bank Vole along the track from Larkins Tyres but it was sadly dead. However, this was a first record for the site, bringing my total to 7 species.
Finally, as I began my visit, I had a brief view of a Red Fox in the scrub area and field behind Larkins Tyres. It quickly disappeared when it saw me but I had a more extended sighting of presumably the same animal from a different viewpoint of the same location later in my visit. I did manage to get some photos but the lighting was difficult as I was looking straight in to the bright sun.
Photo: Red Fox
Photo: Red Fox
Species
recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):
Slava Ukraini! …. Glory to Ukraine!
💚🦆 🦉🦋🐝🦊🦡🌼 🌳💚
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature
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