Monday 25 June 2018

Summertime

It's a good time for insects at the moment as far as the weather is concerned. I added a dragonfly to my life list on Saturday. I took a drive up to Kegworth in the north of Leicestershire where the River Soar meanders peacefully towards the Trent. In recent years a small number of Scarce Chasers have made their home along the county border north of Kegworth. I was fortunate to find five males and one of them posed well.

Scarce Chaser, River Soar, Kegworth

Also quite a few Banded Demoiselles fluttered around the river bank. Not always easy to photograph as they are flighty, but a few showed off for the camera.

Banded Demoiselle, River Soar, Kegworth


After this I headed off to Shawell and the gulls were not playing, so I had a look at the ponds off Shawell Lane where at least 20 Black-tailed Skimmers were bombing around.

Black-tailed Skimmer, Shawell Lane Ponds


After that Marbled Whites took over. Half a dozen were in the long grass at the back of Shawell Gravel Pits and at Croft Quarry on Sunday morning, Adey Baker and I found about 20 on the embankment near the picnic tables.

Marbled White

Sunday 10 June 2018

Osprey at Brascote Pits

There has only been three previous accepted records of Osprey in the south-west Leicestershire area. Whilst at Brascote Pits today Adey Baker and I bumped into Colin Green. Whilst we were chatting we noticed the resident Oystercatchers were a bit agitated. We all noticed a Buzzard over the far pit and thought that was the cause of their angst and carried on talking. I then noticed a large raptor overhead and almost dismissed it as the Buzzard. Luckily I raised my bins and realised it was an Osprey and shouted Osprey! It circled around for a while with a Buzzard joining it.

Osprey, Brascote Pits, June 10th 2018


Brascote Pits is in bloom at present with lots of orchids. Southern Marsh, Common Spotted, Pyramidial and Bee Orchid plus lots of hybrid Common Spotted x Southern Marsh.

Southern Marsh Orchid


Bee Orchid

Southern Marsh x Common Spotted Orchids

Friday 8 June 2018

German Ringed Gull Improving With Age

Last weekend I saw a colour-ringed gull from the German mixed colonies. I first saw this bird as a juvenile back in 2017 when it didn't look good for a pure Caspian Gull. However, last week it looked a little better.


X735, June 2018

X735, September 2017