After too many years of watching butterfly numbers decline generally and at Woolston Eyes in particular, it’s been wonderful to see the resurgence in numbers during this lengthy, hot summer. A full census of No.1 bed produced 1,632 butterflies of 17 species, including a couple of surprises. The commoner species were in profusion. with the most numerous being: 402 Gatekeepers, 284 Meadow Browns, 261 Peacocks and 350 ‘whites’. Of the less common species there were good counts of 43 Common Blues and 79 skippers, out of which we managed to confirm 28 Essex Skippers and 31 Small Skippers. The first surprise cane with a Purple Hairstreak flitting in a small Oak tree, a species which breeds in small numbers in the Oaks on the south bank of No.3 bed, so maybe not that surprising. The highlight, though, came when a Clouded Yellow flew past me, across the arid, stony but flower rich open plain on the north side of No.1 bed. Six more quickly followed before Dan managed to grab a phone shot of another, which perched briefly. Clouded Yellows breed in North Africa and the Mediterranean basin and migrants regularly reach the south coast of England, where they can breed, but are much scarcer this far north. This species is famous for its occasional mass migrations, known as “Clouded Yellow years”, the last of which was in 2000, though I guess this is another. There were plenty of dragonflies, too, with highlights across beds 1 and 3 of: 1 Migrant Hawker, 4 Southern Hawkers and 30 Brown Hawkers. Photo of a Common Blue Cheers David Bowman (with Dan Owen)

Photo of a Reed Bunting Cheers David

Photo of a male Ruddy Darter Cheers David

Photo of an Emerald Damselfly Cheers David

On a steaming hot morning we took advantage of the weather by trying to make comprehensive counts of the butterflies and dragonflies on No.4 bed. Unfortunately, with both our warden posts being vacant till the beginning of August, many of the paths are currently too overgrown to use, so our counts covered less than half of the bed. We will, though, be bringing in an outside contractor to get the paths cleared in the next week or so. Nevertheless, we managed to find nearly 250 dragonflies and over 400 butterflies. Given the size of the Reserve it’s reasonable to assume that four-figure counts of both must be present across all four beds. Birds first though, with highlights of: 7 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Wigeon, 2 Marsh Harriers and at least 7 Black-necked Grebes.
Dragonflies included: 1 early Migrant Hawker, 1 Banded Demoiselle, 7 Brown Hawkers, 18 Emperors, 94 Black-tailed Skimmers, 32 Ruddy Darters, 60 Small Red-eyed Damselflies, 10 Emerald Damselflies and 20 Blue-tailed Damselflies. Butterfly totals were: an amazing 36 Essex Skippers, 10 Small Skippers, 5 unidentified skippers, 1 Brimstone, 48 Red Admirals, 68 Peacocks, 1 Painted Lady, 163 Gatekeepers, 16 Meadow Browns, 9 Ringlets, 14 Commas, 2 Large Whites, 40 unidentified whites, 10 Speckled Woods and 1 Small Tortoiseshell.
Photo of a Migrant Hawker Cheers David Bowman (with Dan Owen)

Photo of Barnacle Goose brood Cheers David

Photo of a Peacock Cheers David

Photo of a Small Copper Cheers David

Photo of a Small Copper Cheers David

It was pleasant but breezy this morning, with a couple of nice surprises. Firstly, our feral pair of Barnacle Geese. which had failed with a first nesting attempt, surprised us this week when they appeared on No.4 bed with a brood of two small young. Then, today, we almost certainly confirmed a second successful breeding pair of Marsh Harriers. The pair which breeds regularly at the eastern end of the Reserve already has three large young, which are close to fledging. So, we were pleased to see, in another part of the Reserve, a male conducting a food-pass to a female, which then took the food into a potential nest site. We hope to be able to confirm breeding by using an infra-red drone camera. Otherwise, there were a few waders moving, with one Green Sandpiper, 12 Black-tailed Godwits and a couple each of Snipe and Oystercatcher noted, along with a few dozen Swifts. While the breeze reduced the numbers of butterflies and dragonflies on the wing, there was still an excellent variety, with Essex Skipper and Small Copper being the highlights. Photo of an Essex Skipper Cheers David Bowman (with Dan Owen)