Monday 11th. August 2014

On Saturday , with forecasts of destruction from the remains of 'Bertha' the following day , I set off to do the High Elms butterfly transect , in case nothing would be seen 'post Bertha' . Both species and overall numbers were down again , with just nine species being recorded , the best news being 22 Brown Argus and 46 Common Blue . With both species overwintering as caterpillars , I just hope that the offspring will have the chance to develop before the contractors come in and cut the meadows . The reader will remember that the cutting took place far too early and fiercely in my opinion last year , with the resultant poor numbers of first broods of both species . One can only hope ! 13

Silver-washed Fritillaries was pleasing , more than half being females , who are showing scale loss

and dullness in colour now , but still looking better than the males , especially this specimen . This damage would have been caused by aerial battles with rival males , but also , hopefully , whilst courting and mating . On Burnt Gorse , I found another , or the same , Sitochroa palealis , an unusual

moth for the area , and this time it was willing to pose out in the open , on it's larvae foodplant Wild Carrot . No White-letter Hairstreaks were recorded , but in the bottom glade whilst looking for them ,

came across a specimen of Forest Bug / Pentatoma rufipes , I hope I've got it right this time .
This morning I made a visit to a very windy Bough Beech Reservoir , finding the water level much lower again , and just for Warren , the hedge had been cut . Very little was on the water on the main reservoir , with most birds hauled up on the two points , or on the sheltered bank on the VC side . With the wind blowing straight down the reservoir , the more sheltered North Lake was a bit more populated . Canada , Greylag and two Egyptian Geese decided to depart shortly after I arrived , but I spotted a Tern seemingly resting on some now uncovered concrete . I thought it unusual at the time ,

but it wasn't till I got home and cropped the shot that it was an Artic Tern , possibly , or a Common Tern waiting for the black tip of it's bill to show ? No sign of the Greenshank today , but the Common Sandpipers were seen over the back of the North Lake , but the Green Sandpipers were more mobile ,

this one landing  close in . Keeping out of the wind amongst the vegetation on the concrete apron of

the lake were several moulting ducks and lots of Lapwing . The lower they hunkered down the more sheltered it was . The culvert that passes under the causeway is now visible and seemed a popular fishing spot for a family of Great Crested Grebe , the youngsters still wanting to be fed by the adults ,

but they were having none of it , ignoring the youngsters and sometimes administering the odd nip when they got out of hand . But the adult's way worked , as the youngsters started to catch small fish ,

then this one came up with the biggest one , swimming off with it before someone else snatched it .

All the noise attracted a Little Egret to the area , but the water in the culvert was too deep for it to join in the fishing . The whole time I was there , there was a constant stream of House and Sand Martins , Swallows and a single Swift , crossing the causeway and heading South down the main reservoir , so

I was surprised to find a pair of Swallows , the female on the nest , and the male standing guard , up

in the roof of the open barn at the VC . I would imagine it would be touch and go for a successful fledging for the pair .
And finally , whilst looking for the LE at New Hythe , I found several iridescent , purple beetle on the

Sedges around the lake . I tried to ID them but didn't get very far , so I asked the experts for their opinion . Two species were suggested , both very similar , Donacia marginata and Plateumaris sericea , and the former seems to be the popular favourite .