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Sunday 5 August 2018

Durlston Country Park 01-08-18

An afternoon visit in very hot conditions produced very little in the way of birds but I did find a Common Wall Lizard enjoying the unusually hot weather.












Several Species of Butterfly were also observed including Silver-washed Fritillary, Speckled Wood, Wall Brown and Brown Argus.








Friday 3 August 2018

North Troy Gravel Pit (AKA Helicon Lake) 22-06-18

Just to confuse matters this site has two names. For the purposes of Wetland Bird Survey Counts it is known as North Troy Gravel Pit but it's official name is Helicon Lake. Located just north of Troy Mill Lake the site is dissected by a narrow causeway and a small branch of the Grand Union Canal known as the Troy Cutting. It is here that barges were once loaded with gravel during the industrial era and horse drawn along the Grand Union Canal. Today it is much quieter and the cutting is narrow, it's banks fringed with aquatic vegetation. There is no public access to the lake as it is managed by a local angling society but views are obtained from the causeway.


A Eurasian Coot poses for me at the Troy Cutting while many insects busily fed on and amongst the aquatic vegetation.


Black and Yellow Longhorn Beetle feeding on Hogweed flower.


A male Emperor Dragonfly rests briefly on Reedmace.


I located this Harlequin Ladybird which is an invasive species that was first discovered in Britain in 2004. Since then it has rapidly spread and is now present throughout much of the British Isles.



A Comma Butterfly showing off the white marking on its under-wing from which it gets it's name.




Maple Lodge Nature Reserve 21-06-18

I'm a little behind on my reporting but hope to catch up sooner or later. A visit to Maple Lodge NR in June during the heat wave produced a few photographic opportunities.



From the Shell Hide both Great Cormorant and Great Crested Grebe were observed fishing successfully.





At the Long Hedge flower meadow dozens of Cinnabar Moth caterpillars were busily feeding on Ragwort while nearby a Marbled White butterfly put in a brief appearance.





Just as it said on the tin, Comma Corner produced this fresh individual feeding on Bramble flower.