Linacre - 11th August 2026

 Today was my first visit to Linacre since the end of July (!). I was very pleased to meet a reader of this blog, in the car park. Hello to you. In all, I was on site for 2 and a half hours, and saw a few nice insects and birds.

First the waterbirds. Despite the low water levels on the bottom, and top reservoir, there were decent numbers of birds around. Mallard (81 - the highest count of the year, so far), Mandarin Duck (30), Tufted Duck (34), Great-crested Grebe (2 adults - no young this year), Grey Wagtail (1), Pied Wagtail (2), Lesser Black-backed Gull (10; 7 adults and 3 juveniles), Black-headed Gull (1 - a nice, early record), Coot (2 adults - no juveniles), Moorhen (3 adults - no juveniles), Cormorant (1), Grey Heron (2; 1 adult and 1 juvenile) and a single Common Sandpiper (2nd record of the year).

Common Sandpiper (heavily cropped)

Grey Heron (juvenile)

 Smaller birds seen were: Swallow (6), House Martin (5), Chiffchaff (1 singing, and others "wheeting", Song Thrush (1 juvenile), Stock Dove and 2 Common Buzzards.

Insects seen were: Painted Lady (3), Meadow Brown (2), Holly Blue (1), Common Blue Butterfly (1 male and 1 female, the first records of 2026), Red Admiral (1), Speckled Wood (1), Large White (2), Migrant Hawker (1), Brown Hawker (1), a Yellow Shell moth and a Grasshopper sp.

Holly Blue

Common Blue Butterfly (female)

Painted Lady

Field Grasshopper?

Bodnant Gardens - 27th July 2026

 On Monday, Jayne and I stopped off at the National Trust's Bodnant Gardens, on route to Anglesey.

We had a walk around the site, and noted a few nice butterflies, including two new for the year: Clouded Yellow and Common Blue Butterfly.

Clouded Yellow (over exposed!!!)

Common Blue Butterfly (female)

We also spotted 6+ Painted Ladies, Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers and Green-veined Whites.

Dragonflies were also seen, including Common Darter, Golden-ringed Dragonfly (both new for the year), Migrant Hawker, Emperor (2 males and a couple of ovipositing females), Common Blue and Azure Damselflies.

Emperor

RSPB Frampton Marsh - 31st May 2026

 Today, Jayne and I had a trip across to RSPB Frampton Marsh. We had a great walk around the reserve, adding three new species to the Year List, and were also, very pleased to see a lot of young birds running around the reserve and adults with beaks full of insects.

Firstly, the year ticks: Little Gull (167), a first summer bird seen flying over the Reedbed Lagoon, Corn Bunting (168; 1, possibly two singing birds) and Black-winged Stilt (169) - 1 of 2 birds present.

Black-winged Stilt

Other birds seen were: Green Woodpecker (1 seen by the carpark, Spoonbill (3), Cuckoo (1 heard), Mute Swan (a pair with 7 cygnets and another 12 non-breeding birds), Greylag, Egyptian and Canada Geese,  Mallard, Gadwall (adults and 1 brood of ducklings), Shoveler (adults and ducklings), Shelduck, Redshank, Avocet, Lapwing (all with young), Black-headed Gulls (chicks), Great-crested Grebe, Coot, Moorhen, Reed, Cetti's and Sedge Warblers, Linnet, Blue and Great Tits, Reed Bunting (carrying food) and  Yellow Wagtail (1 adult and 1 juvenile on the reserve, and 1 adult on the road in).

Reed Bunting

Lapwing

Gadwall and ducklings

Avocet and chick (1 of 3)

Insects seen were: Painted Lady (20+), Common Blue Butterfly, Large Skipper, Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly and Migrant Hawker (2). 2 Red-veined Darters had been reported on site yesterday. We saw a single red darter, but, annoyingly, we weren't able to see it face on, or get a photograph, before it flew off!!! The one that got away?

Painted Lady

Pleasley Pits - Butterflies and Dragonflies

Yesterday, in the 32 degree heat (!), I decided to have a drive over to Pleasley Pit to try and see my first dragonflies of the year and a few butterflies. 

The first species I saw was Small Blue. There weren't that many flying, but I did manage to see a few individuals and a mating pair. Other butterflies seen were: Common Blue (2 males), Brimstone (1 male) and a single Comma. One Burnet Companion and one Silver-ground Carpet (day-flying moths) was also seen.

Small Blue

Damselflies seen were: Common Blue, Blue-tailed, Large Red and Azure.  Two species of dragonfly: Four-spotted and Broad-bodied Chaser were also seen.

Four-spotted Chaser

Broad-bodied Chaser

Another new species for Linacre!

 I've had a couple of 2-hour visits to Linacre this week and managed to record lots of insects, including a new species!

The first walk, on 28th, with 3 of the volunteer rangers, resulted in the new species, a queen Median Wasp, that was seen, basking on the bracken next to the middle reservoir.

Median Wasp

Other insects seen on this walk were: Common Blue Damselfly, Common Dater (1 - the first of the year), Brown Hawker (1), Migrant Hawker (1), Peacock (1), Gatekeeper (6), Green-veined White (3), Speckled Wood (1), Large White (2), Small Copper (2), Ringlet (1), Comma (1), Meadow Brown (a minimum of 10), Common Blue Butterfly (2 males, in the field beyond the top reservoir).

Common Blue Butterfly

The second walk, yesterday, didn't bring any new species, but it did give several interesting sightings, including a female Wall Brown, an egg-laying female Common Blue Butterfly (in the ringing site), a minimum of 10 Red Admirals and lots of 7-spot Ladybirds. Other sightings were: another Common Darter (down by the ringing site), 1 Migrant Hawker, 1 Brown Hawker, 9 Green-veined White, 1 Large White, 4 Meadow Browns, 4 Commas, 3 Speckled Woods and 1 Holly Blue.

Holly Blue and 7-spot Ladybird

Two species of hoverfly were also recorded: Volucella pellucens (2nd record of the year) and Volucella inanis (1st record of 2025).

Volucella inanis

Warham Camp - 31st July 2023

 Jayne and I went across the Warham Camp this afternoon. It was overcast, and spitting with rain, but we still managed to see a few species of butterfly.

The key species was Chalkhill Blue, and we saw them straight away. Unfortunately, due to the weather, we only saw about half a dozen, and they kept down in the long grass. I eventually managed to get a few photos.

Chalkhill Blue

Other species seen were: Holly Blue (1), Common Blue (1), Essex Skipper (1), 6-spot Burnet (1),Yellow Shell (1), Wall Brown (1) and a single male Banded Demoiselle.

Wall Brown

There were only a few birds about: Red Kite (2), Marsh Harrier (2), Skylark (heard singing) and Yellowhammer (1 heard).

Linacre Insects - 3rd June 2022

 The sun came out on Friday afternoon, so I popped down to Linacre in the hope of seeing some insects.

The first ones I saw were Common Blue, Azure and Blue-tailed Damselflies. 

Common Blue Damselfly

Butterflies seen were: Small Copper (1), Meadow Brown (1), Common Blue (1), Comma (1), Green-veined White (1), Holly Blue (1), Large White (3) and Brimstone (1 male). 1 Nemophora degeerella was also seen.

Hoverflies were far and few between, but one Helophilus pendulus and 1 Volucella bombylans were seen.

Helophilus pendulus (and friend!)

Birds seen were: Mallard (83; 52 adults and 31 ducklings), Moorhen (18; 5 adults and 13 young), Coot (20; 6 adults and 9 young), Tufted Duck (17 adults), Mandarin Duck (29; 13 adults and16 ducklings), Grey Wagtail (3), Great-crested Grebe (7; 4 adults and 3 juveniles), Little Grebe (1 adult), Herring Gull (1 adult) and Lesser Black-backed Gull (9; 6 adults and 3 younger birds (not this year's juveniles). 

Linacre Insects and WeBS - 13th June 2021

This afternoon was warm and sunny with temperatures in the low 20s, so I decided to have a look around Linacre for some damselflies and other insects. 

By far the best species present was the Wall butterfly, with 2 females seen (records sent to County recorder).

Wall Brown

In addition, I also recorded 1 male Common Blue Butterfly, 1 Speckled Wood 1 Small Copper and 1 Green-veined White, along with dozens of Common Blue Damselflies. 

Common Blue Butterfly

I was on site on the 5th June too, and saw my first Volucella bombylans (hoverfly) of the year, and several Celypha lacunana (moths).

Birdwise, it's quite quiet, but today's WeBS count saw the following birds recorded: Mallard (39 adults and 20 juveniles), Mandarin (27 adults and 14 ducklings), Tufted Duck (12 adults), Moorhen (3 adults and 2 chicks), Coot (9 adults and 10 young), 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Pied Wagtail, 3 Great-crested Grebe (2 adults and 1 chick) and 1 sub-adult Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Mandarin with ducklings

Mallard with ducklings

Silver-washed Fritillary

In the last couple of years, I'd heard reports of Silver-washed Fritillary butterflies in Whitwell Woods, about half an hour away from my home. They are believed to be from an unofficial introduction. Today, I decided to pop across to see if I could see any.

The weather on arrival wasn't great, being grey and overcast, but thankfully, the sun came out for a bout five minutes, and I was able to see two different butterflies, a female and a male.

Silver-washed Fritillary (female)

Silver-washed Fritillary (male)

Other butterflies seen today were: Speckled Wood (1), Common Blue (1) and Ringlet (c.15).

Middleton Top - 13th June 2020

Since lockdown eased, Jayne and I have decided to go and visit some places that we've drived past for years, but have never actually stopped at. One such place is Middleton Top, near Wirksworth.

We parked up, and walked along the old railway line in the direction of Parsley Hay. As we walked along, we began to notice a profusion of bees, and it wasn't long before we spotted our first butterfly of the day, a pristine Small Tortoiseshell. In total, at least 12 were seen, possibly more, and were presumably, newly emerged. Along the walk, we also saw one Small Heath, one Small Skipper , 2 Chimney Sweepers (day-flying moth) and three Meadow Brown.

Chimney Sweeper

There were also many hoverflies, including a new species for me, Leucozona lucorum.

Leucozona lucorum

When we got back to the Visitors' Centre, we noticed a small nature reserve called Redhills Quarry, and had a short look around. The first thing Jayne spotted was a family of Redstarts flying around the bushes. In total, we saw 2 fledged family groups and 1 pair feeding young!

Redstart

We also had a couple of Common Blue Butterflies and, what I think is a Potter Wasp, possibly Ancistrocerus scoticus.

Lathkill Dale - 6th June 2020

Jayne and I went for a walk along Lathkill Dale today. The weather wasn't great, with strong winds and lots of cloud, but we did get a few spells of sunshine which brought out a few insects.

Birdwise, it was quite quiet, but we did manage to see and hear 4 Ravens (family party perhaps?), and, best of all, a pair of mating Spotted Flycatchers! Other birds seen were: Jackdaws, Crows, Blue and Great Tit, Mallards, Mute Swan (1 pair with 5 cygnets), Grey Heron, Swallow, Swift, House Martins (20+), Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Moorhen and Coot (2 broods).

A few insects were seen in the sunnier periods, including my first Chimney Sweeper moth of 2020, male and female Common Blue Butterflies, one Speckled Wood and a Volucella bombylans hoverfly.

Common Blue (male)

Common Blue (female)

Volucella bombylans (bumblebee mimic)

Seymour Ponds - 18th May 2020

On Monday, I visited a set of ponds called Markham Vale or Seymour Ponds in Staveley, Chesterfield. It was my first visit to this site, after spotting a Facebook post about the presence of Hairy Dragonflies there. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to spot any, but I did find an excellent site for dragonflies, damselflies and other insects.

1 of the 4 ponds on site

The first species spotted was Large Red Damselfly. This species was very common, with 30+ individuals seen, including many pairs "in tandem". Blue-tailed Damselflies were also present and mating, whilst 1 male Azure Damselfly was also seen.

Whilst on site, I spotted 2 species of dragonfly, namely Four-spotted Chaser and Broad-bodied Chaser. The "Four spots", at least 10 individuals, were all newly emerged and hanging around in the long grasses around the ponds. The Broad-bodied Chasers, 1 male and 1 female, were also newly emerged and also "warming up".

Four-spotted Chaser

Other insects seen included: Small Heath (very common, 30+), Peacock (1), Common Blue Butterfly (3+ males and at least 1 female), Mother Shipton moth (3 individuals), a Thick- or Swollen-thighed Beetle and a stunning Spiny Mason Wasp, Odynerus spinipes.

Mother Shipton moth

Swollen-thighed Beetle

Spiny Mason Wasp

I spoke to another photographer whilst there, and he mentioned there being Dingy Skippers and Brown Argus butterflies on site as well. I didn't see either species on my visit, but it will definitely be worth another trip here, later in the year, to try and catch up with them, along with some of the other summer-flying insects.

Bird wise it was quite quiet, but I did see and hear Reed and Sedge Warblers (year ticks), as well as Swifts (5), Swallows (1), Skylark, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Willow Warbler ( all heard singing) and Common Buzzard (1).

UPDATE: I returned to this site today (21st May) in much sunnier weather, and managed to spot 2 Hairy Dragonflies. LIFER!!! I got great views as they flew around two of the ponds, chasing the Four-spotted Chasers. Unfortunately no photos, as they never stood still, so here's a link to see what one looks like.

Linacre Insects

I spent a few hours at Linacre over the last few days and recorded the following insects: Southern Hawker (1), Brown Hawker (3, including 1 ovipositing female), Common Blue Damselfly (2 males) and Common Darter (2 tenerals on 30th - my first 2019 record).

Brown Hawker (female)

Common Darter

Butterflies seen were: Red Admiral (3), Painted Lady (1), Large White (1), Green-veined White (1), Common Blue Butterfly (2 males and 1 female), Wall Brown (1), Small Tortoiseshell (1), Peacock (2), Speckled Wood and Small Copper (3).

Small Copper

Herring Gull EPM

Jayne and I were in Llandudno over the weekend. Whilst there we spotted a Herring Gull with a colour ring, EPM. I recognised it straight away as a bird I'd seen there before, in December 2016 (see here for details and ringing and subsequent re sightings).

EPM

I sent the record off, and saw that it had now been reported on the sea front at Llandudno another 6 times since my sighting. All sightings range from September to April, with mine being the earliest "winter" record, so we still don't know if it breeds elsewhere, and winters in Llandudno. It is now  9 years and 255 days since it was ringed.

Whilst in North Wales, we visited the National Trust's Bodnant Gardens again, and saw Azure and Blue-tailed Damselflies, Common Darter (mating pairs) and several Southern Hawkers. Butterflies seen were: Painted Lady (10), Red Admiral, Peacock, Speckled Wood, Small Tortoiseshell and Common Blue.

Common Darter

Azure Damselflies