Prior to the Covid pandemic there were just four regularly occurring (ie non-vagrant) birds from what I term south-western Europe I had not recorded either there or elsewhere: Western Orphean Warbler, Western Olivaceous Warbler (both fairly recent species splits), Lammergeier (excluding the contentious 2020 touring individual nationally), and Red-knobbed (or Crested) Coot. The last named was a stand-out omission from the excellent tally I self-found through my solo ramblings on the Iberian peninsula in the first half of the previous decade, it being a quite scarce item.

At some time during August I received an email from the wildlife tour operator Greenwings, attempting to fill a late cancellation place on a holiday in the Valencia region of Spain. Looking through the itinerary I had already recorded almost all of the birds, butterflies and dragonflies on it. An exception was Red-knobbed Coot, of which a good number were cited as being resident at a major wetland reserve to the south-west of Alicante. Checking flights and accommodation they were affordable, so I elected to go and attempt to convert the long-time straggler by myself.

Reviving these solo expeditions is not a preferred option but it gets things done, is what I know and have managed quite effectively in the past. After three wildlife seasons without foreign travel I had been feeling stale working through mainly the same species lists over and again at home, and so now feel inclined to do more of this sort of thing once again. Hence the approach of midnight on 6th (Tue) saw me stepping off a delayed Ryanair from Luton at Alicante airport for a three-night stay in nearby Elche. My base was a cheap and cheerful, 3-star hotel on an industrial fringe of that city, and the planned itinerary allowed three full days birding before an evening departure on 9th (Fri).

The Parque Natural de El Hondo (El Fondo Natural Park) is now home to Europe’s most important cluster of Red-knobbed Coot, one of the continent’s rarest breeders. In 2021 the reserve held 30 – 35 individuals, representing the equivalent percentage of the total Spanish population of around 100 birds. A pre-trip unknown would be how difficult or not it might be to locate this must-see lifer. There are four visitor trails at El Fondo – yellow, green, blue (16km) and red (see below) – of which the last is open only by arrangement on Saturdays. The Greenwings group had visited on Saturday 3rd, so I hoped that was not out of necessity to view my own quest.

In the event I need not have been concerned since upon enquiring at the visitor centre on Wednesday morning (7th) I was informed some birds would be viewable along the nearest and shortest (yellow) trail. I could not have imagined how easy it was to connect with the several Red-knobbed Coot here, from and sometimes close to a raised boardwalk through a lagoon adjacent to the visitor centre. There were five breeding pairs at El Fondo in 2021 and I observed three in this one location today.

I remained here all day, walking the shorter yellow and green routes in temperatures in the low thirties. That seemed like a large area to me but the entire natural park is vast. The blue trail running south-east then east is 16 km long and is intended to be a cycling not walking route. By the afternoon I had the place more or less to myself and making several passes of the boardwalk kept encountering the Coots in roughly the same places. On seeing my approach they would often move away but with care I was able to get close enough from time to time to gain the images in this post.

One pair was involved in active nest building (pictured above, top) and I observed a small chick (centre) as well as juveniles (bottom) of various sizes. A particular individual was wearing a somewhat disfiguring collar bearing the letter 05 (below), indicating it was a captive-bred bird that has been released into this group. By comparison with regular Eurasian Coot, RNC has a blue-tinged bill as well as the very distinctive red nodules on the brow. The latter are said to shrink rapidly and become much more difficult to distinguish at distance post-breeding, and I was surprised by how large and prominent the feature appeared today.

There is a rounded not pointed edging to the border between the black feathering and white facial shield in front of the eye (above right), and the wings are pure black without a white rear edge in flight. Red-knobbed is slightly bulkier than Eurasian with longer wings and neck, and is less inclined to keep its head upright, nodding as it moves. The call is also quite different and to me rather resembled the ooo .. ooo .. ooo of a Chimpanzee. This could often be heard when the birds were not actually visible.

RNC has a fragmented global distribution, with the main population in eastern and southern Africa. The much smaller, isolated contingent in the western Mediterranean decreased significantly through the twentieth century. The larger proportion of that is in northern Morocco where the species is locally uncommon and in decline. The Spanish population is classed as endangered, being impacted by territorial reduction of wetlands, invasive competitors and hunting.

The species became extinct in the Region of Valencia in the 1950s and since 1998 has been the subject of a re-introduction scheme developed by the Generalitat Valenciana and the European Union. Four birds were released in 2019 and a further three during the Covid confinement period, all fitted with white PVC collars with black letters such as I observed.

El Fondo Natural Park is formed by a number of lagoons fed by the River Segura and other water courses. Two large reservoirs are man-made with surface areas of 450 and 650 hectares respectively. Constructed in the 1920s prior to which the area had been drained for agriculture, these water bodies are mostly hidden behind extensive reed beds and other marsh vegetation, and surrounded by a complex of ponds and salt marshes all of which constitute a highly bio-diverse landscape. Huge numbers of water birds are resident, amongst which the most noticeable are perhaps Greater Flamingo, Egrets and Herons, Glossy Ibis, wildfowl and waders.

As I lingered alone on 7th without disturbance from other visitors I became aware of several Purple Gallinule on the same lagoon as the Coots. The former were very skittish, mostly heading for cover as soon as they noticed traffic on the boardwalk even quite distantly, and sometimes appearing to run over the water’s surface in a quite comical manner. Their range of calls like squealing pigs would issue from the pond margins when the birds themselves were not visible, blending in the soundscape with the previously mentioned ape-like utterances of the Coots. The park held 18 breeding pairs of PG in 2021.

El Fondo is also home to nationally important clusters of Marbled Duck for which it is the only breeding site on the Iberian peninsula, and White-headed Duck. I encountered each species just once during my three day visit, both on the lagoons nearest to the visitor centre. At the far end of the blue route in the south of the reserve are three hides from which I was advised are the best chances of seeing WHD. I spent some time there on both 8th and 9th but without success. The bird I did observe briefly was an adult winter male.

There is an immense amount of concealed and inaccessible habitat at El Fondo in which those rare breeding wildfowl might need to be located. But my first foreign travel in almost three years, at what became a momentous time at home, left me in no doubt that this is THE place in Europe and the Western Palearctic in which to experience Red-knobbed Coot.

Being just 40 miles from home this seemed worth doing today. I had seen the Nearctic wader in question just once before, a little distantly at Bournemouth’s Longham Lakes in Sep 2012, so it hasn’t featured in this journal until now. My recollections of that occasion are vague, so having been told the new bird was easier to view I went to take a look.

White-rumped Sandpiper is one of the more regular Nearctic vagrants of its group to occur in the British Isles, with several records through each autumn passage. In July 2022 there had been sightings at Snettisham and Titchwell in Norfolk, Lodmoor in Dorset and three Scottish sites prior to a quite confiding individual turning up on the Berks / Bucks border during Thursday (21st). This wader breeds on the Arctic tundra from June to August, and return migration to the estuaries of southern South America spans July to early December with juveniles going last.

By comparison with what I regard as my default small wader Dunlin, White-rumped and the similar Baird’s Sandpipers are a little smaller. The two share a slimmer, longer-bodied and shorter-legged profile with remarkably long primary projections; the last-named feature meaning the wing-tips extend beyond the tail. After the white upper tail of its name, White-rumped’s other stand-out diagnostic is cited as a distinct whitish supercilium (eye stripe), while adults such as today’s bird display rusty tones to the head and upperparts. A weakish wing bar is apparent in flight. The graphic below presents full plumage topography for all three waders mentioned in this paragraph.

I arrived at the flat and featureless Dorney Common (SU942789) at 9:20am to find a dozen or more birders watching my quest, and was put onto it straight away. I had been here twice previously to log my second Pectoral Sandpiper (Sep 2012) and a Spotted Crake (Sep 2018 – see here), both of which had been quite difficult to view on an adjacent wetland.

The White-rumped Sandpiper was showing really well on a shallow flash in the common’s north-east corner (pictured below) that was populated by gulls, geese and just three transient waders. That feature still seemed remarkably muddy and watery in its scorched surroundings considering this past week’s exceptionally hot weather in which Great Britain had recorded temperatures of 40 deg C for the first time ever.

By comparison with my experience in Bournemouth almost 10 years ago, today was far more instructive as the bird was near enough for all the diagnostic features to be plain to discern. It also remained in close proximity with a plump and much darker-toned Dunlin for much of the time (pictured below). Its feeding action was generally quite brisk, though at times it appeared to move more inconspicuously. Using my digiscoping attachment I was also able to obtain the poor quality pictorial records of this post.

So my hour on-site here imparted a complete education in identifying WRS. As with last year’s Western Sandpiper (see here) and Long-toed Stint (see here) this had been another exercise in witnessing just how distinct these vagrant “peeps” are from one another on profile and jizz if only they are observed well enough. With the cost of petrol and health issues having impacted my birding so far this year, the twitchette of this post has been a very welcome diversion. This post’s featured bird departed overnight.

This was the only one of the three prime odo trip targets to be converted. Having previously recorded every native English damselfly, with the exception of Sandwich Bay’s Dainty colony, I now needed Scotland’s one further species to expand that list to Great Britain.

Our guide’s chosen site was the Rothiemurchus Estate (NH895093) where there are a number of lochans. By contrast with the Common Blue Damselflies they associate with, our quest stands out by flying weakly and low down in long grass at the water’s edge, and rarely over large expanses of open water. We were led to such an overgrown location where several pairs of Northern Damselfly were located.

This is one of the scarcest British damselflies, occurring only at around 26 established sites in Scotland where they require quite a precise micro-habitat. Adults are nowhere abundant and there are few locations in which more than 100 have been observed at one time. Breeding waters tend to be shallow to 60cm and sheltered by dense stands of tall sedges.

Emergence takes place in mid-May, after which immatures may disperse for several hundred metres before returning to the breeding site in early June. Males then perch a short distance apart in low vegetation near the water’s edge to await females to mate with. The flight season lasts until early August.

The diagnostics of this damselfly were mostly plain to discern in the several tandem pairs and individuals that we observed at this site today:

• The underside of the eyes and face are noticeably bright green in both genders
• The blue and dark brown males have a spear-shaped marking on abdominal segments 1 and 2 that rather stands out. The standard international name for this damselfly is Spearhead Bluet.
• When examined closely males also exhibit two short black lines on each side of the thorax, compared to a single line in Common Blue Damselfly
• In side view the paler parts of females are pea-green, unlike related species

Trip Conclusions

The morning of this and the previous post was the only suitable weather window for insects in the first five days of the week to 30th. In wanting some kind of holiday this year I took a chance on Scottish weather and the gamble largely failed. I would not pre-book wildlife travel to Scotland again.

On 1st July we visited Loch Bran (NH506192) where a few fly-by Northern Emerald were seen by some of the group, including one by myself. That dragonfly is characterised by a fast and direct flight and one went right by me as pointed out by our guides. Given my previous experience with Downy and Brilliant Emerald I feel sure this trip target must be another very difficult subject, requiring possibly days of fieldwork to observe well and capture pictorially. So I may need to content myself with this fly-by tick.

If I re-attempt Azure Hawker in the future it would have to be on the spur of the moment in response to a particularly fair weather forecast, if suitable flights and accommodation are available and whatever the logistics of all that might be. And the same applies to the two butterflies, Chequered Skipper and Mountain Ringlet.

Ultimately this half-baked trip will be remembered for the wildlife it did produce, principally mammals while the northern insects will have to wait who knows when for another day.

This is a butterfly I have not presented previously in this journal. I had only recorded it once before, in the Cumbrian Pennines in July 2018. Those were worn and faded specimens and I gained only poor quality record shots to support the sightings. Our first day of this trip (26th) set the tone for the week ahead in being a total write-off in Odonata terms. We visited superb habitat but found nothing in the prevailing cool, overcast and damp weather conditions. Nobody could find a better forecast for the rest of the trip, and by the end of Sunday my spirits were low.

On Monday we headed further afield to the Cairngorms National Park where conditions were predicted to be more insect friendly until around 2pm. When our guide announced we were stopping for a break to observe Northern Brown Argus my interest level rose. The site was Craig Dubh (NN673957), a steep hillside rising above one side of the road.

Two butterflies were soon located, then the group carried on up the incline to look for Fritillaries. “Yes, I’ll have some of this,” I thought as I was left alone with a subject I very much wanted to capture pictorially. I was now in my element and at once down on my hands and knees performing contortions on the ground.

I am very pleased with these images that show perfectly this northern replacement of the regular and familiar Brown Argus’ diagnostic white upper wing dots. These butterflies were beautifully fresh and not having warmed up for the day were keeping quite still. That was a complete contrast to my 2018 experience.

When I eventually re-joined the group one each of Small Pearl-bordered and Dark Green Fritillary had been located here. Then on the way back down the hillside probably the same two NBA were re-found perched up in the long grass, and acceptable under-wing studies were duly gained. This had been a good start to day two.

Northern Brown Argus and Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary today

Northern Brown Argus is described (per Thomas and Lewington) as a locally common though declining species that occurs in scattered colonies. It is found on warm, sheltered northern hill and mountainsides, mainly on limestone and alkaline soils. Typical sites are well-drained, unfertilised grassland with patches of bare ground, abundant Rock Rose plants and an uneven lightly grazed sward. Numerous populations have been lost in recent years due to fertilisation or intensive stocking of such grasslands.

The butterfly was first discovered in Edinburgh at the end of the 18th century and was originally named rather unimaginatively the “Brown Whitespot”. But it resembled the Brown Argus in most respects and for the next 170 years there was much debate as to whether the two were distinct or sub-species. The picture was further confused by most northern English populations, such as those I observed in Cumbria, lacking the white upper wing spot. Those butterflies (known as salmacis – pictured below) have more clearly spotted underwings and more closely resemble continental European NBA.

Northern English form of NBA in Cumbria, 2018

NBA, in common with the most northerly populations of Brown Argus, produces just one generation each season while southern English Brown Argus are invariably double-brooded. Adult NBA are on the wing from June until mid-August, peaking in the first half of July. Most colonies are small, containing no more than 200 adults. NBA is also highly sedentary with individuals moving no more than 20 to 30 metres through their life cycle.

The principal areas for NBA in Great Britain are Scotland, especially the south and east; north Lancashire and Cumbria in north-west England, plus a remnant population in County Durham. I was very pleased of the opportunity to make an adequate study of this species today and in the absence of Chequered Skipper and Mountain Ringlet this was the butterfly highlight of the trip.

For my first holiday in three years I chose a week’s itinerary in the Scottish Highlands run by Glenloy Wildlife. Such group tours are not my natural habitat but with the potential for 10 lifers across odonata, butterflies and mammals, plus two British bird list additions, this was a case of needs must. I would be unlikely to observe that wildlife going solo.

The prime focus was intended to be the northern odonata – Azure Hawker, Northern Emerald and Northern Damselfly. Proper Scottish Chequered Skipper if any were still flying, and Mountain Ringlet given the right weather conditions, were also possibilities. Where birds were concerned I was pleased to add Golden Eagle (376) to my British list though we were not lucky with Crested Tit.

In the event the most successful area was mammals, with my first experiences of Pine Marten, Red Squirrel, Otter, Red Deer and Sika Deer all gained; and good observations of Common Seal and Dolphin. Of those the first two are resident in the grounds of Glenloy Lodge (NN118778) which is run by Jon and Angela Mercer. Each evening food is put out for the Pine Martens, while the Red Squirrels come to bird feeders through the day.

Pine Marten occurs widely across most of continental Europe, Andalucia, the Caucuses and parts of the middle east. Generalist predators, they have territories that vary in size according to habitat and food availability. Their dens may be found in hollow trees or the fallen root masses of Scots pines. In the British Isles most of the population is confined to the Scottish Highlands north of the central belt as well as the Grampians, preferring well-wooded areas with plenty of cover. Though they have increased their range in recent decades this remains one of the rarest British mammals and I would not expect to observe them other than in situations where they are attracted by man-made feeding opportunities.

These animals become active hunting and foraging at dusk, and at Glenloy Lodge usually appear from around 8:30pm onwards. There is a sun lounge on the front of the building outside which the Pine Martens’ food is laid out and each evening through my stay a female and two juveniles put on a show for the paying guests. I also saw the resident male once on the squirrels’ nut feeders in the morning. These (below) are the best of my pictorial records, captured through the double glazing of the sun lounge, some of which depict a juvenile … Aaaaw!

The early shift in the mornings was manned by the Red Squirrels that on some days I watched before breakfast. Ever since childhood I have read of how this native British mammal has been negatively impacted by the introduced north American Grey Squirrel, a story that has not changed too much in all those years. Now I was experiencing the fabled national original for the first time.

Red Squirrels occur across the Taiga zone of northern Europe and Siberia in coniferous woodlands, favouring Scots and Siberian Pine and Norway Spruce. They also inhabit broad-leaved woods in western and southern Europe where the mixture of tree and shrub species can provide better year-round food sources. But they have long been driven out of this habitat in the British Isles by the larger and more competitive Grey Squirrel that exploits the feeding opportunities to its own advantage.

Red numbers are said to have stabilised in Scotland, where 85 per cent of the British population of around 287,000 is now found. Increased Pine Marten numbers actually help the situation since the latter predate and hence help to control Grey Squirrels. Reds could actually live in most rural, suburban and even some urban habitats as long as there is no threat from greys. So conservation management in locations where reds have been re-introduced must keep the two species apart as they cannot live together long term. Such work is essential if the Red Squirrel is not to become extinct in the British Isles.

Red (left) and Sika Deer

Driving around rather too much in the tour minibus, in the absence of fieldwork opportunities for odonata, native Red Deer and introduced Sika were encountered fairly regularly. Red Deer is the largest British land mammal, widely distributed and expanding in range and number, and native stock is common in the Scottish Highlands. The distribution of Sika Deer too in Scotland is widespread and expanding. Their preferred habitat is coniferous woodland and heaths on acid soils.

Sika were first introduced from the far east and especially Japan in the 1860s. They are similar in coat colour to Fallow Deer with a distinctive black and white rump, and there is often a dark-coloured dorsal stripe running the length of the back. Populations of both these featured deer species require careful management to maintain health and quality and ensure a sustainable balance with their environment.

Surprising as it may seem it has also taken me this long to experience my first Otters, as well as the scarcer mammals that headline this post. A probable family group of four were encountered on Loch Linnhie to the south-west of Fort William on 28th. Lastly there were Common Seal in the same area then from a boat trip from Arisaig on 30th. After my superb experience of the Atlantic Grey Seal breeding colony at Donna Nook, Lincs in November 2019 (see here) it was now very pleasing to follow suit with these smaller, scarcer cousins.

Common Seal (pictured above) feed at sea but regularly haul out on to rocky shores or inter-tidal sandbanks around the coast of Scotland to rest or to give birth and suckle single pups in June or July each year. Pups are very well developed at birth and can swim and dive when just a few hours old. This enables Common Seals to breed in estuaries where sand-banks are exposed for only part of the day. Mothers feed their young with an extremely rich milk and pups grow rapidly, doubling their birth weight during the three or four weeks that they suckle. The above images are from Lock Nan Ceall just out of Arisaig on the boat trip.

This is a further piece of welcome evolution in my current pared down and disrupted wildlife summer of 2022. After becoming a little intrigued by the broader wildlife potential of the Lye Valley when Common Frogs were spawning back in February (see here), I resolved to assess it for Odonata in season and with particular emphasis on one species, Keeled Skimmer.

In September of last year news broke on the thriving Oxon Dragonflies blog administered by our county recorder, confirming that breeding had occurred at the Headington site (SP546057) in both 2020 and 2021 (see here). The significance was this represented a notable county range expansion from KS’ historic Oxon stronghold of Cothill Fen to the west of the city. That was logical since both locations comprise remnant and nationally scarce alkaline fen habitat.

Keeled Skimmer (pictured above) is locally common in acid, boggy peat regions of south and south-west Britain, as well as similar localities in northern England and Scotland. It is a small, darter like dragonfly with a distinctive slender, tapering abdomen displaying a pale blue pruinescence in mature males. These establish small territories of which there may typically be around 15 in a 100 metre stretch of habitat. The flight season lasts from early June to late August.

After two days at home this sunny week, catching up on immediate chores following a week and a half away, I opted to test my fitness with a little local wildlife outing. The season’s first KS records had been published from the Cothill Fen complex, and I wanted to check things out for myself at the new site. Hence mid-morning found me taking things steadily along the boardwalk out to the area of LVNR that is known as “The Ponds”.

Before long up to 10 powder blue dragonflies became readily apparent mooching around the fen habitat. But I was perhaps a little early in the day to observe females that usually approach the male territories around midday. I had paid no attention to odonata other than Clubtails so far this season, and given recent distractions needed to re-acquaint myself with the diagnostics of both my day’s quest and the larger, heavier Black-tailed Skimmer to confirm the ID.

Returning home with record shots in the can I discerned yellow pterostigma (wing tags), wings held forward over the head, and the correct number of segments with no black tail or yellow edges to the abdomen. I had indeed recorded Keeled Skimmer in a different and evolved Oxon location, so mission had been accomplished. These were the only dragonflies encountered here today. For myself, I suffered no ill effects from the little excursion and in general have felt stronger each day in what is a period of convalescence.

When Tuesday 7th dawned with unexpected sunshine the next item on my local butterfly agenda beckoned quite clearly. And so I set out for a year’s first attempt for the Oxon / Bucks seasonal jewel that is Black Hairstreak. My choice of location as in the past two years was Bernwood Meadows (SP608109) on the border between those two counties.

Arriving around 9:30am at the 7.5 hectare, BBOWT-managed traditional hay meadow, it’s expanses of more than 100 wild plant species stretched out before me in all their beauty. It was an uplifting sight as for a week and a half I had been laid low by what I assumed to be a viral condition, though not Covid as I tested negative. This kept me in a state of daily exhaustion, with aching limbs and much more marked than usual asthma. But I still need to get out and do something each day and was not going to stand up this opportunity.

Walking out slowly to test my “fitness” towards the hotspot I usually check for today’s quest the meadows seemed very quiet for butterflies, and all I noted were one each of Small Heath, Common Blue and Small Copper. Then another butterfly almost flopped into the grass to one side of me, a very pristine Black Hairstreak (pictured above). I assume this was newly emerged by its appearance and because once it assumed the pose in the images herein it kept very still for a while. I was thus afforded a first ever opportunity to gain pictorial records of this more usually hyperactive species at ground level.

Eventually my subject flew away, having provided ample reward for my perseverance in locating it today. This was a third evolved item for the season on my 2022 BC UTB agenda, following those with Duke of Burgundy (see here) and Wood White (previous post), and just as pleasing as those earlier two. After around an hour on site and as the day became warmer, things were becoming more lively in terms of both butterflies and a variety of odonata, but I didn’t have the energy to check it all out.

This Black Hairstreak showed itself just in time, because the following evening I was hospitalised for the first time ever. After two nights in emergency assessment I landed on Friday morning (9th) at the most excellent Osler Respiratory Unit in Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital. That is an elite facility, caring for just 24 patients each in individual en-suite rooms, and the care I received was fantastic. I have been diagnosed with an auto-immune / blood disorder called EGP Vasculitis, which fits with my history of chronic mild asthma and allergies. I was discharged on 19th and will remain an outpatient.

There is now very little I can add in this journal to on-line published information on the Black Hairstreak butterfly. But for those new to observing the species, who might have accessed this post via a web search, the following references from past years may hopefully offer some entertaining and informative detail.

A celebration of the Black Hairstreak – June 2017 – 146 views

Four Hairstreak butterflies at home and abroad – June 2018 – 144 views

The first precious jewels of summer – May 2020 – 70 views

This is the only planned national butterfly item on my stripped-down 2022 wildlife agenda, affording as it does the opportunity to observe one of the remaining two British species I had yet to record, Mountain Ringlet and Chequered Skipper. The second butterfly was on my to do list in 2020, when flights from Luton to Inverness cost rather less than they do now.

Whilst experiencing truly-kosher CS in Scotland remains an ambition, I decided to tolerate the insurance measure of taking in the re-introduced colony near Corby, Northants. The hitherto closely guarded location was announced earlier this year, and guided walks commenced on 14th May, so today being a suitable weather window I went to take a look.

If I might sound less than enthused it is because I distrust re-introduction sites and dislike the social media-generated circuses they so often entail. But a regular wildlife colleague who is not bothered by such things had preceded me here last weekend and was not inconvenienced too much. They clearly went at the right time because today was quite hectic, exactly as I expected

I arrived on-site at the Forestry Commission Fineshade Wood complex (NN17 3BB – SP 981983 – see here) just before midday and after the guided walk had begun. Weather conditions were sunny but with a strong, cool breeze. Enquirers at the visitor centre were directed to a 5km running route (brown waymarks) that starts on the far side of the car park and leads into the prime CS area of Westhay Wood. After a while the shorter cut brambly habitat along this trail on either side began to assume a promisingly managed look. Then myself and two companions began to enquire of butterfly observers walking the other way.

All told of a hotspot further ahead where up to four Chequered Skipper were active. As we drew closer it became obvious where that location was and what ensued was no more nor less than I had anticipated. Around a dozen people, all with cameras were in place with lenses trained on a sheltered bank of brambles containing our collective quest. As each new person arrived they went straight in, which is only to be expected. There was no pushing and shoving but I myself am invariably far too polite on these more usually avoided occasions.

A couple of times I put myself forward and getting to the front gained the acceptable underwing studies of this post. The likelihood of a decent top-wing image in the prevailing ambience seemed slight. Enquiring of passing BC volunteer surveyors I learned this has been the prime CS hotspot of the season so far. One who had led the morning’s 30-strong guided walk said six individuals had been recorded during it, four of which were at this spot plus two singletons at some distance.

That to me sounded like small needles in very large haystacks if I elected to walk the entire 6km trail, and so I called things quits. BC and the Forestry Commission warn that only a small number of connects are likely at this early stage of their project. There is a huge amount of habitat here in which the expanding butterfly population could be concealed and visitors are under strict instruction not to walk away from hard paths.

Chequered Skipper had become extinct in England in 1976 and the Rockingham Forest complex of which Fineshade / Westhay Woods are part was a former stronghold. Following much work by Butterfly Conservation, Forestry England and other landowners to restore suitable habitat, re-introduction of stock collected from a thriving Belgian population began in 2018 (see here). Breeding success was confirmed in May the following year since when there have been further re-introductions to boost the evolving colony.

In England, the butterfly was historically found in a band of wet woodlands and associated limestone grassland from Oxfordshire to Cambridgeshire and into Lincolnshire. By the 1950s it had become restricted to Rockingham Forest and some sites in Lincolnshire. Then as with other habitat specialists the late 20th century decline in coppicing and management of open rides, in tandem with proliferation of conifer plantations led to the CS’s demise.

Chequered Skipper thrives in open, sunny areas within or on the edges of woodland. The “Back From the Brink” project here enabled parts of the former stronghold to be restored to ideal conditions over four years with an initial 7km of long, sunny rides created and 23ha of vegetation managed to deliver the required network of habitats. A planned second phase, running to March 2023 will extend habitat improvements into other areas of Rockingham Forest and establish further CS populations.

Adult CS are around 30mm in size with a fast erratic flight pattern. At today’s site eggs are laid on Wood Small-reed and False-brome, though a range of other grasses may be used as in continental Europe. Larvae emerge after around three weeks and like other Skippers at first thread the edges of grass blades around themselves to form a protective tube. After moving on to other plants to feed and grow they eventually hibernate through the winter to re-emerge in April.

Public interest in the project is expected to be great since over the previous 40 years it was necessary to travel to the Scottish Highlands to try to see this butterfly. Tales abound of people working the national list who made that effort for little or no reward. Having now converted this tiny, difficult species myself I wonder if going all that way specially would have been worth it after all. I would not say today was enjoyable but the bottom line is I have Chequered Skipper on my own British list, and there is only one more species, Mountain Ringlet to go.

My route today enabled me to make my Wood White observations for this season in two places. On the way out I stopped for leg stretching exercise at my regular Bucknell Wood location (see here and here) near Silverstone, logging five individuals. Then on the return journey I made a personal first visit to Wicken Wood on the Bucks / Northants border. Since this butterfly died out in it’s last Oxon stronghold of Whitecross Green Wood in the early years of the last decade, records have issued almost annually from this other ancient woodland to the immediate west of Milton Keynes.

If successful today it would be my first ever BC UTB record of the species, which would be further welcome evolution after first ever Oxon Duke of Burgundy recently (see here). A large part of the Wicken / Leckhampstead Wood complex is also private but I presume the BC species champion and transect walkers have access to that key site. So I wanted to find out whether Wood White were observable along the publicly accessible trail that runs north to south through the woodland.

Parking in the late afternoon at SP730412, I rather pushed the now necessary leg stretching regime to the extreme by walking the entire length of the trail out then back. Within around 500 metres of the northern entrance gate I eventually came across two flying Wood White at around 5:30pm, but was unable to obtain pictures so those in this post come from Bucknell Wood. Not knowing exactly where the county border passes through the second woodland I cannot say on which side my sightings were, but I’m counting them as my first UTB records anyway.

My attention was caught earlier this week by a report of hundreds of Small Blue butterflies at a site on the South Oxon Downs. And what made that record all the more alluring was the mention of several Duke of Burgundy at the same place. I recalled being told several years ago of a Duke colony in the vicinity by a mysterious and enigmatic downs-man of local repute who is known by the epithet of “The Keeper”. But the location (as was his wont) had not been forthcoming. Now maybe word was out, at least for myself.

My local butterflying so far this season has been concentrated at Watlington Hill on the Chilterns escarpment, with spring specialities Green Hairstreak, Dingy and Grizzled Skipper, Brown Argus and Common Blue all recorded. But I’m not sure whether Small Blue occurs at that adopted patch, and Duke of Burgundy certainly doesn’t. The popular site of choice for the latter this season seems to have been Incombe Hole (see here) in north Bucks, which hence was bound to be a circus that my current petrol-saving mode gave a second reason to avoid. Now, today’s previously unvisited alternative offered an evolved experience, such as I seek for each of the title butterflies of this post.

So this morning I went to check things out. Parking at the roadside and walking along a right of way I quickly noticed large numbers of Small Blue in the trackside vegetation. Then, as soon as I found Cowslips I beheld a first Duke of Burgundy, though it was quite a worn specimen. Shortly afterwards the female in the picture (above) announced herself, and that was job done. This much sought species is reaching the end of its flight season now, but I had recorded it rather agreeably for another season.

I believe this is a remnant and fragile colony of Dukes and so will not publish the precise location herein. The BC Upper Thames Branch Atlas of Butterflies, published in 2016 cited just three remaining colonies on Lambourn Downs, of which one is private and specially managed for the species. Elsewhere in the survey region, DoB is restricted to a strong population at the Ivinghoe Beacon / Incombe Hole complex of north Bucks, and a smaller one at Bradenham in the same county. The only other recorded Oxon colony of living memory at Aston Upthorpe Downs near Cholsey and Blewbury has long been extinct.

All along the track a profusion of Small Blue (pictured above) continued, the most I have ever seen in one place. Brooks and Lewington describes such large occurrences of this most diminutive of British butterflies as few and far between, with the vast majority of colonies containing no more than 30 adults. These typically breed for many generations in very sheltered downland conditions where the soil is thin and unstable and the plant cover sparse and warm. Embankments, old quarries and dunes are all favoured habitats.

Emergence usually begins in mid-May with numbers peaking around three weeks later. A few may linger into July, almost overlapping with a small second brood. Adults are highly colonial, often being confined to no more than 200 sq m of land supporting perhaps two dozen Kidney Vetch food plants. As I saw today, males gather in sheltered, sunny hollows at the foot of slopes, perching for most of the day with wings half open 30 – 120cm above the ground and spaced 1 – 2 metres apart. Females visit these perching sites to be mated and thereafter avoid them.

Today’s experience afforded the opportunity to witness most of this behaviour, but not mating. In the past I have concentrated my Small Blue attentions in Oxfordshire mostly to the Ridgeway above the Devil’s Punchbowl near Wantage, Lowbury Hill above Aston Upthorpe that is now plagued by off-road motor cyclists, Lardon Chase above Streatley, and Hagbourne Railway Embankment. Today’s encounter with what is one of my favourite British butterflies was by far the most instructive and rewarding to date.

The Duke of Burgundy posts in this journal from different out of county sites have been well referred to over the last eight seasons, reflecting the enduring popularity of a much-sought item amongst British butterfly enthusiasts. For archive detail on the species see:

Duke of Burgundy at Incombe Hole, Bucks – 27 & 30th Apr 2021 – 178 views

Pearl-bordered Fritillary, DoB et al at West Wood Hants – 20th & 21st May 2019 – 356 views

Marsh Fritillary, DoB et al at Battlesbury Hill, Wilts – 19th May 2018 – 879 views

DoB @ Heyshott Down, Sussex and Noar Hill, Hants – 8 & 10th May 2018 – 110 views

Duke of Burgundy at Noar Hill, Hants and Butser Hill Sussex – 4 & 5th May 2018 – 192 views

Duke of Burgundy at Noar Hill, Hants – 20th April 2015 – 313 views

This all began back in the first lockdown of spring 2020. With local wildlife enthusiasts being limited to walking from home, an unprecedented number of Common Clubtail were recorded along the River Thames in Oxfordshire. These included at least eight sightings in Cholsey by a regular patch worker Alan Dawson. When Covid restrictions were lifted the emergence season for what is an iconic and especially sought dragonfly in Great Britain had passed. But my appetite had been whetted for an alternative Clubtail experience from the perennially frustrating classic sites of Goring and Pangbourne further downstream.

Cue more of the same. A year ago I visited BBOWT’s Cholsey Marsh reserve a number of times and guided by Alan learned where the hotspots were, but without success myself. After another patch regular alerted me twice to Clubtails he had found, then when I reached those spots they had flown I became disheartened and lost interest. This is a notoriously difficult dragonfly to connect with, since the opportunity usually occurs only in the brief “drying off” interval between their riverside emergence from the larval nympth and onward flight to the nearest suitable canopy. Once gone they’re gone, as discount supermarkets like to say.

I had played out that patient but unrewarding scenario time and again at Goring and Pangbourne, and the negativity so induced was heightened by some of the emergences I witnessed being deformed or failed. Indeed I only ever recorded two healthy specimens, one in each location (see here and here). Now, going into 2022 with a much-reduced insect agenda, converting the Cholsey site for Clubtails has been an early goal.

My first visit this season was three days ago on 9th May. Despite mingling on site with patch royalty in the personae of Alan, Ian Lewington and Geoff Wyatt I was once more unsuccessful. Alan had seen one before I arrived and Geoff saw two after I left, but none of those Clubtails were perched. So the objective on my second visit today (12th) was to gain what would be only the third pictorial record for the site this season. The other two were by Alan (see here) and Lew (below) on 5th.

Cholsey Marsh is a scarce remaining example of the kind of riverside marsh that was once common prior to large-scale drainage of such habitat for agriculture. The wet reed and sedge beds here – punctuated with patches of grassland, willow scrub and ponds – are home to a rich spectrum of plants, invertebrates and birds amongst which the very localised Common Clubtail (Gomphus vulgatissimus) is a site speciality.

The larval stage of these insects is thought to last for between three to five years. The nympths require silt in which to burrow, and so the species is restricted to slow flowing or meandering river systems with sufficient deposits. Another requirement is bankside tree cover for adults, as at Cholsey Marsh, Goring and Pangbourne. Emergence on the Thames starts in early May, beginning around 8am to peak in the early afternoon, and most of the population hatches within a tightly synchronised period possibly as short as one week (per Brooks and R Lewington).

Emergence occurs close to the river banks on suitable support, and most healthy tenerals make their maiden flight after around two hours, typically onto higher vegetation at a short distance before dispersing into woodland up to 10km away. This species makes extensive use of the canopy. Because of this, the majority of records each season are of immature Clubtails in yellow and black colouring. Sightings of green-toned mature males are much less frequent, though I know a man who has done so (below).

Such mature males may return to the river from a week later, where they can be observed perching on exposed bankside vegetation, especially steep banks with good tree cover. They are territorial and disputes occur over the water where flying close to the surface they search for females that descend from the overhead treetops. Their flight season continues until the end of June.

Today (12th) I arrived on site at around 10am and walked the tow path downstream from the end of Ferry Lane (SU601854) to the “four arches” railway bridge. There are several dense stands of brambles, nettles and other vegetation along this route that provide suitable staging posts for newly emerged Clubtails. Those are the hotspots where most sightings occur and the closer they are to the river bank the better.

As three days earlier but this time alone I completed the outward leg then retraced my steps, and eventually there was what I sought: a very fresh, yellow and black Clubtail, perched at around head height. Facing away from the river (pictured above), this individual shows quite clearly how the species acquired its name – success at last! Cue celebratory exchanges of WhatsApps with my three earlier field colleagues, once the willing subject had flown off.

This item marks the first important conversion on my non-birding 2022 wildlife agenda. I made one further visit here before deciding that any chance of further success as the Clubtail flight season progresses was not worth the time that local patch workers can put in when they have other reasons for being there anyway. Trying to observe this dragonfly each spring remains a largely frustrating annual chore, but I have now cracked the enigma at Cholsey Marsh.