Clouded yellows are here!

When it comes to migrant insects there may be some which are more beautiful, there may be some which are rarer, but to my mind there are none more evocative than the clouded yellow butterfly. I'll never forget my dad coming back from a walk with my mum and immediately going to the butterfly identification book before announcing that they'd just seen at least 50 clouded yellows on the sea wall at Banks, Southport. A few days later I went myself and saw at least ten. That was 31st July 1983 and at that moment I'd still never been abroad and I'd never seen them in the UK. These were the first clouded yellows that I'd ever seen and they made a huge impression on me.

I now know of course that clouded yellows are pretty common in southern Europe, one of the commonest species in fact. They're also not particularly rare in the UK and I've since seen a few on the south coast especially, but living in north west England I can go years without seeing one. I still consider them a very special sight and always get a thrill whenever one appears. 

Some years are better than others, 1983 must have been an invasion year and it looks like 2026 will be the same. With heatwaves bringing easterly airflows there have been above average reports of species such as red admirals, painted ladies, migrant dragonflies and hummingbird hawk-moths, so it's not surprising that a few clouded yellows are here as well.

Being migrants to the UK they tend to be seen most often on the coast, yet over the past few days I've been seeing up to five at Bickershaw. It's wonderful to have them so local and be able to see them on a daily basis.

However, most reports recently have been from the coast and especially the sea wall north of Crossens, so today after a morning at Martin Mere I decided to reacquaint myself the butterfly at Banks. I headed to Old Hollow Farm from where I walked along the sea wall towards Hesketh Out Marsh. It was a bit windier than I had expected, but even so there were plenty of butterflies on the wing including at least nine clouded yellows. Hopefully there will be more arriving before the end of the summer, because I can't get enough of them!

Clouded yellows always land with their wings closed, I don't think I've ever seen one landed with its wings open and the open wing photos in this post are only possible because they are video grabs of a butterfly in flight. 

Yellow wagtails and black-necked grebe, Pennington flash

Two juvenile yellow wagtails were on the sailing club foreshore this morning, another juvenile black-necked grebe in East Bay and a single green sandpiper in Ramsdales.

Yellow wagtails are not common visitors to the flash, being just about annual. I remember seeing small flocks on passage on the grass where the overflow car park is, but those days have long gone. 

Clouded yellows, Bickershaw

As I reported on Monday, the current run of high pressure and easterly winds is bringing plenty of migrant dragonflies and butterflies to the North West and perhaps the most iconic of the latter is clouded yellow. There's been a few reported locally and today we were delighted to find at least five at Bickershaw in the grasslands between Nevison's and New Water. 

I get really excited when I see this butterfly, there's just something very special about it. In flight they are really deep yellow with a black border to the upperwing, but I don't think I've ever seen one land with it's wings open. Still, the underwing is nice as well, I can see areas of pink, brown and black in the wings and a nice lime green eye.

Just as iconic amongst the migrant dragonflies is lesser emperor, and the two on the stock pond continue to show well.

Caspian tern, Budworth Mere

An adult Caspian tern was at Budworth Mere yesterday but disappeared by midday while I was still at Martin Mere. I wasn't too concerned about missing it because although they're great birds, it is quite a cosmopolitan species which I've seen all over the world on my travels, including Portugal, Spain, Cyprus, USA, Kuwait, Australia and New Zealand, plus I've previously seen a few in the UK including one in the North West at Leighton Moss. So I was very relaxed about it.... 

Then it reappeared this morning and I just dropped everything and went! Why the change in heart I can't say, I just felt like going and I had the time. I left home at 10:55, drove to Budworth Mere, saw the bird, watched it get flushed by a walker and I was home by 12:30. A ninety-five minute return journey!

The photos might be described as record shots by some, perhaps worse than record shots by others, but give me a break, the bird was nearly 400m distant in heat haze. As far as I'm concerned, they're awesome photos and I'm still waiting to see better 😆.

VisMig on Formby beach

I love a bit of visible migration and it was certainly happening at Formby beach on Saturday. I met up with Josh late morning and we walked down lifeboat road to the beach. The tide was receding so we walked out half a mile to the waters edge and then headed south towards Hightown, gradually getting further away from the shore as the tide retreated. Out this far there was a wonderfully cooling easterly breeze and it was a pleasure to be here. 

Once we got away from the Lifeboat road area the beach was deserted, not another person in sight. There were small groups of birds here and there, mainly gulls but also perhaps about 500 noisy sandwich terns including a few juveniles. Numbers of these terns will gradually build into August, and from ringing recoveries they are known to originate from colonies on Anglesey (Cemlyn Bay), Ireland and Cumbria. Otherwise it was very quiet, just a few common terns and hardly any waders.

The beach wasn't completely deserted though. There were loads of butterflies coming in off the sea and every one that I managed to identify was a red admiral, though there were probably also painted lady's involved as well. We saw a single hawker type dragonfly flying low over the beach a good three quarters of a mile offshore, but frustratingly it was silhouetted and flew into the sun before I could identify it, but it's tempting to think lesser emperor or Norfolk hawker given the numbers that are around at the moment. We also saw at least two moths, larger than silver y but not as big as a hawk-moth. As expected nothing landed so identifying individuals to species level as never going to be easy, and although they all made good progress inland, they were buffeted by the wind and following them in binoculars was very difficult.

When these migratory insects are blown west over the water by easterly winds such as we are currently experiencing, they compensate by angling their flight into the wind and returning to the mainland. It's a fabulous experience to walk through it as it's happening. 

Lesser emperors and ruddy darter, Bickershaw

It's been a good year so far for migrant dragonflies with lesser emperors and red-veined darters popping up in lots of places here in the North West. So far I've resisted the temptation to twitch lesser emperor, preferring instead to try to find one locally at Bickershaw, so I was made up today to find not one, but two on the stock pond in the north of the site. 

I've seen them before both in the UK and abroad but I'd forgotten how nice they are with that bright blue saddle and green eyes contrasting with the brown abdomen and thorax. A really special find, bringing my site total to 22 species. 

24 common scoter Pennington flash

A flock of 24 drake common scoter were found at the flash at 11:00 this morning and we're said to be very flighty, being frequently moved around the flash by yachts and other boats. I got there at 16:00 and expected them to have been flushed one too many times and be long gone, but remarkably they were still present at the western end. As I watched they were flushed by a canoe and landed in east bay, before being flushed again. The last I saw of them they were in the middle at 16:50 and the yachts were off the water. Hopefully they got some peace for a while before continuing their migration.

July is a classic time of year for flocks of males to appear at the flash on moult migration. This was the largest flock of males that I have seen here. I did see a flock of 36 a few years ago but that was in November and they were all females and 1st winter birds.

Quail, Martin Mere

It's been a great year so far for quail, with many singing males being reported. The Derwent Valley in Derbyshire reported 61 singing males about 10 days ago. Not quite so many in our area but still quite a few, so when one was reported singing distantly on Sunley's Marsh at Martin Mere on Wednesday, it seemed a good opportunity to add the species to my Martin Mere list. 

Of course one of the problems with quail is that they tend to sing mostly at dawn or dusk which is currently a full five hours before Martin Mere opens. However, Wednesdays bird was reported as singing at 13:00 from the Ron Barker hide so it was worth a go. On Thursday I saw plenty of other great birds on Vinson's but failed to hear quail so decided to try again and a bit earlier today. The plan worked and I managed to hear one within a few minutes of arriving. 

Obviously as expected I didn't see the quail, but there were at least two barn owls flying around plus the usual marsh harriers and various egrets, but no sign of any spoonbills. Perhaps most impressive, there were 11 green sandpipers with 9 on Vinson's and another 2 on Sunley's.

Egrets, herons and spoonbills on Vinson's marsh, Martin Mere

When I first visited Martin Mere 51 years ago with my dad, I would never have dreamt that I might one day see five species of heron plus spoonbills on Vinson's marsh, yet that's exactly what happened this morning. I counted four spoonbills, five great white egrets, six cattle egrets, five little egrets, two grey herons and a bittern all on view at the same time on one relatively small patch of open water on Vinson's. What my dad would have made of a scene like this I really can't imagine. More in line with what he would have expected, there were also four green sandpipers on Vinson's.

Meanwhile, on Sunley's, the marsh adjacent to Vinson's, there was another bittern and a hunting barn owl. Then a male marsh harrier appeared carrying food prompting five birds that looked like juveniles to fly up to it. The male dropped the food mid-air to one of the youngsters which caught it and the male headed off presumably to find food for the others.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Martin Mere is the best reserve in North West England by country mile.

Four spoonbills, two adults and two second calendar year birds.

Little terns, Pennington Flash

I was all set for going to Bickershaw this afternoon but then John Tymon found a couple of little terns on the spit so I ended up going back to the flash.

Another juv. black-necked grebe and a green sandpiper, Pennington Flash

This morning at the flash, a juvenile black-necked grebe was just outside Horrock's hide with a feeding frenzy of coots, mallard and swans. A green sandpiper was on the small scrape right outside the hide and at least five common sandpipers were on the spit or at the sailing club. A minimum of 10 common terns were present with at least one juvenile. It really does feel like autumn now, apart from the fact that the temperatures are due to touch 30'C this afternoon. Meanwhile, taking advantage of the building heat this morning, several small red-eyed damselflies were on the canal and the pond at the side of Ramsdales, along with their cousins red-eyed damselfly, a couple of emperors, brown hawkers and black-tailed skimmers.

 

It's been a good year for black-necked grebes at the flash, being present on at least18 days so far, with a minimum of 10 adults pre-breeding and two adults and five juveniles post breeding.

Pristine cattle egrets on the spit, Pennington Flash

Two cattle egrets were on the end of the spit this morning up until about 8:15 when they flew west. Complete with pink legs and pink bills they were in pristine breeding plumage, I don't think I've ever seen cattle egrets looking so good. Also today at least one common sandpiper still, two Egyptian geese, 11 common terns and a drake pochard.

Cattle egrets are still rare birds at the flash and these were only my fifth record here.

Ruddy darters at Connah's Quay

It was great to see a good number of ruddy darters out at Connah's Quay Nature reserve today, my first for nine years! Also lots of butterflies and at least 48 avocets still on the reserve.

Butterflies and a hummingbird hawk-moth on the Great Orme

It turned out a better day than forecast and by lunchtime it was sunny and warm. By this time I was on the cliffs about 200m north of the old West Shore toll station. South facing, it was alive with butterflies, but it was this hummingbird hawk-moth which stole the show. I watched it flying around for a bit before it landed for a few minutes allowing me to fire off a few photos. I don't think I've ever seen one landed before.

Star of the show for the butterflies was this dark green fritillary, but there were hundreds each of silver-studded blue, grayling, gatekeeper and meadow brown, with a few painted ladies, small tortoiseshells and red admirals. A really impressive display.

Botanising on the Great Orme

Another great day on the Orme with plenty of nice flowers, butterflies and birds. Birds included the usual sea birds plus 18 choughs, while representing the butterflies were silver-studded blue and dark green fritillary.

The above plant is tall sea-lavander, a Great Orme speciality and this is the only specimen I've ever seen. Good of it to pose in front of the pier for the photo.

Another rarity, this is rock whitebeam.

Rock whitebeam.

The approach of winter

A ridiculously early female goldeneye was on Pennington flash this morning with about 40 tufted ducks, along with four Pochard, three males and a female. I don't normally expect goldeneye until about November!

Pochard.

The approach of autumn

Black-necked grebes have been appearing at Pennington flash this week, up to five common sandpipers have been present and 13 common terns, but no juveniles with them so far. Two Egyptian geese are on the flash, two curlew flew over today and a juvenile redshank is on the spit.

Common sandpiper.

Hummingbird hawk-moth

It's always exciting to see a hummingbird hawk-moth in the garden, but usually they're gone before I can even attempt a photo let alone a video. Fortunately this one today stayed around these flowers for 10 minutes.

Ringed greylag, Pennington Flash

A greylag with a metal ring with the number 529244 has been outside Horrock's hide for the past few days. It was ringed as adult on 22nd June 2024 at High Cunsey, Windermere.

Also yesterday a female type garganey was in the bay off the main car park. It flew almost as soon as I saw it and headed south over the trees.

On the stock pool, Bickershaw

Photo: Small red-eyed damselfly.

I spent much of the afternoon at the stock pool at Bickershaw today and recorded a respectable 14 species, including at least 50 small red-eyed damselflies where just yesterday I didn't see any. Also here today at least two Norfolk hawkers.

This is a red-eyed damselfly, note the subtle differences between it and the small red-eyed above, e.g. this damselfly has no antehumeral stripes and compare the extent of the blue at the tip of the tail.

Small red-eyed damselflies and more Norfolk hawkers, Bickershaw

It's taken a lot of searching over the past week but finally I found a few small red-eyed damselflies at Bickershaw today. This is a species which I first saw at Cambourne pond in Sankey Valley, St Helens last year, and shortly after on the canal at Pennington Flash, so it was only a matter of time before I found them at Bickershaw, but even so it's always good to find the first. Just like the damselflies at Cambourne pond, todays small red-eyed were landing on algae not on lily pads.

I continued to the stock pond adjacent to Diggle Flash and was amazed to find at least four Norfolk hawkers. This is the first time that I have seen Norfolk hawker on this pond.

No sign of any lesser emperors which is what I really wanted since there are a few in the country at the moment, but hopefully I'll be back tomorrow for another look.

Keeled skimmers, why Bickershaw?

The hot weather this week has made for some great dragonfly hunting at Bickershaw, though I tend to go in the morning at the moment and avoid the severe heat of the afternoon. Hot, literally, on the heels of last weeks' Norfolk hawkers, the past couple of days have seen the even more remarkable emergence of keeled skimmers.

Remarkable because in the north of it's range this is a species mainly associated with upland peat bogs. How it comes to be here, apparently breeding at an old industrial site in the lowlands, complete with slag heaps is a mystery. Following my discovery of these dragonflies here last year, the Lancashire and Greater Manchester (VC59 & VC60) dragonfly recorder Steve White commented: 

"The keeled Skimmers are amazing. I know of only one other record in GM. Several years ago in the West Pennines. Well established in Lancs but confined to a quite small area of Bowland and showing no signs of range expansion. So all previous VC59 & 60 records have been in the uplands." I believe that there is also one record from the Sefton Coast.

Photo: female keeled skimmer.

The "Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain and Europe" gives the habitat requirements as follows: Running waters such as streams and ditches. In north of range [inc. UK] mainly runnels in boggy areas [acidic, peat]. 

Photo: teneral male keeled skimmer.

Given that last years records were only the second for Greater Manchester it seems very unlikely that these are simply individuals dispersing from breeding sites in the uplands, especially since there is only one known (small) site in Lancashire and that's miles away in Bowland. What are the odds of the insect appearing by chance at Bickershaw again this year? 

Last year I saw a male and female in tandem and then today I saw a newly emerged teneral male. Unlikely as it may seem, the species is obviously breeding at Bickershaw. 

More black-necked grebes on Pennington flash

It's been a great year for black-necked grebes at Pennington flash, and there were another four adults this morning just off the spit. 

Western Reef Heron in the shadow of Conwy castle

Continuing it's tour of the castles of North Wales, the western reef heron showed nicely on the Conwy estuary today, though nowhere near as close as when it was at Caernarfon. It had a nice little fly around the castle before dropping down on the other side of the bridge.

I call myself a selective twitcher. What I mean by that is, I'll go for the right bird in the right location.  An adult dark morph western reef heron with breeding plumes in Caernarfon harbour ticks all of the boxes so I went. An adult dark morph western reef heron with breeding plumes on the Conwy estuary ticks all of the boxes so I went. This is the reason why I go twice or even three times to see the same bird. I'm going for the experience not just to see the bird. I love the scenery of these places, the dramatic castles, the history, the beautiful countryside, the sea air, the ice cream and the supporting cast of birds and other wildlife, in fact a combination of everything, it's just a great day out. If it was a white morph western reef heron or a juvenile I might not be so keen. If it was on the other side of the country I probably wouldn't go.

An adult dark morph western reef heron with breeding plumes at Hilbre Island really would be something special, so if it turns up there I'll be over in a shot.....

Juvenile black-necked grebes at Pennington Flash

The occurrence of juvenile black-necked grebes at the Flash seems to get earlier and earlier. My previous earliest juvenile here was 29th June and at the time I commented that was three weeks earlier than my previous best. Also today two Egyptian geese on the spit, great white egret and seven common terns.

Great white egret.

Welcome to my Great Orme list!

The western reef heron that was in the Caernarfon area last week has relocated to the Conwy estuary and has been viewable rather distantly at low tide for the past two days from Llandudno West Shore and the Great Orme. 

We already had a walk over the Orme planned for today so we weren't really here to see the bird but it was a great opportunity to add it to my Great Orme list. By the time we arrived at 10:15 it was moving with the tide away from the Orme towards Deganwy but was still viewable from Marine drive. My rule is, if I'm in it's on and I was certainly in when I took this photo! Welcome to my Great Orme list! 

We had a great walk in lovely weather. Lots of fabulous flowers including a new one for me, tall sea-lavander, plus hundreds of silver-studded blue butterflies on the wing.

Rock sea-lavander Limonium procerum ssp procerum, also known as Tall sea-lavander. A very rare plant in the UK, or anywhere else, growing on top of the wall on Marine drive just above the pier.

The rock sea-lavanders are a very complex group of plants with various subspecies recognised. I don't know what the latest thinking is, but I'm pretty sure that this is a different subspecies to that which grows on Hilbre, but I'm not certain. Whatever the subspecies, I've never seen any rock sea-lavander on the Orme previously so another new species here for me today. Welcome to my Great Orme list!