The Bog Is Alive And Well....Just!

Well at least the weather bucked up, and by Wednesday to some small degree, so did the bog at Birk Bank, although on my first of two visits today, I struggled to find much life other than a couple of Azure Damselfly and Large Red Damselfly. 

On my return visit 4 hours later, I eventually found a male Keeled Skimmer, along with an even bigger surprise of another of those 'upland' Emperor Dragonfly, 4 Four-spotted Chaser, a Black-tailed Simmer, and up to 10 Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, which were the only butterflies I saw in 5 hours, save 2 Small Heath and a Speckled Wood.

A saunter to Cragg Wood was definitely worth it as I found 2 Golden-ringed Dragonfly on the River Conder, and a Spotted Flycatcher as a nice little bonus. Other birds were represented by a male Stonechat, a Linnet....

....and a Tree Pipit which was singing....Pump up the volume!

Bilberry Bumblebee 26 June. Pete Woodruff.

As I approached the east side of Ottergear Bridge, I found another 2 Bilberry Bumblebee, my seventh this year, and when I got back to the car park to end the day, a Garden Warbler was singing.

Norfolk Hawker.

Little more than 30 miles from Lancaster, and a species slowly expanding north.

Norfolk Hawker. Frank Bird.

When Fylde birder Frank arrived on the scene at Birk Bank I heard some excellent news. In an interesting conversation, Frank told me of the Norfolk Hawker he had found in his garden on 2 June. This was a news story I had somehow missed, and I was pleasantly surprised to hear about it today. 

The image is much appreciated Frank, many thanks for allowing it on B2B, and congratulations on this amazing find in your garden....Hope to see you again soon, when maybe you will be telling me of a Hairy Dragonfly you found in your garden!

Bowland Abstract.

The Cuckoo is a Red Listed bird of Conservation Concern in the UK. 

Having heard a Cuckoo calling at Marshaw on Thursday afternoon and being 23 June, is my latest date for hearing a Cuckoo calling anywhere, and was quite unexpected. The surprise about hearing this Cuckoo calling in Bowland, came about by learning that six other Cuckoos from the BTO satellite tagging project, have already crossed the English Channel and are now in France. So some obvious variation in the strategy of migration south from the UK for Cuckoos.

Some added interest about this remarkable species, comes in the form of a Scottish Cuckoo, who has flown 462 miles from breeding grounds in Perthshire, to the Dutch coast. This bird is now on a Nature Reserve in South Holland, and further interest is, that in 2021 this same bird was in the Netherlands, and remained there until 4 July, when he moved swiftly south through Germany and Italy, arriving in Libya 4 days later on 8 July, and arriving in sub-Saharan Niger 2 days later on 10 July.

Bowland Abstract.

Some interest for me in Bowland on Thursday, was finding 4 Spotted Flycatcher to add to four other birds I found on previous visits, but didn't connect with this time. A lone male Pied Flycatcher was active around the compound at Tower Lodge, 9 Common Sandpiper were on the Marshaw Wyre, and a Woodcock seen.

A Curlew was calling in the compound at Tower Lodge, on its behaviour, I felt it may have had young close by. The bird had something attached to both legs which I was unable to identify....See for yourself in the cropped still from the video. 

I saw my first Painted Lady today, with one at Marshaw, and another at the foot of Hawthornthwaite, where I also found 4 Stonechat, probably two pairs, but all separated by a little distance.

Good numbers of Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary are still being seen on and around the bog at Birk Bank, and I'm grateful to Martin Jump for his excellent header image of one captured there during the week.

Banded Demoiselle. Pete Woodruff.

At St Michaels on Wyre yesterday, in 200 metres downstream on the River Wyre, up to 20 Banded Demoiselle including six female, a female Emperor Dragonfly ovipositing, and a Red Admiral.

Norfolk Hawker Marc Heath

It is with interest, that I note the Norfolk Hawker is expanding North. A male was found this week on 26 June at Amberswood Common, Wigan. Thanks to Marc for his excellent image of one of 64 he found this week in Kent on 22 June.