The Golden Dragon.

No....not the best place for a jar on Saturday night, but the four best places to find my all time best count of 18 Golden-ringed Dragonfly on a five hour stint in Bowland. The top spot award as usual goes to Grisedale Brook, where in one hour Martin Jump and myself, taking into account the risk of duplication, found at least 11 Golden-ringed Dragonfly. 

Though the species doesn't sharply decline until late July, it was a little surprising to find a Large Red Damselfly hanging on vegetation. It was interesting that a single House Martin flew through, also in the air, a Buzzard and 5 Raven were thought to be family group.

Stonechat Grisedale Bridge. Martin Jump.

Four Stonechat were seen as a male and female with two juvenile. There are a few Willow Warbler breeding in the area, also a few Goldfinch, a Reed Bunting, and a Grey Wagtail was on the brook.

Butterflies continue to be seen in low numbers, today at Grisedale Bridge they just nudged into a double figure, Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Large Skipper, Small Skipper, and 2 Red Admiral seen.

Golden-ringed Dragonfly. Martin Jump.

Cam Brow was the next port of call, where a walk the length of Cam Brook towards Hawthornthwaite, found 4 Golden-ringed Dragonfly. Apart from a couple of Sand Martin still attending nests, the only other bird of note was a female Redpoll, though a small number distant in flight were almost certainly the same finches, 2 Red Admiral were seen.

An hour to get the feel of what it was like to be on Hawthornthwaite on such a pleasant day, turned up another Golden-ringed Dragonfly, and another Large Red Damselfly. I got a glimpse of just one Sand Martin here, 10 Meadow Pipit, and thinking it was looking like a chat'less visit, a lone female Stonechat put in a brief appearance before flying off.

Emperor Dragonfly Catshaw 7 July 

To the east of the plantation at Catshaw, on a small pond which is always worth keeping an eye on, I found an Anax imperator. The sighting confirms my record of an Emperor Dragonfly on Hawthornthwaite on 27 July 2022, a species that is regarded as absent in the uplands.

I needed to check a couple of things today, and on my way back to Lancaster, I called in on the River Conder at Cragg Wood, and found 2 Golden-ringed Dragonfly, and on the west and east side of Ottergear Bridge, I found 8 Stonechat, two females with young and not a male in sight, so well pleased to have found another two breeding records for Birk Bank.

Thanks to Martin Jump for sharing his images and an excellent day with me in Bowland. Also thanks to Ian Mitchell for another of his amazing aerobatics images on Conder Pool. I've never seen behavior of the Common Tern like this before, presumably a territorial battle.