Two For The Price Of One!

Being the summer finally decided to show up again, I managed a couple of trips into Bowland this week.

Wednesday 17 July.

Grisedale Bridge Looking To Harrisend

Well as I saw it, the weatherman said sunny clear skies and humid, but when I arrived at Grisedale Bridge with dragonflies in mind, I thought I'd made the wrong choice and come to the wrong place.

Undeterred, I set off to look for the quarry with golden rings, to find a male Stonechat as a welcome sight to start with. The only other birds to note were a Meadow Pipit and a Raven over. I saw no more than a dozen butterflies here, seen as a mega count by recent standards, the best of which was a Red Admiral, with Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, and Large White to note.

All was not lost as I got back to the bridge....There's something magical about seeing a Golden-ringed Dragonfly - not in the video - coming into view under the bridge and flying downstream. It's just so disappointing, that on 14 June last year I searched Grisedale Brook to find 12 Golden-ringed Dragonfly in one hour.

On a circuit of the pond at Catshaw, I found no dragons or damsels, but flushed out 2 Snipe in the process. On Hawthornthwaite I found 2 Stonechat, 6 Meadow Pipit, a Kestrel and 2 Sand Martin. I saw just two butterflies, a Red Admiral and Small Heath. The 'best bit' here came in the form of a male Emperor Dragonfly.

With dragonflies in mind, my day ended nicely, with a Golden-ringed Dragonfly on Cam Brook at the foot of Cam Brow. But I'm convinced there's been no Sand Martin colony at Cam Brow this year, nor do I think there's been one at Hawthornthwaite on Catshaw Grieve....Food for thought! 

Friday 19 July.

Keeled Skimmer Birk Bank Bog 24 July. Ian Mitchell.

At Birk Bank, 6 Keeled Skimmer was good enough for me, they were seen as three male, a mating pair, and a female egg laying, all seen at close range. Also an Emperor Dragonfly, Golden-ringed Dragonfly, and 4 Large Red Damselfly.

On a wander around the area, a Stonechat pair, a Raven over, 4 Buzzard soaring and mewing together, and a Kestrel in a direct flight with a large gull above it was calling repeatedly 'kee-kee-kee-kee'.

Anting Gulls.

Too many for the camera to pick up on one frame, but a few hundred anting gulls over the house yesterday tea time. 

Emperor Dragonfly.

I have had my Emperor Dragonfly records accepted on iRecord, all with the comment attached....'Coordinate is outside known range for Anax imperator'....Clearly this is incorrect, and in this regard iRecord needs to be updated. I am reliably informed, there are a few records of Emperor Dragonfly on moorland other than Bowland, where I have recorded the species this year and in 2023.