Mainly Dragons....

....but with some bees, a few notable butterflies, some chats, and a few other birds.

Grisedale Brook.

Grisedale Brook. Pete Woodruff.

Along the classic acidic upland stream that is Grisedale Brook, I spent a couple of hours looking for, but only finding one Golden-ringed Dragonfly, it was seen briefly flying upstream from Holme Wood, and despite waiting several minutes for its return, it failed to do so.

Golden-ringed Dragonfly Grisedale Bridge July 2022. Pete Woodruff.

Something of a disappointment today, in that I found just the one compared to 12 Golden-ringed Dragonfly here 2 years ago on 14 June 2023. 

Bird sightings were a bit sparse, but at least it was good to see a male Stonechat. Otherwise, a Willow Warbler, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail and Goldfinch seen. A Buzzard was overhead mobbed by Carrion Crows. Butterflies were a Painted Lady and Small Tortoiseshell, with 3 Red Admiral and 2 Small Heath.

Hawthornthwaite.

Bombus monticola Hawthornthwaite 18 June. Pete Woodruff.

I was pleased to find a Bilberry Bumblebee on Hawthornthwaite on Friday. Last year I found 5 Bilberry Bumblebee 2 days later than this one on 20 June 2024 at Birk Bank.

Bombus sylvestris Hawthorthwaite 18 June. Pete Woodruff. 

The Bilberry Bumblebee was accompanied on the same patch of Clover, by what I believe to be a Forest Cuckoo Bee. Strange, because its name seems to indicate other than moorland, but this is a bee that can be found in a variety of other habitats too. I was of course also pleased to find 4 Stonechat which were seen as two breeding pairs alarm calling and behaving like they had young around, also 2 Painted Lady seen.

Birk Bank Bog.

Birk Bank Bog. Pete Woodruff.

It was good to find the bog now replenished and holding water, there are distant pools around the middle, and certainly more water along the side of the boardwalk than I saw on my visit a month ago on 16 May, and where most of the action was on Friday.

Even more of a delight was finding 4 Keeled Skimmer, they were eventually seen as coupled pairs. Also present, Broad-bodied Chaser, Four-spotted Chaser. With Large Red, Blue-tailed, and Azure Damselfly.

Keeled Skimmer Birk Bank Bog. Pete Woodruff.

Butterflies seen, 6 Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Red Admiral, and Small Tortoiseshell.

The Lancaster Orchids.

Southern Marsh Orchid. Pete Woodruff.

Brilliant to find up to 100 spikes of Southern Marsh Orchid again this year. Also in the area, 25 Common Spotted Orchid, and a decent count of 6 Ringlet butterfly.

Purple Hairstreak.

Purple Hairstreak. Ian Mitchell.

Steve Graham found 2 Purple Hairstreak atop of an Oak on Wednesday 18 June, and claims them to have been 3 weeks earlier than he expected, and his earliest ever record.

Wool Carder Bee. 

Wool Carder Bee Haslam Park 18 June. Martin Jump.

The Wool Carder Bee was rare up to the 1990's when the first records came from Heysham and Hornby in 1992/93. Until this time, this bee wasn't common anywhere in GB, but has spread to Scotland considerably since, where there are records which were confined to the south east 20 years ago.

Excellent find in Preston. Well done and congratulations Martin. 

The Header.

The excellent image of two adult and a 2nd summer Mediterranean Gull on Conder Pool certainly qualified for the header image. Thanks to Howard Stockdale.

And Finally.

Common Tern Conder Pool. Ian Mitchell.

Just as I was about to publish this post, in my inbox up pops another excellent image of a Common Tern. In the message, Ian Mitchell says....'it looks like this Common Tern has bagged itself a good sized Sand Eel'....Can't disagree with that, and many thanks for sending it to me, much appreciated Ian.