A summer mega from the east!

Nowadays, it has to be something pretty decent for me to get my twitching boots back on! County ticks and local scarcities mainly. But there are certain birds within a reasonable distance that can still be irresistable - a rare shrike for example!

Early July brought the amazing news of a 1st-summer Long-Tailed Shrike up in eastern Scotland, a UK mega, in fact just the 2nd ever record. 

Incredibly, news then broke of another one, no more than an hour and a bit from home, seen on private farmland in inland Gloucetershire of all places! Gutting, as that would've been something I'd have made every effort to see. It's a bird I have enjoyed before, with fond memories of seeing then in Vietnam on my honeymoon some 9 years ago - giving some perspective as to how far ths bird had travelled. A stunner of a species that you could only dream of seeing in the UK, particularly that close to home.

Fast forward a few days and welcome news arose that the Gloucs Long-Tailed Shrike had been re-found by a local birder and after a few coversations in the background, the bird was now twitchable, with the farmer kindly arranging parking in a nearby field. Get in!!

While I couldn't go that day (Sunday 19/07), I hastily arranged to duck out of post-work Dad duties the following day and head straight to Eastleach Martin, near Burford after work. On a lovely sunny early evening, I got over in good time, paid my fiver at the field car park (a collection for further conservation work on the farm) and marched off down the road and footpath to the area. There would be no confusion as to where to go, with plenty of birders arriving and departing. It was though pleasingly not as caotic as it was likely to have been the day before!

After noting a couple of Clouded Yellows along the footpath, I joined the assembled 40 or so people and immediately zeroed in on the bird sat in it's favoured hedge. What a treat - Long-Tailed Shrike! This field boundary actually ran along the county border between Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, causing quite a stir amongst Oxon birders initially, as to where exactly Oxon was and ensuring it was added to their county list!     

Luckily, the Shrike began to move a bit closer along the hedge, each time dropping down to the field to grab prey, usually grasshoppers, before returning to a prominent pearch in the hedge. I then managed to get my closest views of all, as it made it's way to the other side of the hedge and into Oxon, sitting on a small hawthorn on the edge of the field for a while. The bird then flew to a different hedge, signalling my moment to reluctantly drag myself away, however with a very satisfying buzz of seeing something very special! 

Gos and Hairstreaks

The beginning of July, sadly brought the passing of my dear old Dad. In between sorting everything out, getting out looking for birds and butterflies provided a real healing distraction and helped me come to terms with it all.

This lead to a Northants county tick no less - an enjoyable event anytime, however given the circumstances and bumping into one unexpectedly, was a real thrill!

On 10/07, driving along a country road in the south of the county, a large pile of Rooks got up to my left, catching my eye. A big raptor then swooped through and over the road a little way ahead. It looked rather interesting and so I swiftly pulled into a convenient field gate and grabbed my bins and camera from the boot. While the bird was generally flying away from me, it provided a brief side view, allowing me to confirm my suspicions, with the characteristic heavy-chested profile of a Goshawk!! Luckily for me, it gained height and began circling back towards me, eventually circling right above me at some height with a couple of Red Kite. This allowed me to get some much better views to nail it as a juvenile and also allowed me to get some half decent pictures too. A great record, hot on the heals of another sighting in the same area of presumably the same bird, just 10 days previous. Hopefully it suggests Gos continuing their spread from the west.  

The other big highlight from early July, was equally unexpected, but this time a butterfly. Having wandered around Ardley Quarry (Oxon) looking for birds / butterflies, a very orangey thing flew at eye height past my face. That looked interesting I thought! It soon alighted on a nearby willow, just 3 feet or so off the ground, mostly shaded from the intense sun. To my amazement it was an absolutely pristine Brown Hairstreak - I couldn't believe it, this was just not on the radar! It sat chilled as anything for the next 20 minutes, allowing me to get some lovely photos.

A friend has seen one individual at the site last year but they are certainly not in any great numbers there. It was also very early for the species, normally expected to emerge towards the end of July. However, the consistently scorching weather has brought things out early. So on two counts, an encounter not on my radar at all, so a fab surprise!

Regular walks in Bucknell Woods provided a lot of joy through July, while on my way through to Northampton - managing to find over 20 species of butterfly on more than one ocassion. Probably the highlight of these were the excellent views of White-Letter Hairstreaks, including a particuarly confiding one 06/07. They are never easy to find in Bucknell, so a really special encounter! 

08/07 saw me reach what is likely a personal best 22 species of butterfly in one single visit to Bucknell - there were butterflies frankly everywhere! Peacocks dominated, with an impressive 84 counted! Purple Emperors were past their peak by this point, but still managed a total of 3. 

Heatwave Emperors

This spring / summer's sunny weather continued through June, with temperatures hitting the 30s on a regular basis.

A significant UK influx of Quail took place during the month and while I was was perhaps unlucky not to find my own, despite a number of evening walks in good local habitat, luckily one was discovered not too far away near the village of Weston. I popped over on 27/06, not hoping for much in the heat of the day, but luckily I managed to hear it a number of times not too far from the road. I headed back that evening and again sang from a neighbouring field, though more distantly. Really worth the effort for what is a really tricky local bird.

The consistant, reliable hot weather meant that butterflies were very much on the agenda, particularly as we moved towards peak time for all the local woodland specialities. Unsurpringly given the weather, species were emerging on the early side and so it was no surprise that the first Purple Emperors began to emerge well before the month's end.

Keen to see my own, I headed to Bucknell Wood on 21/06 for a prolonged search. Luck was on my side and I was treated to an excellent showing of 2 pristine males down on the tracks. What a treat!

Also caught up with my first Silver-Washed Frits of the year.

Elsewhere, I visited Ardley Quarry fairly regularly as the site offers the chance for interest with birds, butterflies or dragonflies! Marbled Whites appeared in force in early June, while the Poppies put on a good show - they've been everywhere this summer! Birding oddities here included a Marsh Tit (14/06), a pair of Pochard (05/06) and a group of 5 Ringed Plover (09/06). While the lagoon is still going strong, the main quarry lake was filled in by mid month, as again the site evolves in line with the live quarry workings. A shame as it always had potential to pull in something of interest and produced a few passage waders during the last couple of years.

Garden mothing didn't produce anything too mad, however always nice to show the kids regular Elephant Hawkmoths, as well as a single Small Elephant Hawkmoth on 18/06. An Azure Damselfly around the pond was new for the garden on 14/06.