The record-breaking summer continued from July into August, with a drought officially declared locally, along with many other areas throughout south, central and eastern England.
As such, insects were generally my biggest focus, with the garden continuing to produce a great range of interest - it's been a joy! Further reward for the efforts to attract nature in.
A string of garden firsts (pretty notable considering we've been there for 14 years now!) included Small Heath on 22/07 & 09/08 (the 25th butterfly species for the garden) and a surprise visit from 2 Willow Emerald Damselflies on 29/07, which is an excellent record for our small garden pond! Another appeared on 09/08, so they must be established somewhere nearby.
The fine weather and warm nights meant mothing was worth persisting with, producing three garden firsts - long overdue Jersey Tigers on 25/07 & 09/08, a Dewick's Plusia 26/07 and a migrant Vestal on 14/08. A good run of Gypsy Moths was also pretty cool; as was a brief visit from a monster Privet Hawkmoth caterpillar, a creature looking more suited to a rainforest than a humble garden in central England!
It has been a remarkable summer for Hummingbird Hawkmoths - we've had them pretty much daily for the best part of 2 and a half months. I've become pretty blaise with them! It was also the very first time I've actually seen one settled!
The garden has predictatbly done well for butterflies with frequent Painted Ladies, many more Common Blue than would be normal, as well as a shortish visit from a Small Copper on 11/08 - plus all the more commoner, expected species.
Elsewhere, Clouded Yellows were beginning to pop up here and there. Was lucky to actually see a couple stationary at Hinton Airfield on 08/08! As well as the garden Jersey Tigers, the day before the first garden one, I also bumped into one sat in a hedge at Ardley Quarry on 24/07, which at that point was my first locally!
From a birding point of view, the settled weather was hugely condusive for anything particularly spectacular, however birds did start dribbling through with the likes of Yellow Wags, Green Sands, Snipe and Teal all beginning to appear - all classic early autumn movers!
Spot Flys began to appear, with a couple of family parties appearing at Ardley Quarry. I finally encountered a local Redstart, having strangely struggled for one in 2025 and so far this year. It did the honourable thing of sitting out sunning itself at Grimsbury Res on 09/08. My first local Black-Tailed Godwit of the year, a moulting adult, was at Boddington Res on 27/09 and a juvenile Ruff also hung around there for a few days.
