Royston Helleborine and Adonis Blue Trip

Wonderful display of White Helleborines in the woods at Royston this year - difficult to photograph in any lighting but especially in strong dappled sunlight!! We saw plenty of male Adonis Blue butterflies but no females only the somewhat similar Brown Argus butterflies.

 

Activity On and Around the Pond

Yesterday was hot and sunny in Cambridgeshire and our pond area was alive with Red and Azure Damseflies laying into the weed, Pondskaters on the surface of the pond and lots of insects etc in the surrounding vegetation including a Small Copper (first sighting in the garden I think)

Paxton Insects

A few insects found during a recent survey for Grizzled Skippers (four found but only roosting as not sunny) including this amazing Snake Fly lurking in the nettles.

Stars of Today's Paxton Surveys

I started today with an early morning Breeding Birds Survey at Paxton and it was wonderful to hear so many Garden Warblers, newly returned to the UK and singing their hearts out. The Dunnocks were also very vocal. When we had completed our part of the route, I spent 3 hours surveying an area for insects etc as I have to miss the official survey morning on Tuesday. Here photographs taken with a telephoto lens including spiders, bees, moths, butterflies and damselflies. Mainly I was working on much smaller subjects using a close macro (to follow).

Garden Safari April 30th

First Large Red Damselfly yesterday - latest date I have recorded (compare with April 28th 2017, April 13th 2020, April 24th 2021, April 16th 2022). Recorded the first Holly Blue plus a variety of flies, bees and bugs