Saturday 14th July

A visit between 6.15 and 8am this morning. Quite windy but very warm.

The first bird of the day today was a Kingfisher which I heard call as I parked up by the water Works and then it shot over my head a few minutes later by the scrape. I had a really good day for Kingfisher today with 2 others seen, one by the railway line and another along the Millstream.

I walked across the west scrub and heard Reed Warbler, Willow Warbler and a Green Woodpecker, with 3 Swift over. A look around the east scrub produced 2 Common Lizard, 1 Grass Snake and a single Slow Worm. Also here I found a Gatekeeper, a Large White and a Robins Pincushion which is a wasp gall on a Wild Rose.

GATEKEEPER

ROBIN'S PINCUSHION

I walked around Abbey Mead and added several young Whitethroat and next to Brooklands Lake 2 Speckled Wood, a Red Admiral and took some pictures of Common Water Crowsfoot.

COMMON WATER CROWSFOOT

SPECKLED WOOD

Along the Millstream I saw an Emperor Dragonfly, several Blue tailed damselflies and 3 teneral Common Darter also a probable Small Red Eyed Damselfly (it was quite a way out and in the wind it was difficult to be sure) Also I had great views of huge Catfish in the shallows - one well over 3 feet long. Just by the rusty bridge near the scrape I managed to take a picture of a male Banded Demoiselle

Male BANDED DEMOISELLE

I returned around 2pm for about half and hour as my daughter wanted to see some butterflies. In half an hour we saw 2 Common Blue, 1 Gatekeeper, 1 Small Heath, 1 Comma, 1 Peacock, 1 Large White, 3 Small Skipper and 1 Large Skipper. Also a Brown Hawker, 2 Emperor and good numbers of Large Red Eyed Damselflies. These were all seen around the West Scrub area/walk up from Brook House entrance.