Start of the summer butterflies

With the weather semi reasonable on thursday had a nice walk around Bricket Wood Common quite a few flowers around with a good group of Common Spotted Orchids in the middle of the Common and some nice water flowers in the pond. In the Wood had a Painted Lady and a rather big Hornet and most suprising was the Grey Wagtail feeding on the puddle in the woods. The main insect activity was on the common where had at least 6 Brimstones with one pair dancing along with Large Skippers and a few Meadow Browns and nice collection of Broad-bodied Chasers.

Common Spotted Orchid

Grasses on the common

Large Skipper

Brimstone Feeding

Broad-bodied Chaser

Orchid Fest

Went down to Aston Clinton Ragpits on sunday cloudy but not too windy and hundreds of orchid across the field mainly Chalk Fragrant-Orchids and Common Spotted Orchids but quite a few
Butterfly Orchards as well. Under the Reptile traps around the site had two Slow Worms (not together) and out in the main field a few Common Blues and Common Carpet Moths and quite a few Chafer Beetles of some kind.

Orchid Fields

Chalk Fragrant-Orchids

 

Common Spotted Orchid

Butterfly Orchid

Common Blue Butterfly

Slow Worm

Chafer Beetle

Loch Laggan and the Nevis Range

Another fine day up in the highland on the last day of the first week we headed to Loch Laggan with a lovely walk around the western shore with some beautiful and the biggest herd to date of Red Deer with at least 80 animals. Lots of birds around with a pair of Red-breasted Merganser out on one ofthe small lochs, Oystercatcher, Meadow Pipit, Lapwing and Common Sandpiper by the loch edge and in the woodland edge lots of Willow Warbler and a few tree Pipits singing in the trees and even a bonus Green Hairstreak by the carpark.

Views along by Loch Laggan

 

The Loch itself

Willow Warbler

Pair of Mergansers

Meadow Pipit

Then stopped at the Commando Momument area which is dedicated to the men of the original British Commando Forces raised during World War II and also gives great views of the nevis range.

The Nevis Range

The Commando Momument

Then headed up to the Nevis range where we went on the gondola up to Aonach Mor where we had lovely walk up to one of the viewpoints giving some great views of the area and even had the bonus of my first Wheatears of the year.

Gondolas

Views from Aonach Mor

Ben Nevis

Top of the world

Back to scotland and a sunny morning meant a trip up the railway to the top of Cairngorm which was still snowcovered only wildlife of note up at the top was a Lone Red grouse and possible Snow Bunting calling in the car park but the view from the top was stunning though a bit chilly at -3 but some great views down the Mountain to Loch Morlich after the snow on the top the day before. Then after a nice Hot Drink and a walk outside headed back down to the carpark where had a young Reindeer was showing well.

View from Cairngorm

Young Reindeer

Then after lunch did the circular walk around Loch Morlich which was a bit warmer and feeling springlike which showed by the sighting of a Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly at the start of the walk by the river which was great with Willow Warbler singing all around, Teal and Goldeneye out on the Loch and even a pair of Crested Tits in the trees and the views from the loch were really beautiful and with the woodland full of wild flowers and bird song a perfect place to be.

Views of the Loch

One of many Lichen trees in the woodland

Then decided to end the day by heading down to Loch Laggan to take a few images at dusk

Butterfly World

Despite the recent poor weather a nice morning spent at Butterfly World with my local Butterfly Group at the start quite cloudy but the sun was hinting at breaking though so a few Common Blues were trying to warm up then further around had Common Carpet Moth a selection of the Whites mixed in with singing Yellowhammer and a Whitethroat and Red Kite over. Then walking along the ant statue had a Small Blue Sunnying itsself before walking around the main Garden where we had a nice Brown Argus and a few more Common Blues to end a great morning.

Common blue

Small Blue

Brown Argus