Rathlin Island

While in Northern Ireland recently had a nice day trip to this beautiful island with lovely landscapes covered in Orchids, one field had easily over a thousand an amazing sight.

Walked up though the hills and had a nice selection of moorland species with good numbers of Linnets, Meadow Pipits, Stonechats and a few Wheatears with the odd Raven and Buzzard which were surprsing difficult to see in Ireland.

View of one of the Male Linnets

A nice Singing stonechat

Meadow Pipit with food for nearby young

A Young Wheatear

Then walked to the main cliffs and viewing point where there where a nice mixture of seabirds with Fulmars and Kittiwakes patrolling the cliffs with thousands of Guillemots and Razorbills with a few Puffins nesting in the cliffs.

The Seabird cliffs

Gliding Fulmar

Auks on the rocks

Flying Razorbill

Flying Guillemot

Also around the cliff and around Ireland Coast were a few Choughs and many young Rock Pipits and historic an upside down Lighthouse.

Calling Rock Pipit

Chough in flight

Calling Chough

Then headed back to the boat via the seal point thanks to the local bus driver where we had a nice view of the sandy beach and a few pairs of Eiders with their chicks a lovely day out.

Basking seals

The bay from the south of the island

House Martins down to collect nesting materials

Eider with family

Corn Buntings on the Wallington Road

Earlier in the week was in the Royston area so decided to have a drive around the Wallington Road using the car as the hide, sure I am not the first people who done that.

Road was full of love with Yellowhammers and Goldfinchs all around and beautful views of the farming landscape.

Then heard the call of a Corn bunting in a area by a Bridleway so decided to go for a wander. A nice walk was instore with at least five singing male Corn Bunting plus a few female birds showing very nicely.

Singing Corn Bunting

One of a few showing well

Also had a few groups of Linnets and Yellowhammer around and a nice Hare showed briefly this area is always worth a few hour walk whatever the time of year.

Hare in the Grass

One of many Yellowhammers around

Wood White in the Burrens

In june had a few weeks in Ireland one of the hightlights was the Burrens in County Clare. One sunny morning decided to head to a nature trail in the middle of the park but due to not finding it came across a nice little wood where had a nice view of a Red Squirrel and with the  sun coming out a few butterflies started to show with a few Wood Whites on the wing as well as a few Common Blues and my first Meadow Browns of the year.

Feeding Wood White

Feeding Common Blue

Summer walk at Panshanger Park

Had a nice visit to Panshanger Park on the edge of hertford at the weekend with my local RSPB group. Started off well with a singing Skylark and there we headed to the reedbed area where we had good views of singing Sedge Warblers and Reed Bunting and heard a some Reed and Cetti's Warblers.

With then passed a section of wood and scub which allowed us to hear a mix of Warblers with Blackcap, Garden Warblers and Chiff- Chaffs all in song. With the day warming up a few damselflies were on the wing which bought out a few birds of prey including the bird of the day with some great views of a Hobby hunting overhead with Red Kites and Buzzards making use of the thermals.

Then walked around the far side of the main pits where we saw 7 Common Terns hunting while in the nearby tree a Young Great-spotted Woodpecker was heard and a single Whitethroat was seen in the scub to end a nive morning walk.

Cuckoo and more at Lakenheath

With my usual late spring visit to Lakenheath had a pleasant and warm walk around this year i noticed there were a lot more Reed Warbler than the Sedge Warbler sat around the first point for a while and was lucky enough to get some nice views of the Reed warbler going into feed their nest in the reeds.

Reed warbler Collecting

Reed Warbler bring back food

Then walked around the trail where there was plenty of Insects on the wing with Four-spot Chaser, lots of Hairy Dragonflies and a nice mix of Damselflies out. So with all the insects these brought all the Swifts outs often flying low over the reed beds.

Blue-tailed Damselfly 

Hairy Dragonfly

Swift in flight

Then hang around the tree near the heard and was rewarded with a pair off Cuckoos having a Cuckoo-off  with a bird flying around every so often over my head.

Cuckoo in flight

Then walked down to the main viewing point where I had warblers in song and a few hunting Marsh Harriers and to end a great day a Bittern flew over.

Hunting Marsh Harrier

Flythrough Bittern

Portland Cuckoo

After doing the butterflies decided to head for the long staying Great Spotted Cuckoo at Portland a stunning bird was feeding in a field often flying between one hedge and another to feed on the Caterpillars that it was favouring with good views of it seen in the hedge. It then decided to fly over the houses to a group of trees where it gave some great views as it sit in a tree near the school before it disappeared off to roost.

Great Spotted Cuckoo in one of its favored hedges

Great Spotted Cuckoo in the tree

Spring Butterflies in Bentley wood

Been meaning to go down to Bentley Woods for many years so with with a week off this week headed down on monday. What you notice when you get out the car is the wood full of birdsong with Willow Warblers all around. Had a nice walk around the main woods where there a few of the commoner Butterflies on the wing with good numbers of the darker form of the Specked Wood,Orange Tip, Brimstones and Speckled Yellow Moths. On the edge of the woods found my first Broad-bodied Chaser of the year.

Broad-bodied Chaser

Then walked into the main heather where I came across a few Pearl-bordered Fritillaries at least 7 but could have easily been more. Lucky enough with the cloud that one allowed me some close views allowing me to see the fine detail of it.

Resting Pearl-bordered Fritillary

As I was walking back to to car came across a nice pair of Marsh Fritillaries which were mating in the same field.

Mating Marsh Fritillaries