Not Browned Off.

Nor am I singing the blues , because a chance to leap in the car and grab a couple of hours on ground between Stutfield Brook and Stanford in the Vale taking in a few Butterflies including Brown Argus, Common Blue and Green -Veined White was rewarding considering a strong wind meant not too much was flying.
Yesterday a nice brood of French Partridge seven young plus the two adults not too far from Dix Pit was a spirit lifter although I must admit the Common Blue Butterfly is so beautiful it's "something else".
camboy.

 Brown Argus

 Part of Red-Legged Partridge Family

 Green-Veined White

 Common Blue

 Well! Buzz awhile baby you humble bumble bee you

 Small Copper

 Gatekeeper

 Small White

Another shot of the gorgeous Common Blue

Green.

Overactive Green Woodpecker.

camboy

Blue but not depressed.

In my own experience of butty chasing this year I have had a dearth of blue butties but today i'm happy to say that a long disused allotment in Stanford put that right with many Common Blues encountered along with Comma,Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Large & Small Skippers, Gatekeepers, Peacocks, Brimstone,

Small Coppers and Meadow Browns. A Silver Y Moth was the only species of that order but  Southern Hawker and  Migrant Hawker Dragonflies rounded off another interesting day in Oxon as I stumble along a late starters road to Insect appreciation.
camboy.

                                          Small Copper

                                          Brimstone

                                           Migrant Hawker

                                           Small Tortoiseshell

                                          Gatekeeper

                                          Red Admiral

                                          The other side of Common Blue

                                            Southern Hawker

                                               Comma

                                              Silver Y Moth

Not a Cloud in the Sky! But.

But a Clouded Yellow Butterfly merrily skipping around a field next to the Stanford to Wantage 417 and giving great closed - wing views but even though I tracked it for about an hour and although it settled often, at rest it never gave me an opportunity to photograph it open winged, a very nice Butty to have clocked and this followed  Ruby Tiger and Magpie Moths. There was an abundance of Peacock, Large and Small Skipper, Gatekeeper, Small Copper, Meadow Brown and one of my favourites Comma.
I am afraid birds remain well hidden and apart from Goldfinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Chaffinch, Buzzard, Red Kite and the usual collection of Corvid's little else was noted.
I am told that the Moth from yesterdays post is a Micro called Nettle-Tap Moth and quite common.
camboy.

                                             Clouded Yellow

                                               Comma

                                               Ruby Tiger

                                                 Magpie

                                                Small Copper

Drowned Rat.

Trip out to firstly Sandy Lane where I photographed a Moth (haven't had time to identify it yet) and a male Common Darter, then on to Shellingford Quarry for a couple of Damselflies and a Common Sandpiper along with a Common Snipe these birds are an indication that things should soon get interesting as Wader movement gets into full swing. The threatening storm clouds delivered while I was still some distance from the car and I became absolutely drenched before I was able to make it back to the protection of the motor.
camboy.

                                                  Nettle - Tap Moth  (Micro)

Good Day in the Warren.

Kicked the old rubber tyred steed into action and headed to the Warren close by Gainfield Crossroads this is a large wood covering I think some 600 acres of mainly conifers but with good numbers of deciduous trees as well. I have long thought that parts of the wood should be good for Fritillaries and after drawing a blank for such a long time it was very exciting to finally find a couple of Silver Washed Fritillaries along with an assortment of Dragonflies.
camboy.

Whats in a name that which we call a Rose by any other name would smell as sweet;

And indeed a Butterfly whatever we choose to call it still retains all its natural beauty. A Buddleia on the garden perimeter was today heaving with Butterflies including Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral and many Whites.
A trip out to Pit Sixty at Standlake gave me Common Tern and Common Sandpiper but that stalwart of the area Antony C had seen much more before I arrived and the place is well worth a visit with a good chance of early Wader movement imminent.
camboy.

 Screwed up Heron

 With a vicious spear for a beak

 Common Tern and Lapwing

Little Egret

                                                                  Common Sandpiper

                                                         Comma

  

                                             Mouse Moth snapped in the pit 60 hide.