Great White Egret and a bit of Lepidoptera

As the Grimley Great White Egret obligingly hung around til I had finished work for the week, it was my first port of call the weekend. The bird showed very well, but myself and the fellow birders observed from a respectful distance so as not to disturb it. It was my second GWE sighting, the last being a brief view at Upton Warren last November. There is a short Video here of the Grimley bird

Great White Egret chatting to Grey Heron

Also of note was a Hobby that arrived and perched for a while, and 8 Common Terns. From Grimley I scooted to Upton Warren in search of Brown Argus Butterfly. I drew a blank on that front but during my stakeout I saw a variety of Lepidoptera. The pick of the bunch was a Shaded Broadbar moth, a lifer for me.

Shaded Broadbar

Equally pleasing though was seeing a Common Blue. These butterflies are so stunning, but this year they have been hammered by the wet weather. It was the first one I had seen since mid June, and only my 4th sighting of the year.

(not so) Common Blue

 Gatekeepers were abundant, and there were a good few Green-veined White's. I saw 1 Red Admiral, 1 Peacock, 1 Small Skipper 1 Speckled Wood and a handful of Comma's. Such poor numbers. There were a few Six Spot Burnets and a rather smart Common Carpet representing the other Macro moths. I also noted what I was fairly certain was my first Migrant Hawker of the year, but they wouldn't settle to confirm the ID 100%. What I did confirm was a single male Ruddy Darter, an Upton first for me.

Common Carpet

Six-spot Burnet moth