Drumburgh Nature Reserve - Spectacular!

This Cumbria Wildlife Trust reserve really is at its best at the moment - the cotton grass is stunning and there were lots of dragonflies and damselflies on the wing. However, the best spot today was a pair of fuzzy little water rail chicks with a brief appearance by mum - fantastic!

Looking across to Skiddaw.

 

Damselflies.

Small heath and four spot chaser.

Behind here are a pair of water rail chicks and their mum!

Maryport SSSI and small blues

Good to see so many small blues flying at Maryport this morning...and some common blues.  The northern marsh orchids are very stunted - drought and burnt on one side from the wind last week. There's no sign of any pyramidal orchids or bee orchids and given how dry it is they may not appear. There were some broomrapes coming into flower though.

The SSSI is looking pretty dry!

Small blues.

Broomrapes.

Stumpy northern marsh orchids.

Criffel over a blue Solway.

Common blues.

Maryport looking more like  the south of France than Cumbria!

High Hartsop Dodd and a detour!

A fantastic day out on the fells, hot - but a gentle breeze. Parked up at the lay-by just past Brothers Water with the aim of finishing the horseshoe I only got half way round in January click here for that walk and ticking off the last Wainwright in that area.

A lovely walk up Caiston Glen to Scandale Pass. Lots of waterfalls and pools. At the pass High Pike looked a pleasant stroll out - so a quick check that it was a Wainwright and we decided to do that one too...on arrival we realised we'd already done it but hey ho! Great views down over Windermere and Coniston and over to the Langdale Pikes and Great End. Then back to the pass and we passed under Little Hart Crag to our Wainwright - High Hartsop Dodd. Unbeknown to us, until we got home, Little Hart Crag still needed to be done - the route planner is sacked! But then again it's such a lovely route there's no hardship in going back again to finally finish the Wainwrights of the area! On descending from High Hartsop Dodd it was good to see extensive patches of bluebells and the remains of a Romano-British enclosed stone hut circle. Stone hut circle info.

Looking back over Brothers Water.

Views ...back over Brothers Water; up towards Little hart Crag; towards Red Screes; down Windermere; across to Great End and St Sunday Crag and Helvellyn.

Happy Rocky.

Water details.

Butterwort and bluebells.

Buebells.

The enclosed hut circle.

Haycock from Wasdale

A hard and hot day walking up beside Nether Beck up to Haycock. A gorgeous beck with lovely, clear pools and waterfalls. The views across to the Scafells were very impressive!

The walk up the beck. 

Rocky on his way up his 151st Wainwright.

Looking down the beck.

Across to Ennerdale.

From Haycock summit towards the Scafells. 

There were lots of small heaths and also several fritillaries - moving too quickly to get close as they didn't settle. 

Looking back up Wasdale. 

Beautiful demoiselles of Clyne Valley

An unexpected treat today on the walk from my house, along the coastal footpath to Clyne Valley country park. While it is a regular walk I've never been this time of year, because I'm usually off on the Gower at nature reserves and walking the coast, so its fantastic to see something new.  

Swansea Bay towards Mumbles.

As well as the far more common common broomrape in the dunes, in the wooded area backing the dunes and along the cycle path some impressive stands of ivy broomrape can be found- note the more distinct and darker purple colour and yellow stigmas.

Ivy Broomrape- spectacular stands next to the cycle path just before Blackpill.

Once in Clyne valley I made it down to the ghyll to a small glade/opening in the trees where there were two, a male and a female, beautiful demoiselles, but they were incredibly flighty and generally stayed in the canopy of a river-side tree.

Beautiful demoiselles high in the canopy.

All along the river the demoiselles fluttered, making an audible sound, until I came to another opening where there were 6 males and 3 females in around 1m^2. 

Male beautiful demoiselles in flight.

This included a female laying eggs.

A female laying eggs on submerged vegetation.

Males and a female (bottom right).

An unlucky individual caught be a grey wagtail.

Large red damselfly.

Female beautiful demoiselle.

Male beautiful demoiselle.

On the way back I stopped off at spot where last year I had seen small pearl-bordered fritillary. This time there was only one and it was very flighty due to the heat, so no photos, likewise with the speckled woods and common blues. 

Space for small pearl-bordered fritillary. 

Wedhome Flow NNR

A warm walk out this evening ..

Looking across the moss to Criffel.

Spectacular cotton grass ..... and reflections.

Four spot chaser.

Four spot chaser.

Four spot chaser.

Large red damselfly.

Shelduck.

Eycott Hill Nature Reserve

A quick visit to a nearby nature reserve - a bit early for most things, but still a lovely evening walk.

Small heath...lots around...

Mountain pansies.

Bilberry bumble bee.

Ragged robin just coming out.

Field sketch ....