Dan's Pictures, Places and Creatures

View, a marvellous Migrant Hawker in flight, traveller's joy, common mallow, common or greater plantain and bristly oxtongue at Lakeside Country Park today 11/08/2026 and a Buff-tip moth at home on Sunday.

It was also brilliant to see a Clouded Yellow on an unprecedented for me tenth occasion this year at Lakeside today, six of them coming at Lakeside, an interesting feature of this summer with so many around. Lesser Black-backed Gull, Meadow Brown, Brown Argus, Small Heath and horseradish leaves were other highlights today. Other highlights of recent days at Lakeside and home have included Painted Lady, Lesser Emperor, great views of a beautiful Spotted Flycatcher at Lakeside yesterday one of my best birds on patch seen this year it was a pleasure to see it, Great Crested Grebe including precious close views of one fishing for its chick and Kingfishers. The Buff-tip one of two attracted to a moth trap we did Saturday night into Sunday was also very exciting, having seen a Buff-tip moth caterpillar six years ago I'd become aware of them and their fascinating camouflage looking like a snapped twig so it was enchanting to see that for myself. Below is the photo I took of that striking caterpillar at Baddesley Common and Emer Bog in summer 2020.

Thoughts at the end of my Big Butterfly Count 2026

Three weeks of fun in the sun clearing my mind outdoors by looking for and counting a selection of butterflies and day-flying moths all for a good cause to take the pulse of populations in Butterfly Conservation’s ‘Big Butterfly Count’ draws to a close, I’ve enjoyed it immensely again. I do multiple counts across different parts of my local Lakeside Country Park on working from home lunch time and evening walks as well as some when out at other places on office working days and at weekends and put together a leaderboard of all the species and how many I’ve seen at the end. Below are some observations from my counts this year.

I saw a little less than last year and that is likely down to the heatwave

I saw 538 butterflies in total compared to last year’s 696, seeing on average 17.93 per count compared to last year’s 21.75. I saw 358 butterflies on the counts done at Lakeside this year compared to last year’s 420. Last year I saw 26.25 butterflies on average per count at Lakeside compared to this year’s 19.89. Still pretty healthy numbers of course but it’s interesting thinking of the intense heat and sunny weather that on first thought maybe it would lead to more being about. However when you consider most of my counts were undertaken during the hottest parts of the day being naturally when I was out with butterflies more active in the coolest parts of the day to adapt to the extreme heat it’s little surprise my numbers dipped a little. There were a few times whilst out counting I felt I was seeing less than usual so it’s interesting to see my data does reflect this.

Meadow Brown reclaims my top spot at the expense of Small White

I had a shock last year as Small White was the butterfly I saw most of during my 2025 counts in total and the Lakeside ones when it’s usually the irrepressibly abundant Meadow Brown, but the latter recovered this year as I saw more than last year topping both of my tables. It was a straight swap between first and second with the numbers of Small Whites I saw down but the amount I saw still the second highest of any species this year.

Gatekeepers tailed off

Early on in my counts it looked more of a tight three horse race with decent numbers of Gatekeepers about and it’s interesting when entering my data into a spreadsheet yesterday I noticed that the Gatekeeper numbers really dropped off partway through the count, reflecting what I felt whilst doing the counts and it losing its top stop nationally on the live leaderboard to Small White. I wonder if the heat meant they largely got their business completed early or couldn’t cope in southern England or perhaps their season just naturally ended during the count having started fairly early. Still it maintains it’s constant top three berth for me.

Common Blue my runaway star

I saw so many Common Blues over the past three weeks and they quite emphatically claimed fourth spot on both my leaderboards, I usually see a fair few across my counts but this was a real revelation of it for me this year.

A good count for Holly Blues too

Holly Blue is one of a nice number of butterflies I will say had a good year with their strong start in spring backed up by a subsequent generation/s and I saw increased numbers in this year’s count.

The Painted Lady big year showed

We’re having an amazing year for migratory insects with me particularly paying attention to Painted Lady, Clouded Yellow, Hummingbird Hawk-moth and Jersey Tiger moth numbers. Whilst I didn’t visit any areas of mass emergence or arrival during the count to see it really surge up my leaderboard they were a consistent presence and went from low down on last year’s leaderboards to around midway. A good sample of their general numbers around I feel and it was rewarding to use the count to submit a few more of the many sightings I’ve had this year.

As above for Jersey Tiger moth

As anticipated Jersey Tiger moth also climbed my leaderboards. Frustratingly at times I saw them in recent weeks at times I wasn’t counting like on the way to work or after I’d counted on a walk but as I say a good sample of their general abundance currently.

A late Small Copper push

Getting through the three weeks I wasn’t seeing too many Small Coppers but a flurry of sightings in counts at Lakeside over the past week have ensured this exuberant butterfly finished with a flourish with more seen this year than last.

Too late for Marbled White and Ringlet

Talking of species’ seasons getting earlier and these two which used to be in their peak as the count arrived emerge earlier and earlier in years down south so they were finished locally for me before the count began. I managed to see two of each only by virtue of a couple of cheeky warm-up counts done in July around two weeks prior to the count actually beginning when the website opened for submission of counts at Lakeside. In recent years I seem to vow not to do early counts each year but usually give in, even with that being so I wonder if I’ll see any in July at all in years to come. It’s an interesting sign of warmer spring weather at times speeding up these species’ lifecycles to shift the season a bit.

A poor count for Six-spot Burnets for me

These day-flying moths buzzing around the meadows is usually a key feature of my counts and in good numbers in years gone by but not so this year with none seen. I’ve only seen them on one occasion this year at all, prior to the count last month at Durlston, and none locally. Worryingly for a second consecutive year I saw no Small Tortoiseshells in my counts either.

View, Brown Argus, rose hips and yarrow on my lunch time walk at Lakeside Country Park and geraniums and House Sparrows in the buddleia at home 04/08/2026 and view at Millyford Bridge in the New Forest on Sunday.

Long-tailed Shrike, Whinchat, Clouded Yellows and more on the Oxfordshire/Gloucestershire border near Eastleach Martin 01/08/2026 and an Emperor dragonfly at Lakeside Country Park 31/07/2026.

The photos in this set are two of the Long-tailed Shrike, a view from the walk to where we saw it and the Emperor on my lunch time walk at Lakeside Country Park yesterday.

We don’t go on many non-local twitches outside of when on holiday in areas but a famous current UK rarity that we’ve heard a lot about is the Long-tailed Shrike in the Cotswolds. We took the opportunity to make a trip there today and were astonished to get some stupendous views of this absolutely stunning grey, black and sunset-rear coloured bird. Seeing it on trees, in flight and diving down to the well vegetated ground to catch the insects it’s been feeding on was amazing. I was in my element watching it, drinking in glorious views of it and trying for photos. One of my birds of the year for sure and one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. 

It’s not something I’ll often get the opportunity to see again as it’s native to Asia with its breeding range spanning from Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to parts of South-East Asia. It’s only the third UK record and the second this year but the first for England with the previous two at South Uist and Fife in Scotland. So it’s a real vagrant and a brilliant third new bird for me this year after two straying American waders at home in Hampshire in the winter and spring Killdeer and American Golden Plover respectively. The old … are like buses line has come out for the two UK Long-tailed Shrikes this year and it’s a bit like that for us and seeing shrikes; we didn’t see one for five years before two Great Grey Shrikes in the New Forest either side of the new year last winter so it was nice to follow that up with this. It’s my twelfth shrike sighting overall of four species seen in my life now also including Red-backed Shrike and Brown Shrike. These butcher birds are fascinating and always striking birds to see. 

Seven of my favourite photos I took in July 2026 of; a stunning Lesser Emperor dragonfly in flight at Rutland Water, radiant Clouded Yellow butterfly at Durlston, Hummingbird Hawk-moth at Testwood Lakes, eyecatching Green Woodpecker at Lakeside Country Park, sky at home the night of the Green Woodpecker photo, evening view at Rutland Water and fleabane at Lakeside Country Park and other highlights of my month.

Immersed in wetland, lakes and reservoirs, coast, meadows, chalk downland and sandy heathland in a sizzling sunny month, I was captivated by observing electrifying insects, exquisite birds, exuberant flowers and more in July. Other brilliant birds I saw this month included Pectoral Sandpiper, Black-crowned Night Heron, Stonechats, Peregrine and Osprey, Green Sandpiper and Yellow-legged Gull in time at the Rutland Water nature reserves whilst having the ever amazing and inspiring time at the Global Bird Fair. My first Chalkhill Blue, Lulworth Skippers and Graylings of the year were other butterfly highlights alongside Brown Argus and colourful Painted Lady, Red Admiral and Peacock as I also enjoyed counting those three and other species as Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count arrived. July was a pivotal month in my glorious year of odanata with my first ever White-legged Damselflies, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Emperors, Brown Hawker, Southern Hawker, Keeled Skimmer, Black-tailed Skimmer and a fair few glowing Ruddy Darters seen well.

A few energetic Jersey Tiger moths as their influx began, Nut-tree Tussock, Diamond-back moth, the summer treat of Common Red Soldier beetles, Beewolves on a sandy path in the New Forest including one seen going into its hole which looked like it miraculously disappearing through sand, Goldenrod Crab spider and Rabbit were other highlights this month. Gorgeous wild carrot flowers and seed heads, viper’s-bugloss, rosebay willowherb, lesser burdock, bell heather, pineappleweed and restharrow were other enchanting summer flowers seen with blackthorn sloes and blackberries principal species in emerging fruit this month. In a busy period I wrote this post, a lighter version of my usual end of month post, last Friday so since that point other species seen that are standouts of my month were Brown Hairstreak and Silver-spotted Skipper to make my butterfly year list my second highest ever, Migrant Hawker to make my dragonfly and damselfly year list my highest ever, Red Kite and water mint. Dartford Warbler and Common Blue were other standout species of my month. The full Buck moon was a stunning sight this week. Have a good August all.

A trio of insects with a big influx this summer (Clouded Yellow and Painted Lady butterflies and Jersey Tiger moth), beautiful water mint and dogwood berries coming through, view and juvenile Robin at Lakeside Country Park at lunch time today 28th July 2026 and a super Silver-spotted Skipper at Perham Down on Sunday. A precious and splendidly marked butterfly, one of my favourites the Silver-spotted Skipper clinched my silver as it's my forty sixth species seen this year making my year list my second highest ever which I'm so pleased to reach, I'm having an amazing year of butterflies.

I am saddened to hear of the passing of Bill Oddie, my thoughts are with his family and friends. He was such a kind, funny and passionate person. He was a great influence in growing my fledgling interest in birds which sparked my general passion for wildlife as a kid through the BBC programmes Springwatch, Autumnwatch and others through his enthusiasm for nature that kept me excited and engaged.

It was an honour to meet him a couple of times at Bird Fairs at Rutland Water and see him in action a few times presenting and partaking in quizzes/panel discussions there. I found him to be so down to earth and exactly as he appeared on screen. He was certainly a character, I’ll always know him as a wildlife presenter as the Goodies was before my time but as I watched them performing ‘The Funky Gibbon’ last night I thought that it doesn’t surprise me knowing he’d had that career in comedy/music. He certainly was such a character that gave us so many memories, some of my favourite are; on Springwatch when Kate Humble had just told the viewers they were going to play the sound of a bird calling for us to guess what it was and Bill not really paying attention said “Hey, we’ve got a Buzzard”, when he played a spoof version of BBC Pointless at the Bird Fair not really knowing what was going on but managing to smash it getting three pointless answers in the final round, when he spiced up the prestigious ‘Bird Brain of Britain’ Bird Fair quiz by making the contestants do impressions and of course when he publicly turned down huge sums to appear on Celebrity Big Brother because it clashed with the Bird Fair. A move that says so much about him.

Beautiful Brown Hairstreak and Clouded Yellow butterflies at Shipton Bellinger yesterday 25/07/2026, exceptional species to see.

The hairstreaks are one of my favourite butterfly families, the UK has five species named after the hair-like lines and thin streaks on the underside of their wings which are all varied colours and they’re always a treat to see being quite elusive spending a lot of time high up along tree tops where they delightfully flit around. The Brown Hairstreak is a stunningly coloured and marked butterfly and one I look forward to searching for as we get towards late summer, one of the last species to look for. They feed on ash trees and the females lay their eggs on young blackthorn shoots where the older caterpillars are disguised to look like blackthorn leaves. They’re a species where the caterpillars have a symbiotic relationship with ants, known as myrmecophily where the caterpillars secrete a sugary substance that attracts the ants and in return they protect them from predators such as spiders and parasitic wasps.

A Painted Lady year

The beautiful Painted Lady, Vanessa cardui is one of the butterflies I’m most impressed with, mostly because as a species they make an extraordinary migratory journey from sub-Saharan Africa to the UK. It’s a multi-generational journey with a generation of adults making it so far following the availability of caterpillar food plants where they reproduce, the next generation emerge and pupate and carry on and do the same and so on. A generation will also emerge in the UK.

If the conditions are right at the different stages, food plentiful for the caterpillars, favourable weather and lack of predation, combined with a good emergence in the UK with such conditions we can have a “Painted Lady year” where huge amounts are around. These happen around once a decade, 2019 was a notable one and we are onto a big year this year as well. After our Somerset holiday in the spring and seeing a few in home areas I wondered if we might be onto one so I made a spreadsheet to log my sightings of them, I’ve currently seen at least one on forty occasions this year across nine counties in 2026. To put that into perspective in a more normal year I feel relieved when I see my first Painted Lady of the year as you never know if you'll see one. Perhaps the most memorable sightings was alongside the epic Swallowtail views early into our Norfolk trip in June where the brambles were teeming with Painted Ladies. I think the variable numbers year on year make sightings so exciting as you don’t know how many you’ll see in a year or where or when.

Ermine moth this evening and fleabane, red valerian, dock bug on a wild carrot flower, one of a few blackthorn sloes it's been nice to see lately and creeping thistle at Lakeside Country Park 21/07/2026 and Keeled Skimmer dragonfly on a walk from Whitefield Moor in the New Forest on Sunday.