 |
| Sparrowhawk with prey. |
A bit of unwanted drama in the early hours of Friday and a very windy Saturday meant I didn't get out birding on Saturday the 28th of June. With a slightly improved weather forecast (still a bit windy eventually, but relatively calm and warm to start with) for Sunday I decided I really should head out. My plan would be to check out the potential White-letter Hairstreak Elm tree I had found and then from there head up to Clatto where Lainy had found some Narrow-bordered 5-Spot Burnet moths and some Dark Green Fritilaries. All 3 species would be new for the year, and the moth would be a lifer (although I don't really keep a moth list as such, though I have a general idea of which species I have seen previously). With much more variety in butterfly species within Dundee in recent years, I now do actively try to see as many of those possible each year. Holly Blue, Speckled Wood, White-letter Hairstreak and Wall have all been recent arrivals and there are likely to be a few other potential colonists on their way too (Large & Small Skippers next?).
I headed out at 0835, dressed for the expected temperatures later in the day. Thankfully it was already fairly warm. Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Blackbird, Starling, Feral Pigeon, Chaffinch, Jackdaw, Woodpigeon, Swift, Siskin, Blue Tit, Magpie, Dunnock, Wren, Carrion Crow and Great Tit made for a relatively productive first ten minutes or so. Needless to say things quietened down a bit after that. Chiffchaff, Blackcap and House Martin were all noted at the Law, as was a Robin. A bit of wandering found some Wolf's Milk slime mould on a fallen tree trunk, which I'm not aware of having noticed before. I photographed a selection of insects including (what I think was a) Common Stilletto, Tree Bumblebee, a tiny wasp species, a 7-spot Ladybird and assorted other flies and hoverflies, before moving on again.
I photographed a variety of plants with my phone on the walk down the western Law Steps, with a rather half-hearted idea of getting IDs for them all, at some point. I then had a quick look around the old Logie Cemetery, where I found another mature Elm tree (I'd found a couple of smaller ones not far from the Law as well, that might be worth spending a little longer watching properly sometime). It didn't take too long from there to reach the tree I'd found previously that looked like it might deliver a White-letter Hairstreak or two. Before I got there I did find a second prosepective Elm with leaf damage not too far away. It took less than a minute to see butterflies flitting around at the top of 'my' tree. Getting a decent view, and then a photo to confirm the ID, took a LOT longer, but eventually I succeeded in adding White-letter Hairstreak to my butterfly list for the year. I messaged Lainy to let her know I'd found a couple and she said she'd join me following a visit to see the Titan Arum in flower at the Botanic Gardens.
When Lainy arrived the sun decided to put in a very welcome appearance and there was suddenly plenty of activity. We did eventually get reasonable views, and more importantly, photos of a settled White-letter Hairstreak, as well as at least 3, probably 4 individuals all at one time above the tree. We headed onwards to Victoria Park where we bumped into a couple of butterfly enthusiasts Lainy had met before - Colin and Joan Wilson. We confirmed that they had indeed found the correct tree and we were rewarded with a few brief flight views of another couple of White-letter Hairstreaks. We invited Colin and Joan to join us as we checked a few other prosepctive sites around Balgay Hill for butterflies. As we were about to set off, a Sparrowhawk with prey circled above us and a Buzzard showed up a few seconds later being harassed by a Carrion Crow.
As we explored the hill area we added yet another posing White-letter Hairstreak as well as Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral and a Comma on the butterfly front, with Treecreeper, Nuthatch, Goldcrest and Stock Dove, as well as a Sparrowhawk chasing a Buzzard low around the open area we were stood in. With more species to hopefully see at Clatto, we said cheerio to Colin and Joan, before Lainy's husband Adam arrived to kindly pick us up. Less than 10 minutes later we were at Clatto and hunting for more butterflies and moths. It didn't take long to get both Dark Green Fritillary and Narrow-bordered 5-spot Burnet moth, though both seemed reluctant to actually settle, though eventually both gave reasonable views.
In addition, both Ringlet and Meadow Brown were also noted as well as a few Green-veined Whites. After half an hour or so we headed round the reservoir to check Lainy's (unfortunately newly trampled) wildflower area on the north side. Great Crested Grebe (with one 'humbug' youngster in tow), Mallard, Mute Swan and 21 Tufted Ducks were seen out on the water and there were a few Pied Wagtails flitting around also. We found a few Common Blue Damselflies by the water, as well as a few Small Tortoiseshells and a Dark Green Fritillary on the banks of the reservoir. Among the wildlflowers we managed to find a few more moths - Shaded Broad-bar, Middle-barred Minor and a Silver Y, as well as Chamomile Shark caterpillars. A Large White butterfly was also noted.
Crossbills were heard from the trees and following a bit more wandering we added Willow Warbler, Bullfinch, a slightly unexpected Common Sandpiper, Sand Martin, Long-tailed Tit, Oystercatcher, Swallow, Yellowhammer, Greenfinch and Black-headed Gull before we wandered back up to where we'd seen the butterflies and moths earlier. We added a few more Red Admirals and Speckled Woods before finally calling it a day around 1715. I wandered home, happy with the day's birding and butterflying(?). I ended the day's exploits with a total of 44 species of birds, 10 species of butterflies, 1 of Damselfly and 4 species of moths, as well as multiple sightings of White-letter Hairstreaks. All in all, a productive, and much needed positive, day out.
 |
| Micro moth sp. |
 |
| Woodpigeon |
 |
| Wolf's Milk slime mould |
 |
| Fly sp. |
 |
| Bee sp. |
 |
| Tree Bumblebee |
 |
| Hoverfly sp. |
 |
| Wasp sp. |
 |
| 7-spot Ladybird |
 |
| Common Stilletto? |
 |
| White-letter Hairstreak |
 |
| White-letter Hairstreak |
 |
| Buzzard & Carrion Crow |
 |
| White-letter Hairstreak |
 |
| Comma |
 |
| Hoverfly sp. |
 |
| Dark Green Fritillary |
 |
| Common Blue Damselfly |
 |
| Small Tortoiseshell |
 |
| Great Crested Grebe |
 |
| Dark Green Fritillary |
 |
| Meadow Brown |
 |
| Shaded Broad Bar |
 |
| Middle-barred Minor |
 |
| Chamomile Shark caterpillar |
 |
| Green-veined White |
 |
| Silver Y |
 |
| Red Admiral |
 |
| Common Sandpiper |
 |
| Narrow-bordered 5-spot Burnet moth |
 |
| Narrow-bordered 5-spot Burnet moth |
 |
| Speckled Wood |
 |
| Grasshopper sp. |
 |
| Ringlet |
Birds - Black-headed Gull, Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Common Sandpiper, Crossbill, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Crested Grebe, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mute Swan, Nuthatch, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Sand Martin, Siskin, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Swift, Treecreeper, Tufted Duck, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
Butterfly - Comma, Dark Green Fritillary, Green-veined White, Large White, Meadow Brown, Red Admiral, Ringlet, Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood, White-letter hairstreak.
Damselflies - Common Blue Damselfly.
Moths - Middle-barred Minor, Narrow-bordered 5-spot Burnet, Shaded Broad-bar, Silver Y.
