A walk round the pond - Week 33

At last.  My first decent view of a hawker this year.  I nearly missed this female migrant hawker (Aeshna mixta) as she was so well camouflaged against the blackthorn.

She flew around hunting and landed again close by.

I also saw a single male emperor patrolling the smaller pond in the hope that there might yet be females about.  I expect he is the last of the year.

There were dozens of common darters, many still young,

and ruddy darters, mostly mature.

The damselfly species are down to three with no azures this week (they disappeared after week 32 last year as well).

I spotted a silver Y moth, a species I quite often see in my garden as well.

Butterflies this week included peacock,

wall.

and painted lady.

There are several ant hills on the site, like this one.  They must be what attracted the family of green woodpeckers last year, although I haven't seen or heard any this year.

There are more Robin's pincushions.  It must be a good year for the wasp Diplolepsis rosae.

After the heavy rain of last weekend the water level in the ponds was as high as I have seen.  Definitely a day for wellies. The little grebes and the coots both have very young chicks on the pond. which must be second broods.  Small frogs were on the move, perhaps displaced by the rising water.

Next week I'm hoping for male migrant hawkers and any southern or common hawkers, and perhaps even a black darter.