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ON THE PAVEMENT

Grayling, Silverdale

I LOVE SPENDING TIME ON THE LIMESTONE PAVEMENT in midsummer. It is one of our most unique and special habitats and is home to some sought-after butterflies and plants. Although I didn't manage to see a High Brown Fritillary today, which is very worrying, there were lots of Dark Green and Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries around as well as Grayling and Northern Brown Argus. Other butterflies included Large and Small Skippers, Ringlet, Meadow Brown and Small Tortoiseshell but there were generally far fewer butterflies on the wing than usual for this time of year. Dark-red Helleborines were over by around one week, Lady's Slippers much longer but Broad-leaved Helleborines were about a week away from opening. Angular Solomon's Seal was also well over and Tutsan in fruit now. Nevertheless is was lovely to be amongst them all again, even though the light was so harsh with barely a cloud in the sky. Birds included a Tawny Owl being harassed by a small gathering of blackbirds and dragonflies, a female Black-tailed Skimmer on the pavement and a couple of wandering Brown Hawkers.

A lush stand of Herb Paris, ancient woodland indicator

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PINK STINK

East Lancashire's first Rose-coloured Starling drops one in Burnley

I GUESS IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME until Rose-coloured Starling finally turned up in East Lancs. I found myself on the streets of Burnley 0430 on Sunday morning amongst folks staggering home from drinking sessions, feral teenagers who appeared to have stopped out all night and a couple of 'ladies' sprawled on the pavement outside a long-closed pub... and I had hoped that by going early I might avoid people when searching for the starling in a residential area! The early start proved a waste of time apart from seeing a Little Ringed Plover briefly, which John Metcalf found on a piece of industrial wasteland nearby. It was alarming so we did not pursue it. I wonder how and why it found itself here with no water in sight? A day of butterflying around Morecambe Bay with Alan McBride quickly turned into a walk up Pendle instead and after a quick stop at the Riverbank Tearooms it was back to Burnley for another try. Fortunately this time the starling appeared, first on a chimney pot and then on a TV aerial but not for long. Eventually it gave itself up for a longer period on a nearby fenced off playing field, foraging with a flock of around 40 starlings. Thanks to Russel Carter and especially the finder, his brother-in-law, for making this possible!

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MIDSUMMER DOTTEREL

Eurasian Dotterel, female on Pendle Hill

MARTIN NAYLOR SURPRISED EVERYONE BY FINDING A DOTTEREL ON 29 JUNE! One wonders where this faded female came from and where it is going to? Female dotterels do not stay around to raise the family that is brooded by the male and they are known to wander after the event. On one hand the return passage of Scandinavian-breeding shorebirds is well underway now so it may have come a long way but on the other dotterel breeds in Cumbria and the North Pennines... It took around three hours for us to gain its confidence but eventually this bird would allow Alan and me to walk right up to it, easily the most approachable one I have seen on Pendle and a wonderful experience on a glorious sunny summer's day overlooking the Colne Valley on one side and the Ribble Valley on the other.

Pendleside Farm from Pendle Hill

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NORTHWEST LARGE HEATHS

Large Heath ssp polydama, Bowland Fells SSSI

THE LARGE HEATH BUTTERFLY IS ONE OF THE SPECIAL SPECIES WE ARE LUCKY TO HAVE IN LANCASHIRE. Not only that but we also have two subspecies of it, davus at a lowland raised bog, Winmarleigh Moss and an extensive colony (or colonies) of the form polydama on the Bowland Fells. They are both flying at the moment and I was happy to put my boots on, pick up my macro lens and head to the bogs. Large Heaths have a weak but lively flight over their Hare's Tail Cottongrass foodplant habitat, like a puppet on a string skipping over tussocks. I followed them for hours, waiting for one to land in a photogenic situation. During my time following the polydama insects on the fells I was privileged to have a glimpse into their private world. The recently-emerged female of a mating pair crawled into a grass tussock to recover once the male had gone on his way. There was hardly any Cross-leaved Heath in flower and I am not sure what, if anything, the males were nectaring on but there was plenty of their larva's food plant here. Curlews called nearby, a small flock of post-breeding lapwings were also here and I disturbed a pair of Red Grouse, which promptly flew off, shame, they should have chicks by now.

Large Heath ssp polydama, Bowland Fells SSSI

In the afternoon I visited a couple of lowland raised bog sites in South Cumbria, with strong Large Heath colonies of the ssp davus and was struck by how dark they looked in flight compared to the pale orange polydama, not to mention the bold black spots on the underside. A great day out also included some chance birds, such as my first Red KItes in East Lancashire, ospreys, Tree Pipits and Common Redstarts as well as a profusion of dragonflies, particularly Four-spotted Chasers.

A Large Heath ssp davus dices with death in a spider's web, fortunately spider went hungry this time

Large Heath ssp davus, Foulshaw Moss CWT Reserve

Four-spotted Chaser, Foulshaw Moss

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