Returning to the flatlands an early morning message told of a Golden Oriole singing at Chippenham Fen. It's a long time since I've seen or heard an Oriole in the Ely10 and the days of heading out on farm tracks across the Fen between Shippea Hill and Lakenheath with oriole song drifting from the Poplar stands and plantations are a fading memory of the late 20th Century, much is the pity. Although the oriole remained silent (and also the following morning) there were plenty of wonderful distractions, Large Red Damselflies were bouncing from stem to stem and a recently emerged Scarlet Tiger unfurled slowly low down amidst the grasses. When I got back to the car my windscreen was ornately adorned with an arrangement of phragmites, whether an art project or some kind of protest, I mourned the waste of chlorophyll - some people.
The damselflies, some nice Hairy Dragonflies at Chippenham and the continuing push of Painted Ladies through the fine weather and southerly airflow, whetted my appetite for the afternoon. With still and balmy conditions I put the Tab lure out and took a walk around the reservoir loop on the edge of the village at Ben's Yard. I was hoping a Lesser Emperor or 2 may have emerged over the past week, unfortunately none were winging but there was plenty of other Odonata - lots of Common Blue Damselflies in heart shaped copullation, Scarce and Four-spotted Chasers were evident, Black-tailed Skimmers along the path side, a few Blue Emperors and best of all a Norfolk Hawker, my first around the village.
As I walked the banks 3 Cuckoo's were battling it out and vocal while streams of Painted Ladies were stopping briefly before heading purposefully northwards. Common Blues and Small Heaths were bustling around the patches of shorter grass and I glimpsed a few Darters, although none stayed for long enough for a good look. I am still to find a Red-veined Darter in the local area, yet the are sure to be present somewhere, it can only be a matter of time before I discover one at Ben's Yard. When I got home there were a couple of Dusky Clearwings attracted to the Tab pherenome - glad they are still present in the area, it's hard to believe it's only a couple of years since they were re-discovered locally, after a centuries absence from the UK. One of the Duskies made an early bid for freedom and flew a bit around the kitchen before finding the open door. I swapped out the lure to try for Orange-tailed Clearwing and within a few hours it had done the job and a single Clearwing confirmed a continuing presence of this species in the area.
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