MIDSUMMER,THE NIGHTS ARE DRAWING IN....

Another gloomy June is over,have had to make the most of the small windows of sunshine to find butterflies on the wing.Mothing at home in the garden has picked up after a very slow start.

 CUMULO NIMBUS OVER THE CHANNEL

 A PROFUSION OF FRAGRANT ORCHIDS TEMPLE EWELL

 SOME SMALL HEATHS CAN BE QUITE LARGE.

 JUVENILE ROCK PIPIT SAMPHIRE HOE

 PYRAMIDAL ORCHIDS SAMPHIRE HOE

 MIDSUMMERS EVENING AT BLEAN RSPB TO SEE WOODCOCK AND NIGHTJAR

 RIGHT HAND DOWN A BIT

 AT LAST A RODING WOODCOCK

SADLY NO SIGN OF NIGHTJAR IN THE USUAL PLACES.

A FEW MOTHS FROM THE TRAP

 BUFF ARCHES

 GREEN SILVER LINES

 FLAME SHOULDER

BUFF ERMINE

 MARBLED WHITES - 17 COUNTED ON LOWER TRAMWAY LAST WEEKEND

 LARGE SKIPPER

 EAST BLEAN WOODS FOR ONE OF KENTS RARITIES THE HEATH FRITILLARY.

 RINGLETS TOO ARE NOW ON THE WING.

 Samphire Hoe has had quite a breeding season this year with Ravens and Little Grebes successfully raising young for the first time.Stonechats Black Redstarts Rock Pipits,Meadow Pipits and Linnets have all fledged young as have Mallards and Moorhenson the ponds,unfortunately the two broods of 20 ducklings didn`t last very long.

 AT LEAST 3 OF THE 5 LITTLE GREBE CHICKS HAVE SURVIVED SO FAR

 4 MOORHEN YOUNGSTERS AND 2 OF THE GREBES WITH AN ADULT IN THE FRAME.

 WREN USING THE AVALANCHE FENCE AS A SONG POST

 RED SAIL IN THE MORNING.

 THE FIRST SMALL SKIPPERS ON THE TRANSECT AT THE HOE ON TUESDAY

 REMEMBER LOOK FOR THE ORANGE ANTENNAE TIPS.

ADONIS BLUE.

LET SUMMER BEGIN!PLEASE.

NOT FAR ENOUGH FROM THE MADDING CROWD

A couple of days in Dorset principally to see Marsh Fritillary,but the weather put paid to that so as compensation a trip to see Bill of the Portland persuasion landed me with good but brief views of the Great Spotted Cuckoo that has been there for a month or more,I did wonder if it could possibly be the same bird we saw in Namibia in March.

A GLOOMY PORTLAND BILL LIGHTHOUSE

 GREAT SPOTTED CUCKOO

 MEADOW BROWN

FOUR SPOTTED MOTH

 FIVE SPOT BURNET AT CERNE ABBAS The Giant has had to be fenced off by the National Trust because of erosion and probably giant abuse-too cool for Marsh fritillaries here.

 WOOD TIGER lots at Lankham Bottom.

I did manage to find the LULWORTH SKIPPER  on Tuesday morning appropriately at Lulworth Cove when the sun came out for a short time-not the most preposessing of our butterflies but it was a new one for me.

 LULWORTH SKIPPER

 LULWORTH COVE

 ROCK FORMATION AT STAIR HOLE

 STAIR HOLE

 DURDLE DORE

 WATERSHIP DOWN ? no Lankham Bottom north of Dorchester.

LANKHAM BOTTOM sadly no marsh fritillaries,too late or too cool?

 WOOD LARK at THURSLEY HEATH was even treated to a song flight despite torrential showers.

SOUTHERN MARSH ORCHID

AN OMINOUS SKY AT THURSLEY did not disappoint and led to an awful drive home round the M25.