17 Jun 17

Broadcroft Quarry Butterfly Reserve
Back to Broadcroft Quarry Butterfly Reserve this afternoon and 3 new butterflies and 2 new moths to add to my list. The butterflies were 2 Marbled Whites, 1 Small Skipper and a Small Heath and the moths were 2 Six-Spot Burnet (Zygaena filipendulae) and a Yellow Belle moth (Aspitates ochrearia), the latter spotted by eagle-eyed Dawn.

Also about a Dingy moth, several Speckled Woods and dozens of Meadow Browns. Plus 3 large "blue-bodied" Dragonflies

Birds recorded here today were 1 Buzzard, 2 Herring Gull, 2 Great Black-backed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, 3 Swift, 1 Swallow, 1 Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, Blackbird, 1 Song Thrush, 3 Common Whitethroat, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch and 1 Greenfinch.

This habitat was where we came across 2 Marbled Whites, along with a dozens of Meadow Browns.

A Common Buzzard prepares to land in the quarry.

My first Small Heath. A very small and dainty butterfly.

Always on the go and never appearing to stop, I just managed to capture a Marbled white in flight just! Top left of image.

A great spot by Dawn, a Yellow Belle. A day flying moth that can be seen on sunny days. More on this moth here.

A 6-spot Burnet moth, with 3 sets of double spots on each wing.

A Common Blue, not too many around today. Maybe a touch to warm for them.

This is what I believe to be a Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis).......

.....this one isn't quite opened fully, but I will keep an eye on it and photograph it again when its fully open.