Badbury Butterflies....

...or NOT!

Wednesday was forecast pretty good for before the storms hit, so I thought a butterfly foray was called for, but was feeling too lazy to climb Hod Hill, so I had a look at the Dorset Butterfly Recent Sightings, and Badbury Rings had seemed pretty spectacular Tuesday, so I decided to risk it for a biscuit.

I was perhaps a bit early, at 7am, but the sun was out, and quite warm (shirt sleeves weather, even at that time).

First up, Juvenile Goldfinch (it was sunny, honest...he's just in shadow Grinning)

Quite surprisingly a couple of Squirrels were scampering about the rings, a fair distance from the trees, this one doing his best Meercat impression (told you it was sunny!)

A couple of Meadow Browns flittered away, with no intention of settling, then a bit further ahead a Blackbird and a Dunnock shared a bit of scrubby brush, too distant (and in shadow) for a decent pic. As is my wont, I tend to snap anything that moves, including a couple of distant rabbits (they might have been hares to my naked eyes... that's my excuse, and it turns out using this method I managed both a common and a lesser Whitethroat, at different times...

The first of a myriad of Stonechats, in various stages of age and moult!

  

A scruffy 'erbert bounced onto the path

Then back to a twig!

A family group of Goldfinch.... feeding time...

They've got no table manners though, my Mum always said to keep my mouth closed if it was full of food... at least they have a portion of greens Nauseated face

Ewwww... really?? That's gross!

A much more pleasant view Slight smile

It was at this point I started thinking that I was just replicating Hazel's thread from the other day Thinking ... luckily the other Whitethroat popped up

Briefly....

And another (?) ...equally briefly

There were a good few corvids about, some scruffy, others not so bad

But the Stonechats were still the most prevalent

If not all were as pretty as some others lol

A BUTTERFLY LANDED!!!!!!!

As I carried on heading vaguely back to the car park, a flash of russet caught my eye and I thought, ooh a Chaffinch, not seen one of those in a while... then I looked throught the camera... it doesn't look quite right...

And orange underarms? (yeah, yeah...I know, they're wings, not arms.... but you knew what I meant Stuck out tongue closed eyes)

It wasn't until I got home and looked it up I discovered my "photograph whatever moves" tactic had paid off again... my first Redstart (I hope)

Feeling slightly better at adding a bit of variety to the walk (and finally a butterfly!) I headed along the path to the car park. Imagine my surprise... a flash of white I recognised from Durlston.... Wheatear...nowhere near the sea... blimey!!

And a probable Chiffchaff although a UK first Icterine Pallas hybrid warbler isn't totally out of the question, is it? Smile

There were still the odd Goldfinch charm about, some not sure if they were adult, juvenile, moulting, or not

There were 4 Wheatear, that leapfrogged one another along the fencetop... wassthattherethen?

I decided to head off to other butterfly havens, either Martin Down, Fontmell Down or Alners Gorse, but for some reason, when I got to the roundabout I turned left... fortuitous some might say....

The first time I've seen juvenile Kingie

There was a fleeting glimpse of 4 flying together, the sun making their blues and oranges a shimmering delight, but far too quick for me to capture, and then another little bonus, again, the first for a while for me...Grey Wagtail, a group of 3 but only one stopped for me to click

And dozing under an overhanging willow, one parent and several aging cygnets, and out on the river proper, the other parent and another two aging cygnets Smiley

It started to spit with rain, so I called time on my river wandering, and headed home.

I hope you enjoyed my morning out,

Stay Safe All