NFY: Grayling

30 Thursday Jul 2026

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British butterflies, Butterflies in King Barrow Quarry, butterflies in Tout Quarry, butterflies on the Isle of Portland, butterfly, Grayling, Grayling butterfly, Hipparchia semele, King Barrow Quarry, Tout Quarry

This is the last post from my recent mini-break in Weymouth, another first butterfly sighting for 2026 from my first meander around the former quarries on the Isle of Portland. These are, of course, Graylings (Hipparchia semele).

By happy coincidence, the Graylings had just started emerging when I visited. During my first walk around Tout and King Barrow quarries, on 9 July, I only saw two of these cryptically coloured butterflies. Just two days later, another quarry exploration produced more than 20 Graylings, with several flitting around me at once in one particular location, much to my delight.

I usually take the train up one of the local Welsh valleys to Aberbargoed coal spoil tip in July to see the only local population of these butterflies that is accessible to me as a non-driver. This year, with much of Britain sweltering under our third heatwave of the year, I haven’t made that trek, so I was even more grateful to have seen such numbers of Grayling in Dorset.

Common terns and their chicks

29 Wednesday Jul 2026

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birding, birdwatching, breeding Common terns, British birds, Common tern, Common tern chicks, Common tern fledglings, RSPB Lodmoor

During June and July, one of the highlights of every visit to RSPB Lodmoor is watching and listening to the Common terns in the process of raising the next generation of Common terns. They share the artificial breeding ‘islands’ with Lesser black-backed gulls, mostly harmoniously, but the noise generated by adults and offspring communicating with each other and the almost constant neighbourhood disputes has to be heard to be believed. It’s rowdy and raucous but in a rather joyous, life-affirming kind of way.

During my recent visit, from 8 to 15 July, most of the terns’ offspring had already fledged but were still being fed by their parents, so were spending their time sitting along the shoreline of the various pools of water. Sometimes they sat alone or with their siblings; at other times, one parent sat nearby, standing guard, while the other parent was away fishing for food.

However, it seems some pairs of Common terns had started the breeding process several weeks later than the others. A couple were still sitting on eggs and, during the week I was there, some tiny chicks hatched. They were so small and well camouflaged that it was difficult to see them, even with binoculars, let alone get clear photographs, but I hope you can pick them out amongst the stones in the images above and below.

Scarce chasers

28 Tuesday Jul 2026

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British dragonflies, British odonata, dragonflies at Radipole, dragonfly, Libellula fulva, Odonata, RSPB Radipole, Scarce chaser

Well, hello there!

Those amazing blue eyes are the easiest way to distinguish the male Scarce chaser (Libellula fulva) from other quite similar blue-bodied dragonflies like the Keeled skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens) and the male Black-tailed skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) (both featured in my blog The skimmers, published in June 2017).

Both sexes of Scarce chaser have brown eyes and a bright orange abdomen when they first emerge, something I didn’t realise when I wrote my first blog about this species, Lifer: Scarce chaser, in June 2025 (though the dragonfly I labelled as female was indeed a female). As the females age, they change to an ochre-brown colour, while the males change to a pruinose pale blue, with a dark tip.

In case you don’t know, pruinescence is a covering of wax particles that develops on the skin as the male dragonfly ages, making it look blue. That pruinescence often gets scraped off during the mating process when the female is holding on to the male’s abdomen. If you look at the image above, you can see these darker scrape marks around the central area of the male’s abdomen, and, looking at the image below of the dragonflies mating, you can see how the female holds on to the male from below, causing the scratching in that area.

These recent photos and sightings were, of course, at RSPB Radipole, in exactly the same location where I saw my first Scarce chasers in 2025. And, just as last year, these dragonflies were very co-operative photographic subjects, though I did eventually just put down my camera and watch as they went about their daily lives. Such stunning creatures!

NFY: Lulworth Skipper

27 Monday Jul 2026

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British butterflies, British skippers, butterfly, Lulworth skipper, Thymelicus acteon

It was during my visit to Weymouth and the Isle of Portland in June last year that I saw my first Lulworth skippers (Thymelicus acteon) – in fact, they were one of the main reasons I made that particular trip (I wrote about that visit in last year’s blog, Lifer: Lulworth skipper).

The Lulworths had only just emerged when I visited in 2025 so I only saw males. This year my visit was a month later, and both males and females were flying in good numbers. As you can see in my photo of a female above, these little beauties can be identified by the circle of lighter, golden marks on their wings.

There’s something a little cheeky about these Lulworth skippers. They may be tiny, with a wingspan of just 28mm, but they’re feisty, particularly the males. I noticed them flying quite aggressively at any other, larger butterflies that moved through their territories, and bravely stayed perched on their chosen twig or wildflower when a monster like me approached them. The latter was particularly helpful when I was trying to get photos, of which I now have rather a lot.

Golden-ringed dragonfly

26 Sunday Jul 2026

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British dragonflies, British odonata, Cordulegaster boltonii, dragonflies at Radipole, dragonfly, Golden-ringed dragonfly, Odonata, RSPB Radipole

Golden-ringed dragonflies are impressive beasties! Though the Emperor dragon (Anax imperator) is larger and has the widest wingspan of all the British dragons (10.5 cms), the Golden-ringed (Cordulegaster boltonii) has the longest body of any British odonata species (females grow to around 8.4 cms). This is a dragon I rarely see as it has a preference for the acidic conditions found in the heathlands and peat bogs of upland locations, so you can perhaps imagine my surprise at finding one on 12 July during my walk around RSPB Radipole, a seaside site with extensive reed beds surrounding a tidal river and lake.

It was patrolling one of the footpaths through the reeds and then, miraculously, settled within viewing distance on a Buddleja with first one, then a second Norfolk hawker. And I was delighted that I was able to share this experience with an interested couple who happened along at just the right time and who were also excited to see both dragonfly species together.

An Oystercatcher family

25 Saturday Jul 2026

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Juvenile Oystercatcher, Oystercatcher, RSPB Lodmoor

Though my recent week in Weymouth only produced one new bird for my year list, I did still enjoy every visit to RSPB Lodmoor, as many of their local birds are different from those I see when birding close to home.

Although small numbers of Oystercatchers are a regular sight along the south Wales coastline, they rarely breed here; I know of only one pair that have tried for many years at an odd location, under one of the dolphins in Cardiff Bay (I blogged about this in Chicks of Cardiff Bay, June 2024).

So, it was wonderful to be treated to some close views of this well-grown juvenile Oystercatcher interacting with its parents each time I visited Lodmoor. The young one seemed perfectly able to feed itself but its parents were still supplementing its food intake – long thin worms, pulled from the mud, seemed to be the most common snack.

Though the juvenile was almost as big as its parents, its beak and legs had still to acquire their adult colours. And, as is common with the young of all creatures, including humans, the young’un spent a lot of its time snoozing. I only hope it lives long and prospers!

NFY: Chalkhill blue

24 Friday Jul 2026

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British butterflies, butterflies in Tout Quarry, butterflies on the Isle of Portland, butterfly, Chalkhill blue, Female Chalkhill blue, Lysandra coridon, male Chalkhill blue

A July visit to Dorset’s south coast was always intended to be about butterflies (and dragonflies) rather than birds, and so it proved to be. I missed seeing one of my target butterfly species; the Silver-studded blues seem to have been affected by this year’s continuing heatwaves, beginning their season earlier than usual and only reported flying on Portland for about four weeks, a much shorter period than usual. Try as I might, and despite getting great advice from locals, I failed to find any. But their absence was more than made up for by the Chalkhill blues (Lysandra coridon).

I think you’ll agree that these are stunningly beautiful butterflies. The silvery blue of the male is more subtle and delicate than the flashy brilliance of the Adonis blue, while the female’s upper wings are a rich chocolate brown, often with a sprinkling of blue close to her body.

My photographs here show, in descending order, a female with wings closed, showing the underside patterning and colouration; a female with open wings; a male with closed wings, showing his underside colours; and, finally, an open-winged male.

Despite the heat, I wandered Tout and King Barrow, the former quarries on the Isle of Portland, several times during this visit and, each time, I was rewarded with an increasing number of pristine sightings of these stunning butterflies, as they continued to emerge from pupation. I was in butterfly heaven, even though it felt hotter than hell!

Ruddy Ruddy darter

23 Thursday Jul 2026

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British dragonflies, British odonata, dragonfly, male Ruddy darter, Odonata, Ruddy darter, Sympetrum sanguineum

You’ll recall that, when I published A tale of two darters five days ago, I wrote ‘Now I need to find one of the blood-red male Ruddy darters, as they look quite stunning in the photos I’ve seen. Watch this space!’ Well …

Seeing these two males was a totally unexpected and absolutely wonderful surprise during my last wander around the nature reserve at Radipole on my final day in Weymouth. And they really are as blood-red as their ‘ruddy’ name implies. Simply sublime!

Greenshank

22 Wednesday Jul 2026

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Greenshank, RSPB Lodmoor, Tringa nebularia

I could probably count on the fingers of both hands the number of times I’ve seen a Greenshank (Tringa nebularia), and I’ve only once seen this species within walking distance of home (A Green-legged long-shank comes to call, April 2017). My other sightings were on bird club outings in various parts of Wales and when I’ve been at RSPB Lodmoor in Weymouth. And that is where I enjoyed my most recent, though still distant sighting of one of these handsome green-legged birds. (You can read more about them in my post Greenshanks, from November 2018.)

A tale of two hawkers

21 Tuesday Jul 2026

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Aeshna cyanea, Aeshna isoceles, British dragonflies, British odonata, Hawker dragonflies, Norfolk hawker, Odonata, Southern hawker

June to October are the best months of the year to see the Southern hawker dragonfly (Aeshna cyanea), and so far I’ve seen two. The first was during my wander through Slade Wood on 2 July, a bonus sighting on a day mostly dedicated to looking for butterflies (see NFY: White admiral & Silver-washed fritillary) but which also turned up the Ruddy darters I blogged about last week in A tale of two darters.

It often seems strange to me to find dragonflies patrolling the vegetation lining woodland rides, particularly when the nearest water source is quite some distance away but this is normal behaviour for the Southern hawker, and many other species. I found my second Southern hawker of the year on 5 July, in a similar setting, flying rapidly back and forth along a wooded lane about a mile from the nearest water source. On their website, the British Dragonfly Society notes that this species has spread throughout much of England and Wales in recent years, and has also colonised parts of Scotland, so hopefully many of you will have been privileged to see them in your area.

One of the reasons I booked my latest visit to the south Dorset coast for July was to see more Norfolk hawkers (Aeshna isoceles), a dragonfly species I saw for the first time during a visit to Weymouth last June. I was not disappointed, though I had forgotten how tricky and frustrating they can sometimes be to photograph – like most hawkers, they rarely stay still for long.

Fortunately, the nature reserve at Radipole is just a short walk from where I stay in Weymouth so I was able to wander its trails multiple times and at different times of the day, giving myself as many opportunities as possible of watching these green-eyed beauties. And, as is often the case with wildlife, time and patience and getting to know the behaviour of the creature you’re watching can bring the rewards you’re hoping for. I’m already planning my 2027 wildlife excursions to include Radipole for more Norfolk hawker watching next year.