A Cumbrian Specialty!

A Cumbrian Specialty!

We arrived at Smardale Gill NNR at around 8:00am in hopes of seeing a rare butterfly. We were told by a butterfly enthusiast, last week, that he saw lots of them a few days ago just before the viaduct, so we made our way there. Along the way, we met a man who told us he had seen two just across the viaduct, and that it needed to be sunnier in order for the butterflies to emerge before the viaduct. Once we got across the viaduct, I spotted a Meadow Brown and a Silver Y moth, before spotting a dark butterfly nectaring on some knapweed. It was indeed our target butterfly of the day, the Scotch Argus!

At first, it was flying high up the bank with its wings always closed, however, after a bit of waiting, it decided to come down and started fluttering between our feet, sometimes landing on our shoes! It also landed a few times right in front of us with its wings wide open. We think it was a female as it was large and had big, vibrant orange spots. 

Suddenly, I spotted another Scotch Argus further along the bank. As we were walking towards the second one, the first one continued to follow us, flying right by our feet. Once we reached the second one, which we think was a male, the female started flying towards it, and eventually, they both landed right next to each other, before they parted ways. Smardale Gill is one of only two sites in England to see this butterfly, with the majority of these butterflies being up in Scotland. 

On the way back to the car, I spotted this orchid. I knew it was a Fragrant Orchid, but I wasn't sure which species it was, so I asked an expert who identified it as a Marsh Fragrant Orchid, a new orchid for me!

We arrived at a site near Whitbarrow called White Scar which we had been told was good for High Brown Fritillary, one of Britain's rarest butterfly. As soon as we arrived, I spotted a fritillary which looked similar to a High Brown Fritillary, but was later identified as a Dark Green Fritillary. We were told of a reliable spot to look for this butterfly, but looking on google maps, it seemed we had to scale a steep hill covered in loose rocks. Determined to see our target butterfly, I started to climb on my hands and knees up this hill, grabbing on to loose rocks, small trees and dry, spiky grass clumps for support. Eventually, after a big struggle, I made it to the top of the hill, spotting a few Graylings and a Roe Deer. After walking a few metres, I realised we had to go back down to hill to reach our destination! So, I started sliding down the hill, using the small trees as support.

Once we had finally reached our destination, we spotted a few Large Whites, Peacocks, Red Admirals and Graylings nectaring on the buddleia and flying around us. We then met a butterfly enthusiast who told us she had not seen any High Brown Fritillaries, but she had seen a Silver-washed Fritillary feeding on the buddleia down by the car park. Once we made it to the car park, we realised we could've avoided going up the steep, rocky hill. Annoyed, we did manage to spot the female Silver-washed Fritillary nectaring on the buddleia. 

I also spotted a Brimstone which was a butterfly I had seen a few times, but not yet managed to photograph. After a bit more searching, I managed to spot a male Silver-washed Fritillary, a few more Dark Green Fritillaries, a few Common Blues and a Small Copper, however no High Brown Fritillary. It seems we will just have to wait till next year to see this butterfly.

We then arrived at RSPB Leighton Moss in hopes of finding a Purple Heron. As soon as we arrived, we parked in a layby along Storrs Ln and made our way through a woodland track, spotting a few Common Darters and a Brimstone along the way, which lead us to Lower Hide. Once at the Lower Hide, we noticed a few Grey Herons, a Great White Egret and a few Brown Hawkers. After a bit of waiting, a Hobby came into view and started hunting over the reedbed, catching a few dragonflies and eating them mid-air. However, we failed to spot the Purple Heron. We then made our way to Lower Hide, spotting a female Broad-bodied Chaser along the way, which was surprisingly a lifer for me. Once at Causeway Hide, we spotted another Great White Egret along with a few Shovelers and Gadwalls & two Great Black-backed Gulls, however no Purple Heron. I then spotted three Emperor Dragonflies flying in front of the hide, when one suddenly landed fairly distantly, but close enough for me to get a photo. This was a dragonfly I had only seen once as a nymph at the Global Birdfair, so I was very happy to see it. 

We arrived at Birk Bank Bog at around 5:00pm in hopes of seeing Keeled Skimmers. Once we had arrived, we noticed it wasn't going to be sunny enough for the Keeled Skimmers. After waiting for a bit, we spotted a few Common Darters, along with a Golden-ringed Dragonfly, yet no Keeled Skimmers. We also spotted a few Common Lizards and Common Toads. As it was getting too cold for any other insects, we decided to call it a day and headed home. 

Overall, a great day with our main target (Scotch Argus) seen.