Non-Stop Birding: Browns and Blues etc

Been a bit of a wretched weekend. Yesterday went shopping to PC World, Asda and Wickes for refurbishment around the Obs and today took my niece and family out to Croydon for Sushi and a Lush shop (I don't mind Lush too much as the founder Mark Constantine is a birder and supporter of the Beddington Farmlands campaign). I usually combine a Lush shop with Yo Sushi (one of the other few chains I quite like), However our venture into Pound Land was even more horrific than usual as they've shut down the Yo Sushi in Croydon and opened up another one that hasn't even got a sushi conveyor belt! I've no idea of the sustainability credentials of Yo Sushi but you tend not to care when your food is coming round on a conveyor belt and being served by robot dogs- the novelty is too much fun to care. But even that's gone, replaced with a standard lack lustre shop in an open planned food hall. Not only is Capitalism going to destroy us all, its also getting really boring too- even less point to it all!?

This weekend followed hot on the heels of another trip into the Capitalist hell last week when I had to buy a new bed from another warehouse. (Been at the obs now for 10 years so having to renew things and do some refurb). With my brother Steve being away for the last five weeks I've also been at the work grindstone pretty solid all week (and for the last five weeks). I would seriously commit suicide if my whole life was about working in the week and then shopping in Croydon at the weekend. Birding is a life saver. I need therapy after Retail- not Retail Therapy.

However I managed to get over the farmlands for a couple of hours this evening and also been keeping up the usual moth trapping. It's quietened off a bit at the trap, despite the return of the heatwave. Seen a couple of Brown Argus around the South Lake but there's also Common Blues there too so been trying to identify Brown Argus from female Common Blue.

One of the Tufted Duck broods- up to six broods on both lakes. Not always easy to work out how many pairs of Tufted Ducks as they form creches and also rogue females lay eggs in other females nests.

Had 3 Swallows flying over- the first autumn migrants for me. I didn't go to 100 acre but there are 19 Green Sandpiper, 3 Common Sandpiper, Snipe, Teal and Black-tailed Godwit over there. I had a juvenile Peregrine flying around.

This one I reckon is a female Common Blue with spots more than half way down the forewing underside and no colon (:) shaped marks on the edge of the hind wing.

Also female Common for same reason?

This is one from in the week which I reckon is a Brown Argus with colon marks and in another shot there are no marks within the inner half of the forewing underside