Carried out my May Butterfly survey for the RSPB at North Otmoor today. The weather was pretty perfect; calm, above 20 C and sun with cloud. Had Common Blues, Small Coppers, Orange-tips, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacocks, Brimstones, Speckled Wood and a Small White. There were also a few day flying moths including Burnet Companion, Cnephasia sp and a good selection of Odonata including 20+ Broad-bodied Chasers, Hawker sp (probable Hairy) and Large-red, Common Blue and Blue-tailed Damselflies.
It was pretty good for birds too with highlights including 2 Garganey, 1 Greenshank, 1 Ringed Plover, 12 Hobby hawking over Greenaways and 2 Marsh Harrier. Ebird list HERE. Garganey and Ringed Plover were Otmoor ticks taking my Otmoor bird list to 122 (HERE- although Ebird has added plastic stuff too).
Small Copper with longhorn micromoth sp (cauchas?)
Common Blues
Broad-bodied Chasers (above and below)
Distant Garganey with Gadwall and Mallards
Greenshank (above) and Ringed Plover (below)- on Barn Field
Male Curlew- was displaying over the MOD field
Willow Warbler singing along the North Otmoor footpath
Black-headed Gulls and Common Tern (below) hawking over the North Otmoor canal for Mayflies
Mayfly- a big emergence of these today along the canal attracting hawking gulls and terns. There were also 12 Hobby hawking over the main reserve with gulls so maybe they were feeding on these too?
Barn Field looking very wet at the moment
The mobile obs at North Otmoor- popped into Waterperry Farm Shop on the way and rustled up local reared free range Lamb chops and local asparagus with a cup of tea and full cream farm milk.
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