Sunday 27 July 2008 - Alvecote Pools SSSI - 27/07/2008

Sunday 27th July 2008

Alvecote Pools SSSI

Maaaaan it was scorchio today, not ideal conditions for riding a bike about!  The first stop was Pooley Fields for a spot of butterfly hunting.  Common Blues were present in good numbers along with Gatekeepers and Six-spot Burnet moths.  A few Cinnabar caterpillars were spotted amongst the flowering Ragwort.  Around the shady areas a few Speckled Woods were present.  Around Slurry Pool a single Emperor dragonfly was noted along with good numbers Red-eyed Damselflies.  Also in the area a juvenile Garden Warbler was nice to see.

I then made my way over to Pretty Pigs Pool.  Highlights here included 55 Northern Lapwing over in Orchard Fields with 3 Common Buzzards circling overhead.  Other birds included 3 Common Terns, a single Greylag Goose, 2 Cormorants, a Green Woodpecker (heard 'laughing') and a Willow Warbler.  Over on Alvecote Meadows a Sedge Warbler was still in song.

A quick stop over at the bottom of Laundry Lane produced a gorgeous Silver-washed Fritillary butterfly amongst the dead elm trees where a Chiffchaff was singing.  I then made my way to Mill Pool where a Little Egret flew east before spending a while feeding around Teal Pool.  In this area a male Brimstone butterfly was present along with even more Gatekeepers and a few Small Tortoiseshells.  Dragonflies included loads of Broad-bodied Chasers and a few Common Darters.  Anker Flashes were impossible to view from Linden Lane due to the heat haze.  Once again not great birdwise but the cool insects and the gorgeous sunshine more than made up for it.

South View, Polesworth, Warwickshire

A Holly Blue butterfly was great to see in the front garden.  Around the feeders the pair of Common Pheasants were present on and off.  An adult female and a juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker visited the peanut feeders several times.  The usual Bullfinches, Chaffinches, Green Finches and House Sparrows came to feed on the sunflower seeds.

Bentley Park Woods, Warwickshire

As it was a pleasant evening I headed over to Atherstone to see if I could catch any late Woodcock roding.  No such luck but a Raven was spotted in the distance being mobbed by a pair of Carrion Crows.  I also became a victim of gamekeeper harrassment when some twat on a quad bike tried to tell me it was against the law to view private property.  What a numpty!  I don't know what Lord Dugdale has to hide but birders are definately not welcome around his precious Merevale estate.  I urge anyone local to get over there and have a stroll around just to get on their nerves.  Surely there has got to be a few Common Crossbills in the area after the recent influx anyway.  Due to the 'gamekeeping gestapo' that are always in evidence I recommend that you keep to public rights of way though.