Woodstock Wildlife Record

On 11th July I set out late afternoon to Blenheim on the search for Lesser Emperor dragonflies. I had seen one the evening before after a tip off from Ian Lewington who informed me Roger Wyatt had seen one or two earlier in the week. It seemed clear there were a good number around in the county and so likely there were more to be found at Blenheim given the size of the lakes. Without much effort I found at least two males at the north end of the Queen Pool. One in particular gave great views and allowed for some nice photos. Buoyed by the initial success I continued around the Queen Pool to the Main lake and found another couple in the area near Rosamund's Well. By this point I hadn't got to where I'd seen one the previous evening so I was delighted with the number I had found so far. I haven't yet seen any females but it seems likely there will be some breeding success given the number of males present. I headed round to the area of the Main Lake where I'd seen the...

After a productive May on the birding front, inevitably June would see the quieter spell develop as the passage period has now passed. However, you do begin to signs of the post-breeding movements and gatherings of some birds. Lapwings and Black-headed gulls, including some juvenile birds start reappearing at Ardley and utilise the now very water-depleted lagoon. It went from deep to a puddle in a few weeks since the sluice gate was opened. Green sandpipers also arrived back mid-month and hopefully their numbers will grow in the coming months as they tend to do at Ardley. A drake Teal mid-month also showed there are birds on the move and something unusual may turn up. A Short-eared owl and the mystery Canvasback were June birds in 2024 at Ardley so it's still worth the effort I think. The only new bird for the year list at Ardley this month was another patch tick in the form of a Cuckoo. It's one I've half expected at some point but all the same a very good patch bird. I ju...