As the grey skies closed in

Tonights run was past the lake, where a family playing with a radio controlled boat didn't seem to be bothering the Coots, Grebes, and Tufted Ducks, and then through Beacon Hill Park where the only flowers now showing are the Wild Garlic and the ragwort slash groundsely stuff has turned into the cottony seeds that the strong winds must be spreading far and wide.

The sky was blue and pleasant above, but far in the distance gun metal grey clouds were dropping feathery looking curtains of rain to the south west. I had to get a shift on to avoid a soaking. And as it turned out I was right to.

Today's star sighting was by the bushes next to the river opposite the castle. As I thundered by, I startled out a Banded Demoiselle damselfly, which flapped agitatedly flapped around me before settling on the privet for not long enough for me to get a photo.

Still had a super view, of the deep metallic blue blody and the darkened wingtips. The blue is beautiful, much deeper than the Common Blue damsel, the colour of bottle of Babycham!

Ah Babycham, is it still around, delighting somewhat rough girls with its illusion of sophistication.

Insects at RSPB Langford Lowfields

Golly gee. Got some lovely pictures for you in a bit.

Today headed off for Langford Lowfields, as usual when I choose to do this it was windy as hell, and one of those special winds that is always blowing hard in your face no matter which way you are travelling.

Noticed all the way across from Winthorpe that after the swallows and the martins, the finches are gathering in flocks - saw separate flocks of chaffinch, goldfinch and greenfinch, but no metal detectorists this time. Everyone is feeding themselves up on insects before winter I guess. There's certainly plenty of them around.

As I found out when heading down the path to the hide. Dragonfly were everywhere, and lots of different species. Erm, really big ones; not quite so big as the really big ones, metallic looking yellow brown ones, ruddy brown looking ones that also look a bit furry, and, um, some quite smaller ones.

I really need dragonfly lessons! To be less facetious, reckon I saw an Emperor and a Common Hawker, but nowhere near certain, as for the others, well *scratches head*.

And when I reached the hide on this warm day, I was being treated as a mobile drinking fountain by every buzzy thing in the known universe. I was a little irritated, and a bit disappointed to see that the reed bed was seemingly devoid of life. And the water level was low too.

But it was a nice day, I decided to be patient.

Sure enough, eventually a whitethroat appeared on a nearby bush before making it's way off down the bed towards the river. But then a bright flash of white was seen in the distance. That bright, even I know there's only one thing it could be, and sure enough, through my field glasses a snow white Egret made its way down the sort of valley that forms the reed bed, right across in front of the hide, before seeming to settle out of sight at the river end of the bed.

Turned around, and a  vivid fuscia pink Bullfinch was sat on top of the hedgerow. But it was down amongst the grass and the Ransome (?) that I managed to score my biggest prizes. Lying down, like a fool but warm in the sun, I managed to wriggle in close enough to get some nice pics of two different species of hoverfly on my Samsung mobile phone.

And then, spotted a Common Blue Damselfly - I think, I couldn't tell this apart from an Azure - and sneaked up and managed to get a pic of that.

And it came out fantastic. So, the insects are not so annoying...

You'll see the pics in a minute.