Balls Wood and Amwell

A nice walk around Herttford Heath Common and Balls Wood was very productive with 1 Purple Hairstreak seen briefly at ground level and quite a few Silver Washed Fritillarys and White Admirals along the ride with Peacocks and Large White have gone up alot in the last week though due to the heat lots seem to be salting from the ride espcally the peaccocks. Also around were 15+ green veined white, 10+ small Whites 30+ meadow brown,6 comma, 30+ large white, 20+ gatekeeper, 30+ large skipper, 30+ small skipper, 3 Essex skippers, 6 brimstone, 15 ringlet and 8 speckled wood of the butterfly and of the dragonfly family a good number of Common Blue Damselflies, Coommon and Ruddy Darters and about 5 Brown Hawkers hunteing around.

Silver Washed Fritillary

White Admiral

Pacock sunning itself

Gatekeeper in the sun

Pair of skippers

 

Small White feeding

Common Blue Damselfly

Next visted Amwell as was just down the road and with the Buddleia around lots of Peacocks and large White where around just walking up to the viewpoint. From the viewpoint a number of Common Terns and Lapwings with the Lone Wigeon and the odd Pochard and Shoveler inbetween the Coots, Tufted Ducks and Mallards. On the shore edge had 1 Common Sandpiper and 5 Little egrets. Then walked round to the hide to see what else was around lots of young birds with Reed Bunting, Chiff-chaff, Green Woodpecker, Chaffinches, Blue Tit and a young Wren the hightlights.

Reed Bunting

Young Chiff-chiff

Chaffinch

 

Young Wren