A morning visit to Aylesbeare Common

The forecast a week before sounded promising: dry, sunny and a light wind. It sounded perfect for observing butterflies, dragonflies and whatever birds were willing to show at this stage of the summer. What we hadn’t reckoned with was 26 degrees Celsius and very little wind to give relief from the heat.

Fifteen people started the walk, ably led by David Turrell, but one by one almost half of the group dropped out early and returned to the car park, finding the heat too much to bear. There were many butterflies and an abundance of dragonflies and damselflies, but the last two move so fast it is difficult for the uninitiated to see, let alone identify them.

First David led us westward via areas that were rich in butterflies, and down towards the Five Ponds. After surveying the ponds, we slowly worked our way back east, via two more ponds, to the roadway that runs across the reserve. We than made a foray to a final dragonfly pond. Here the path was overgrown, and David advised tucking trousers into socks for protection against the risk of ticks.

Understandably not very many birds were showing now we are near the end of the breeding season, but we did hear quite a few species. A chiffchaff was quite vocal and a bullfinch was making its feeble sound, and the latter was very briefly seen flitting between trees. Yellowhammers periodically made their characteristic song but were hard to see. Most oddly, a nightjar was heard by two of the group churring at midday. Unfortunately, nobody in our group saw a Dartford warbler, though we met a small group of photographers who had seen one earlier that day. After three hours the remaining eight or so members were happy to call it a day and retreat to their vehicles and switch the air conditioning on.

Richard Farr

Birds – 14 species recorded (H = heard only): Buzzard; Wood Pigeon; Nightjar (H); Carrion Crow; Chiffchaff; Wren; Nuthatch; Blackbird; Robin; Stonechat; Bullfinch; Greenfinch; Linnet; Yellowhammer (H)

Dragonflies & Damselflies: Emperor Dragonfly; Golden-ringed Dragonfly; Four-spotted Chaser; Keeled Skimmer; Common Darter; Beautiful Demoiselle; Emerald Damselfly; Large Red Damselfly; Azure Damselfly; Blue-tailed Damselfly; Common Blue Damselfly

Butterflies: Small Heath; Gatekeeper; Meadow Brown; Speckled Wood; Peacock; Red Admiral; Large Skipper; Silver-washed Fritillary; Large White; Brimstone; Holly Blue; Green Hairstreak