Lady Chatterley's coal mine and paying homage to the Emperor!

[All in one day!]

On July 15th in the afternoon I decided to have a run out to Kiplingcotes to look for marbled white butterflies. I parked and began the walk to the reserve. I never got there for I was soon among the marbled whites along the old trackbed.  Marbled White Marbled White Marbled White Marbled White Marbled White Marbled White Marbled White Marbled White A rather battered ringlet appeared as well as the meadow browns.

Ringlet

I had time to call at North Cave. Small skipper female.

Small Skipper An orange coloured cardinal beetle.

Cardinal beetle

A common blue damselfly.

Common Blue Damselfly

Blue tailed damselfly.

Blue-tailed Damselfly Meadow browns up close.

Meadow Brown Meadow Brown

Small skippers.

Small Skipper Small Skipper The sex brand [black line on wing] shows this is a male.

Gatekeeper.

Gatekeeper

Thursday 17th July took me to Chatterley Whitfield Colliery, once owned by the Chatterley family of Staffordshire. A red-footed falcon had been delighting the crowds for some time so I decided to go see. I left the M6 only to read on the pager that there was 'no sign today'. Perplexed I decided to carry on. Good job. They had found it hiding in a sycamore tree by the time I arrived. 

What a star performer it turned out to be. Have a look. Through someone's scope I had my first sight of the bird in the top right corner of his tree. Red-footed Falcon He flew to a telegraph pole. Not that close to us.

Red-footed Falcon And then, well, he just decided to put on a magnificent show. Star performer of the year! Red-footed Falcon Red-footed Falcon Red-footed Falcon Red-footed Falcon Red-footed Falcon Red-footed Falcon Time for a break. On the wire near the birding crowd!

Red-footed Falcon Red-footed Falcon Red-footed Falcon Red-footed Falcon Red-footed Falcon Red-footed Falcon Red-footed Falcon A black redstart was also present but inside the colliery compound.

Black Redstart

Now it may seem overdoing it but I decided to drive overland to Wragby, east of Lincoln next to call at Chambers Farm Wood again [third time recently] just in case... I gave my self 75 minutes to do a circuit. I picked up 2 silver-washed fritillaries but failed to get a photo as I tried to get too close. Should have got the record shot and then closed in. Still I carried on. Essex skippers were about.

Essex Skipper As were a few white admirals.

White Admiral Then I spotted another perched on the branch of a tree. Motionless. This time I took the record shot first and then moved in.

Purple Emperor

I checked it out in the bins. Hang on, I thought. Could it be a Purple Emperor, a butterfly people dream of seeing... Purple Emperor

Purple Emperor

Birds UK 2015: 243