BIRDGUIDES REVIEW OF THE WEEK:15TH-21ST JUNE 2026

By late June, birding action often slips into the traditional summer doldrums. Not this week. Read more>

CHASING RARITIES IN NORTHERN IRELAND

Jenna and I had this trip to Northern Ireland booked for over a year, and it was finally time to go. My main targets were the Cryptic Wood White butterfly and the Irish damselfly, two key species needed to complete my British Isles butterfly, dragonfly, and damselfly list. In preparation, I had been in touch with Ian Rippey, the Northern Ireland County Butterfly Recorder, who kindly kept me updated with recent sightings.

We left Liverpool John Lennon Airport on Friday afternoon and soon landed at George Best Belfast City Airport. After picking up the hire car, we headed straight out for our first target of the trip.

That evening, we arrived at Craigavon Lakes in good weather and made our way along the railway embankment.

Almost immediately, I had my first sighting of a Cryptic Wood White. It felt remarkably easy after so much planning. We soon found another individual that perched well, allowing us to get some excellent photographs.

The Cryptic Wood White is a small, pale white butterfly that closely resembles the Wood White and is notoriously difficult to distinguish from related species. In the UK, it is restricted to Northern Ireland, although it is more widespread across parts of Europe. It inhabits open landscapes such as rough grassland, scrub, hedgerows, and dunes, and tends to avoid dense woodland. The larvae feed on legumes such as vetches and bird ’s-foot trefoil.

While exploring the site, we also recorded Meadow Brown and Common Blue butterflies, and Bee Orchids were flowering in the grassland, adding to an excellent first evening in the field.

Common Blue

Meadow Brown

Bee Orchid

With one target already achieved, we returned to Belfast to check into our hotel.

The following morning, we were up early and headed to Montiaghs Moss Nature Reserve for the Irish damselfly.

Ian Rippey met us on site, which was greatly appreciated, and spent the morning with us. The reserve is owned by the RSPB and consists of a restored bog habitat with open pools, reedbeds, and wet grassland near Lough Neagh in County Antrim.

In warm sunshine, dragonflies and damselflies were already active. We quickly recorded Variable, Azure, Common Blue, and Large Red Damselflies, along with good numbers of Hairy Dragonflies and Four-spotted Chasers.

Azure Damselfy

Variable Damselfy

Large Red Damselfy

Our main target, the Irish damselfly (Coenagrion lunulatum), was soon located around the larger bog pools towards the rear of the reserve. They were present in good numbers, skimming low over the water.

Males are small blue-and-black damselflies, identifiable by distinctive crescent-shaped markings on the second abdominal segment. The species is rare and highly localised in the UK and Ireland, with a stronghold in western Ireland and a reliance on intact bog habitats.

It was a very satisfying moment to see both of my main targets so early in the trip, completing a goal I had been working towards for two years.

After saying our goodbyes and thanking Ian for his time, we headed south towards Dublin with one more ambition in mind: the Least Tern at Portrane Point. 

Me and Ian 

Portrane Point

This extremely rare North American vagrant had been associating with a Little Tern colony and had attracted considerable attention. Unfortunately, after a six-hour wait in a cold westerly wind, there was no sign of the bird. While it would have been a fantastic bonus, I wasn’t too disheartened, as even birders I know have dipped it, and our main objectives had already been successful.

We returned north to Belfast that evening and celebrated with a curry and a few pints of Guinness, Jenna’s first experience of it, and possibly her last.

Our final morning was spent at the Giant’s Causeway, a site high on Jenna’s list. 

The Giant’s Causeway is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Northern Ireland’s most iconic coastal landscapes, formed from interlocking basalt columns created by ancient volcanic activity. The coastal scenery, sea cliffs, and rock formations made for a fitting final visit to the trip.

After a relaxed walk around the site, it was clear Jenna had really enjoyed the visit.

We then began the drive back to the airport for our afternoon flight.

It was a short but unforgettable weekend in Northern Ireland, with two key targets successfully seen and some brilliant wildlife and scenery along the way.

CHASING MOTHS IN THE THAMES VALLEY

This week I found myself working in Oxfordshire again and staying in an Airbnb in the village of Sutton Courtenay. As any moth trapper knows, a change of location always presents an opportunity, so the moth trap came along for the trip.

The timing could hardly have been better. Much of the week was dominated by hot, humid weather, with warm evenings and overnight temperatures remaining unusually high. These conditions are often ideal for moth activity, and I was eager to see what might be attracted to the light.

Sutton Courtenay sits within the Thames Valley landscape, surrounded by a mosaic of gardens, farmland, hedgerows and riverside habitats. Such a variety of habitats can produce an impressive diversity of moths, and the trap certainly didn't disappoint.

Each morning brought a fresh sense of anticipation as I examined the catch. Familiar species were present in good numbers, but the real excitement came from discovering several new additions to my life list. There is always something special about encountering a species for the first time, particularly when away from your usual trapping locations.

The warm and humid conditions appeared to keep moths active well into the night, and catches remained consistently good throughout the week. While the abundance of common species was impressive in itself, it was the quality of the catch that made the trip memorable.

A  Hummingbird hawk-moth was present in the garden 

and a good number of Scarlet Tigers

As the week draws to a close, I leave Oxfordshire with several welcome additions to my life list and renewed appreciation for the remarkable diversity of Britain's moth fauna. It has been a rewarding few days of trapping, and one that will be remembered for both the quality of the catches and the perfect mothing weather that accompanied them.

Now comes the enjoyable task of updating the records and reflecting on which species proved to be the highlights of a very successful week.

Here are the species I added:

Varied Coronet

Miller

Rustic

FenWainscot

Cypress Carpet

Festoon

CHESHIRE AND WIRRAL BIRD NEWS

 

19th June

Odonata-Sighting

Lesser Emperor-Tatton Park-2 males and a female still on the south side of Melchette Mere

18th June

Odonata-Sighting

Lesser Emperor-Tatton Park-Male still on the south side of Melchette Mere

Caspian Gull-Widnes-1st-summer at WSR Recycling Centre, Ditton Road (WA8 0PA)

Eurasian Spoonbill-Parkgate Marsh/Gayton Sands RSPB

-Four still at Boathouse Flash

Common Quail-Hale-Singing male still south of Within Way

17th June

Eurasian Spoonbill-Parkgate Marsh/Gayton Sands RSPB-

Two again at Donkey Stand Flash, then flew north

Quail heard and a Hobby - Burton Marsh.

Common Quail-Hale

16th June

Common Quail-Oakmere-At least one singing male in Oxeye Daisy meadow near broken information board along Oakmere Way at c 53.2279, -2.6457

Channel Wagtail-Bradley-Male at Bradley Orchard Farm

Common Quail-Burton Marsh-Singing male still audible from the flagpole at the end of Station Road this afternoon

14th June

6 Eurasian Spoonbill-Boathouse flash-Parkgate

Osprey-Heswall-One circled over Lower Heswall, then flew high west

Common Quail-Whitley Reed-Singing male in field north-east of Reed Lane at c 53.3298, -2.5265

Common Quail-Neston Marsh-Singing male south of Old Quay

13th June

2 Little Gull (ads) - New Brighton.

Garganey-Sandbach Flashes-Drake still at Elton Hall Flash

Spotted Redshank and 2 Eurasian Spoonbill-Burton RSPB

12th June

Osprey-Poynton-One flew south over Poynton Lake

10th June

43+ still yesterday (21 adults and 10 young on No 3 Bed and 12+ adults on No 4 Bed; reserve open from 08:00-20:00, permit and key obtainable at www.woolstoneyes.com. Keep off bunds at all times

2 Eurasian Spoonbill-Parkgate Marsh/Gayton Sands RSPB-Two at Donkey Stand Flash; use Old Baths car park

630 Knot, 485 Black-tailed Godwit and 44 Bar-tailed Godwit -Burton Mere Wetlands.

Quail singing on marsh end of Marshlands Road - Little Neston.

9th June

Eurasian Spoonbill-Parkgate Marsh/Gayton Sands RSPB-Two at Donkey Stand Flash; use Old Baths car park

Garganey-Sandbach Flashes-Drake still at Hancock's Flood

8th June

Eurasian Spoonbill-Parkgate Marsh/Gayton Sands RSPB-Two at Donkey Stand Flash; use Old Baths car park

Garganey-Sandbach Flashes-Drake still at Hancock's Flood

7th June

Garganey-Sandbach Flashes-Drake still at Hancock's Flood

White Stork-Sandbach-At least one circling over M6 just south of Roadchef Sandbach services

Eurasian Spoonbill-Parkgate Marsh/Gayton Sands RSPB-Two at Donkey Stand Flash; use Old Baths car park

6th June

Garganey-Sandbach Flashes-Drake still at Hancock's Flood

5th June

Common Quail-Mobberley-Singing male from the public footpath east of Gleavehouse Farm

Curlew Sandpiper-Hale-One on River Mersey

Greater Scaup-Hale-Drake on River Mersey off Within Way mid-afternoon

4th June

Spotted Flycatcher in private garden - Saughall

Black-necked Grebe-Woolston Eyes NR (permit only)-27+ (five broods) still; reserve open from 08:00-20:00, permit and key obtainable at www.woolstoneyes.com. Keep off bunds at all times

3rd June

Hobby flew past the bottom of Denhall Lane - Burton Marsh.

Garganey-Sandbach Flashes-Drake still at Hancock's Flood

2nd June

Garganey-Sandbach Flashes-Drake still at Hancock's Flood

3 Arctic Skua (dark phase) flew west this morning - Leasowe Gunsite.

Eurasian Spoonbill-Burton RSPB

Common Quail-Singing male still in field south of Woodend Lane; note Holly Bush Lane is a private road, park elsewhere and walk-Rixton

1st June

2 Little Stint-Hale-Still on the River Mersey east of Hale Lighthouse

Common Quail-Singing male still in field south of Woodend Lane; note Holly Bush Lane is a private road, park elsewhere and walk-Rixton

Garganey-Sandbach Flashes-Drake still at Hancock's Flood

BIRDGUIDES REVIEW OF THE WEEK:8TH-14TH JUNE 2026

June's unseasonable cool and breezy weather continued for many during this latest review period – no good for late overshoots, but these conditions dropped hints at the seabird season to come. Read more>

A MEMORABLE AFTERNOON IN NORTH YORKSHIRE

Today I spent the day in North Yorkshire and called in at Fen Bog Nature Reserve for a leisurely walk around the reserve. Fen Bog runs alongside the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and is set in an idyllic valley surrounded by beautiful countryside. 

My main target species was the Small pearl-bordered fritillary butterfly, and it didn't take long to find one. In total, I saw four individuals.

As I was looking for the butterflies, a constant stream of old steam trains passed by on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. The sight and sound of them brought back some very special memories. It reminded me of my mother and father bringing me here on holiday 50 years ago, when they took us on this very railway.

Where does the time go? I can remember it all so clearly, and yet it doesn't feel that long ago at all. Standing there today, watching the trains and enjoying the peaceful surroundings, it felt as though those childhood memories were only yesterday.

View from the North Yorkshire moors looking towards Whitby

After I had finished my walk, I called in at Whitby and treated myself to a nice bag of fish and chips.

It would have been rude to visit this famous seaside town and not have a proper fish supper.

I then made my way home, stopping at another site where I was delighted to find more than ten Chimney sweeper moths flying around by the side of the road. It was a wonderful way to end the day.

Chimney sweeper 

It was one of those special days that I will always remember. A day that had everything: beautiful scenery, wonderful wildlife, and happy memories from childhood. 

Sometimes, the simplest days turn out to be the most memorable. Today was certainly one of those days.