Three Hairstreak Day...

I thought it was about time I went to see the Brown Hairstreaks that have been showing well in Dorset since the weekend and I was not to be disappointed. In fact it turned out to be a three hairstreak day, not something you get too often. When I arrived, four other people were searching and hoping but apart from a few purple hairstreaks high up in the canopy of the elms and a couple of silver-washed fritillaries, it was fairly quiet. I decided to split from the group and go check out a section of brambles further down the hedge and no sooner had I arrived than I saw this little stunner happily feeding low down at waist height and right next to the path:

Brown Hairstreak, female (plus next 3): Roger Harris

Video of all three hairstreak species:

Needless to say, there were some very happy people that came rushing over to see it. It was immaculate - a simply stunning insect. And to continue the quality, this lovely (if not so bright) White-letter Hairstreak:

White-letter Hairstreak: R. Harris

Silver-washed frit: R. Harris

Meanwhile, the day continued to get interesting. A text from Kevin Harris had me racing out to Chard Res to see it's 3rd ever Wood Sandpiper (the previous two records were found by Dave Helliar and myself many years ago). Distant record shot of the bird as seen from the hide about 150 yards away:

Wood sand, Chard Res: R. Harris

And close by a Greenshank put in an appearance just outside Chard too:

Greenshank: Dave Helliar

Mandarin: Andy Grinter

What a cracking day off!