Tuesday 29th June 2010, Trench Wood

Things are all very quite on the bird front at the mo, especially around Shenstone (roll on autumn passage!) so today, myself and TS went to Trench Wood near Droitwich. The reserve is co-managed by Butterfly Conservation and the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust and is a great place to see butterflies during the summer months.

This time of year Trench Wood is a good place to see White Admirals darting along the rides, occasionally stopping to briefly feed on Bramble flowers. During our circuit round we counted no less than 22 White Admirals. Large numbers of Ringlet and Large Skipper were seen, as were reasonable numbers of Meadow Brown. Other butterflies seen were 1 Red Admiral, 1 ♀ Common Blue, 2 Comma, 5 Speckled Wood, 2 Green-veined White & 1 Small White.

There were many Common Spotted Orchids in flower along the rides and central scrub and a single Butterfly Orchid was also seen. A number of damselflies were seen including many Large Red Damselfly. A few Hornets and 2 Harlequin Ladybirds were also seen.

Trench Wood is also good for warblers and during the walk around we heard Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Black Cap and Garden Warbler. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was also heard calling.

Ringlet - Trench Wood 29th June 2010:


Large Red Damselfly - Trench Wood 29th June 2010: