Butterflies of Stobswood and Widdrington

Speckled Wood

Small Copper

Common Club-rush (Schoenoplectus lacustris) Widdrington tip

Young Sedge Warbler at Ulgham park pond

Japanese Rose (Rosa rugosa) Ulgham park

Walking over the old opencast at Stobswood produced little except a few species along ditches and ponds but north of the railway at the former tip there was an incredible number of butterflies. I counted 113 Speckled wood (first recorded here in 2005) and that was just in the vacinity of the old tip and not the woods around Stobswood itself. Wall Brown 33 and Small Copper 21. These are the highest numbers I have noted over the years in this area and no doubt there would have been more if I had time to walk further around the woods of Grangewood and Woodburn.

A female Peregrine was flying over the tip heading towards Felton Lane and a flock of about 60 Linnet were on the Southern shore of Widdrington moor lake.