Northern Brown Argus Sites near Durham

[Gnome]

I'm going to be up at Durham in a couple of week's time to fetch my daughter from University. I thought that I'd combine the trip with a spot of butterflying and would like to catch up with Northern Brown Argus. Is Thrislington Plantation still a good site for them as it's very close? If so then any help on where to look there would be much appreciated.

I'd also like to catch up with Large Heath though it may be a tad early and I can't seem to find any sites nearby on the main page for them. Are there also any good sites for dragonflies in the area, I'd like to catch up with some or the moorland species such as Common Hawker.

TIA


Adam

Edit: there's also Bishop Middleham Quarry nearby for NBA, is that better? Again where to park & look would be great!

[Rivoldini]

The Arguses have been out at Bishop Middleton since last Sunday. Enter the quarry, turn left and you will see them immediately all along the track and on the plateau on the left. Good luck

Ron

[Gnome]

The Arguses have been out at Bishop Middleton since last Sunday. Enter the quarry, turn left and you will see them immediately all along the track and on the plateau on the left. Good luck

Ron

Thanks for that Ron,

I'm heading up there tomorrow though sadly the weather forecast doesn't look that great. Is it still worth a try in cloudy conditions - I don't know how showy they are if its not sunny?

Could I just trouble you for clarification on your directions? When you say "enter the quarry" are you talking about the excavated area itself (which from the map it appears that one enters from the southern end) in which case "turn left" will mean walking along the western edge of the quarry or do you just mean enter the reserve. In the latter case there are two footpaths in: one from the west side where the path splits in two and one from the south west corner. I'm basing all this on this little map I found (see attached). Sorry to be so troublesome it's just that given the conditions they might not be flying much so it would be useful to know where to concentrate my efforts.

Thanks!

Adam

[Pete Eeles]

Hi Adam,

The parking at the "north" of your map is actually a tiny layby and, if it's free, suggest you go there. Just enter the reserve on the opposite site of the road and you'll be facing the quarry:

To your left

Straight ahead

To your right

Turn left and just follow the path. NBA are everywhere, but the area to the left is really good and, rather than going down into the quarry, take a look at the Rock-rose bank that is straight in front of you.

I took these photos in 2013 when I last visited; my in-laws live in Consett (not too far away); I have relatives and friends placed strategically all over the British Isles

And, of course, do let us know how you get on. Even if the weather is poor, you should find some NBAs roosting.

Cheers,

- Pete

[Gnome]

Thanks Pete, that's absolutely perfect, I couldn't ask for clearer instructions! I'll definitely let you know how I get on.

Adam

[Rivoldini]

Just to follow up, on your little map you want the uppermost car park, enter the quarry through a kissing gate and walk straight ahead then to the left. They are found there all along the track from the gate onwards and also on the raised plateau above further along. They are not often found in the bowl of the quarry but dingy skippers are. There were two NBA's seen at Bishop this morning. They are prone to hide during dull cloud conditions.

Good luck,

Ron

[Gnome]

Thanks once again to everyone for their help with this site. In the end the instructions were perfect and despite the very overcast conditions I managed to find some Northern Brown Argus under the Dog Rose to the left as predicted.

I also managed to find at least some of the speciality plants that are to be found at this great little reserve. More photos in my write-up of the trip posted here http://oxfordbirder.blogspot.co.uk/2015 ... stuff.html for those who might be interested.

Adam

[Pete Eeles]

Glad you found them, Adam - and an excellent blog! Thanks for reporting back.

Cheers,

- Pete