Exploring nature reserves in the Goring area, Oxfordshire at the weekend.What a beautiful place.Arrived early saturday morning, looked around the area for clubtail dragonflies but could only find one, i think i was looking in the wrong area so i tried next on the list Little Wittenham, i drove past a place called Wittenham Clumps, it looked very interesting so i stopped there for a while, it is a huge mound of a meadow with a copse at the top offering spectacular views and lots of footpaths down to the Thames.this is a great place for raptors, red kites and buzzards soaring in the sky and also two hobbys, apparently red kites are common in the area, they seemed to be everywhere which later turned out to be true. I took one of the footpaths down to the river and after exploing the area i found five clubtail dragonflies in the area
and got some nice photos. The great thing about goring is that you do not have to travel far, i visited Hartslock which is near the railway station, i sat at the top of the nature reserve and the sky was cloudless and a very warm day, the view of Goring with the railway viaduct and the Thames was breathtaking, red kites and buzzards were soaring overhead and butterflies fluttering around me it was awesome.Had a wonderful two days lots of sun and no rain.
butterflies seen
grizzled skipper
dingy skipper
brimstone
large, small and gv whites
orange tip
green hairstreak (Hartslock)
small blue (Lardon Chase)
common blue
holly blue
brown argus
painted lady
peacock
speckled wood
small heath
Dragonflies seen
Clubtail
four spot chaser
broad bodied chaser
downy emerald (sole common pond)
banded demoiselle
beautiful demoiselle (moor copse)
and all the common damselflies
Colin Pumfrett.
.