Accidental lifer

During my Cranberry Fritillary expedition to the Hautes Fagnes, and since I knew the area was also good for dragonflies, I made a conscious effort to photograph any odonata that would sit still long enough.  There were very few about, however, and this was one of just two species I managed to photograph, the other being a Four-spotted Chaser.  I fully expected this to be yet another common species and tentatively uploaded it to iNaturalist as an Azure Bluet, a species which I see pretty much everywhere, Brussels included.  My identification was soon corrected, however, as this is actually a female Spearhead Bluet or Northern Damselfly, a species which has disappeared from much of its former range and is now very rare in Belgium. 
Now I'm fast running out of new butterfly species to find in Belgium, I should perhaps start working on my odonata list!

Cranberry craziness

I finally managed to connect with my first Cranberry Fritillaries last weekend.  In Belgium, this species is restricted to peat bogs in the Ardennes and I have made several trips to try and find one over the years but only twice seen a distant fritillary in flight which may or may not have been another species.  This time, the reserve seemed very quiet at first but I soon spotted a fritillary feeding on a thistle and managed to fire off a few record shots.

I was, however, standing on a boardwalk in the middle of a bog so couldn't get any closer and the butterfly quickly dropped down into the grasses and disappeared.  I thus decided to try the cycle path surrounding the reserve since the verges had a lot more flowers than the bog itself plus my movements would be less restricted there.  This was a wise move since I soon saw another Cranberry Fritillary, then two more, and eventually counted around 20 individuals over the next hour or two!

B(erl)ingo!

I was back in Berlin again last weekend so just had to make another visit to my favourite birding spot, Moorlinse Buch.  The breeding Red-necked Grebes were not visible on the main lake but I did find this juvenile, complete with red neck, on an adjacent marshy pond.  I never realised they acquired their denominative colouration at such an early age.

I had, however, done a bit of butterfly research beforehand and noticed that one of my most wanted butterflies had been recorded a few times at another reserve just a short walk away.  I thus set out to explore the new area, not really expecting to have any luck but, as soon as I got there, I noticed my first Large Chequered Skipper feeding on flowers alongside the path!

It was the only one I saw, despite walking around for another two hours, so I could hardly believe my tiny bit of research had actually worked and got me this beautifully-patterned, rare butterfly which is probably extinct in Belgium.