Two Months to try and catch up on.

 Long time no post. Combination of Mum needing a lot of help now (with a two week break while she was in hospital in July-leaving on her 90th birthday), and the heatwave. Obviously the nearly two quid a litre didn't help much so I saved money and stuck to local venues.

I did the Aston End circuit a few times. There was still a bit of flowing water in the Beane into early July, but has since dried up. The pond at Chells Manor is also dry apart from a small spot, and the one near the model flying club has a few inches left, so the moorhens were able to raise a few chicks, but the mallards have long gone.

Ravens are now a bit more regular, I'm seeing them frequently around Aston, rather than further north towards Walkern. No evidence of breeding, though there does seem to be a pair.

I took a bit of a detour on the 10th to follow up a report of nesting House Martins in Aston opposite the school. There was one occupied nest-something of a rarity these days round here. The meadow by High Wood has been really good, and appears to be the source of the Dark Green Fritillaries I have been seeing in the last couple of years with several tens seen here and nearby. Marbled Whites and browns have also been abundant, but I have been really struggling to find any blues locally.

Other butterflies locally have been a bit of a surprise. My workplace for the last 23 years was finally abandoned before it fell down, and we have moved to a site further down the road. Unfortunately a bit too far for a quick sprint to the now largely inaccessible Norton Green tip. However it is a bit closer to the Knebworth wood complex which no doubt was the source of the Silver Washed Fritillary that flew past the canteen window one morning. The other one was moire of a shock. I was busy pottering in the garden during the milder part of the heatwave and saw a dull butterfly settle on my tall euphorbia sikkimensis. I got close enough to garb a few phone shots of what was a Purple Hairstreak. Despite having an old oak tree outside, I have never seen one on it.

The 14th of July was a red letter day which I nearly blew. Having got home, made a coffee and did some emergency watering in the garden and making arrangements for Mum in hospital I happened to glance at the phones twitter feed and realised that a Sandwich Tern had been found by Tom on the main lake at Fairlands and was apparently still there! Not easy to connect in Herts, most go through very early in the Lea Valley or Wilstone and don't linger. I haven't managed  to connect with one, so it was a bit of a panic grabbing the camera and racing down there. Fortunately Tony Hukin and Dave Beer were just leaving and pointed it out to me, so I joined Tom down by the cafe for a closer look. I then walked round to the north side and got a few shots.

I was joined by Alan Ford, and in between looking at the tern I scanned the jetty opposite where there was a large gathering of mostly Black Headed Gulls. There were a few Lesser Black backs as usual-a mixture of ages and a much paler bird which seemed too dark to be a Herring. I took some photos for reference as it seemed to be either Caspian or Yellow Legged but we couldn't be certain. Being a 3cy bird the dull flesh legs, long bill and small head suggested Caspian, but our regular adult bird caught us all out and proved to be a hybrid. Social media responses all agreed it was a real Caspian, and therefor likely the first pure bird for the Stevenage area.

My first real trip out of the county for several months was at the beginning of August when I took Jane and Sarah to Hyde Hall for the Plant Fair. The heat had taken a dreadful toll of many of the plants, but it was good to see that much had survived quite well. Naturally the dry garden was more than ok. What really caught my eye were the huge number of Small Red Eyed damsels around the Lily pond. Unlike most of my past views of them sitting on the pond weed doing nothing, these were incredibly active, very territorial and often high up in the trees and shrubs..

Today I had a day off and started my autumn birding with a short trip to the Wallington area. A stroll along the Baldock footpath produced a Wheatear (someone else had eight) and three Yellow Wagtails. Further along the road to the village the four Whinchats found yesterday were still present feeding in a weedy hedge, though at some distance. Decent numbers of Corn Buntings Linnets and Yellowhammers in the area, but I didn't want to stay out for long as the heat was really building up again, so a quick visit to Wallington church ended the trip-no Spotted Flycatchers but several House Martins was good to see.