29/5/10: Lee Valley Park - Cheshunt for Cornmill Meadows

A London Natural History Society meeting, primarily for Odonata, starting out at Cheshunt railway station. The weather started out OK, but turned against us, though it did mean that later on the insects we did find stayed put while we got photographs.

Early on we got Common Blue, Blue-tailed and Azure as well as a Large Red-eyed Damselfly, the latter a new species for me.

Having only recently found Yellow Vetchling (Lathyrus aphaca) for the first time, I was pleased to come across a small amount at the outset of this walk.

This male Banded Demoiselle was one of several seen close to water

A Cetti's Warbler was heard. We found a Large Red Damselfly. Spindle, Wayfaring Tree and Guelder Rose have been planted as hedging ,

This male Hairy Dragonfly had been grounded on flowering Spindle by light rain

Tufted Vetch, Bush Vetch and Red Campion were amongst the plants seen

This Perennial Cornflower (Centaurea montana) was a 'garden escape', despite being some distance from any habitation. Several Agrimony were later found.

At the Cornmill Meadow area there was a female Hairy Dragonfly, a Pheasant, a Snipe, Shoveler, a Swallow and a Little Egret. I saw one of what appeared to be two Cuckoos.

A colourful red and black Froghopper on Horseradish was later identified as Cercopis vulnerata.

We tried to make up for the lack of Odonata action by trying to get pictures for identification of the two or maybe three species of Cranefly, but none would settle, despite the conditions.

A short-cut on a public footpath back towards Cheshunt in reality involved a long trek on a very narrow track through a field of wet Rape on horribly sticky clay soil.

Back at the various lakes 60-70 Swifts (more in the distance) and a few House Martins zoomed overhead. A Jay was later seen.