Hugh’s News – 18 August 2026

I mentioned in the last Hugh’s News that this hot summer has seen impressive butterfly numbers. The bad news, for me, is that Large White caterpillars have decimated my Nasturtium plants! 

I have included some more photos from the Burton field meeting. Butterflies were much in evidence on that day. Included are photos from Gary Bateman. Unfortunately, I posted the Burton meeting report too quickly (unusual for me!) before I received them, so happy to include them now.

With the last issue covering Martyn’s report on White-tailed Eagles, I forgot to include the answer to the mystery bird seen by Ellie. Apologies! I have included the photo again as a l for reminder. The answer to the identification is that this was a Reed Bunting but with unusual white feathers on its head. Birds can often show this “leucism” where the normal feather pigments are missing. They can be confusing but striking in appearance. Such birds usually seem to be healthy, although their appearance may make them more susceptible to predation from birds of prey like Sparrowhawks.

There are no meetings in August, but our new Programme starts in September. We hope you enjoy the varied mix of talks and field trips. Work will soon start on the 2027 – 2028 Programme, so if you have any suggestions for sites to visit, please let a Committee Member know. It could be a favourite location, or one you have never been to but would like to visit. We can’t promise but we will endeavour to include as many as possible.

As I type this, the heatwave has finally broken! Enjoy the rest of the summer, whatever it brings. See you next month.

Thank you to Gary, Ellie, and Hugh for the photos.

Hugh