I really wanted to go see the red-breasted flycatcher that is staying somewhere on De Hoge Veluwe, a nature reserve on the high grounds in the middle of the country. That meant I had to take a long drive on the highway, two things I hadn’t done before. So, with some trepidation I took the car and off I went, shortly after rush hour. That trepidation wasn’t necessary. Everything went smoothly and google maps knew exactly where I wanted to go. An hour after I left home I had parked the car and upon opening the door I heard the bird singing. I had it all to my self for a bit, no other birders or photographers, but after about 15 minutes photographer and his wife pulled up and started chasing the bird around the trees, spoiling the fun. Luckily I had phonescoped some nice pics before they arrived and I also shot some video.
So, after a quick cuppa I moved on to pastures new. I found out about some nice rare-ish an new-to-me butterflies that had been seen nearby so I decided to give finding them a go, even though it wasn’t particularly sunny or warm. I had a very nice walk on in the woods and heather, the swifts were flying really low, sometimes whooshing past at knee level. I found Silver-spotted skipper (Hesperia comma)
Heath Fritillary (Melitaea)
Dark green fritillary (Argynnis aglaja), sadly I couldn’t get a picture of that one, it whizzed past twice but I never found it again.
Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas),
Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus)
and Silver-studded blue (Plebejus argus),
To finish the day I drove on to the Jachthuis St. Hubertus, the hunting lodge built for the very rich people who once owned the park. I find it a bit of a monstrosity, but the Leopard marsh orchids round the moat/pond were nice.
