It’s been a while since I last posted so a quick run down of the rather meagre ‘highlights’. On the bird front another (?) pair of Avocets turned up on the field pool in mid June...
Unfortunately, despite some apparent excellent habitat,
these have been the only passage waders on here apart from regular gatherings
of Lapwing with a peak count of 29 birds
Although there was the first Green Sandpiper of the autumn on
the river this morning.
The one addition to the year list has been Quail, with two
calling birds in the fields at the end of Greenhills Lane yesterday. It’s more than a
decade since I last recorded Quail in the village.
In terms of breeding birds there have been at least six
singing Corn Buntings…
And up to six pairs of Yellow Wagtail…
Normally at this time of year I would be looking for non-avian interest but It’s been an awful summer for butterflies and I didn’t see my first Comma until today, the only species' around in any numbers are Large White and Meadow Brown and I had more than 20 of the latter in a patch of teasels and thistles yesterday…
Dragonflies too have been more notable by their absence with
the exception of Banded Demoiselles with more than 50 today in a patch of Himalayan
Balsam.
I’ll finish with a cracking patch of Marsh Woundwort photographed
on the river…
and a rather obliging, if wet, fox snapped last month...
