Sunday August 4

A cloudy start, with the weather due to deteriorate by late morning. No Dave today, but I knew John Yardley was on site, and we eventually met up at the flashes. Neither of us had seen a lot, but things were due to improve.

The high water-levels meant that there appeared to be few waders present. We eventually counted three Green Sandpipers, and also a pair of Shelducks and several juvenile Black-headed Gulls. However, among the 104 Greylag Geese, Snow Goose, and 25 Canada Geese I noticed two small ducks swimming into view on the back flash. They appeared to be Mandarins, although they remained very distant. This record shot does them no justice at all.

Rather more impressive was one of two Little Owls, which perched up nicely.

Finally, as we ambled along the hedge, John spotted a cricket, and got a shot of it on my hand.

After checking through books and references on the internet, I have concluded that it is a female Dark Bush Cricket. An impressive beast.

A few Swifts were moving, I counted 13, but it was too windy to detect many migrant passerines, a Lesser Whitethroat was probably the best we could find. The rain started falling by 10.30, but I did manage to spot an adult Peregrine on one of the pylons before I left for home.