A cool grey morning, somewhat untypical of June. Birding expectations plummet at this time of year, but my Pager reminded me you can never write off your chances, a Broad-billed Sandpiper having been found, and then lost, at Brandon Marsh near Coventry this morning.
However, the birding was pretty steady and I was left to tick off the first juveniles of the season of species like Long-tailed Tit and Pied Wagtail.
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| Juvenile Long-tailed Tit |
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| Adult female and juvenile Pied Wagtail |
Sadly there was no trace of the Lapwing chicks, but the two Shelducks were still present, as were three pairs of Tufted Ducks.
The cool conditions meant very few butterflies and dragonflies, but I still managed to photograph some striking insects.
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| A male Scorpion Fly sp |
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| Diamond-backed Moth |
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| Ichneumon Wasp - probably Pimpla rufipes |
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| Fly sp - possibly Yellow Dung Fly |
I am no expert at identifying insects, but as it often takes microscopic identification of genitalia to get to the right species I have no intention of going that far.
Hi Richard, good to read another village birding blog and we're on the same year total so far!
ReplyDeleteHi Nick, I've actually got off to a good start this year, but I am expecting the going to get increasingly tough and will no doubt end up with between 110 and 117 species as usual. Good luck for the rest of the year.
ReplyDeleteSnap Richard, I didn't get a new year tick between May & August last year. I'm in North Yorkshire by the way, but a Worcestershire boy by birth. www.heirsofgilbert.blogspot.co.uk
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