Sunday July 26 (and Friday's ringing data)

As it pre-dates this morning's visit I will begin with Friday's ringing details from Tony and Leigh.

Juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker - Tony and Leigh Kelly

They caught the following species: (retraps in brackets)

Great Spotted Woodpecker 1

Blue Tit 10 (6)

Great Tit 10 (5)

Reed Warbler 6 (3)

Chiffchaff 1

Blackbird 1 (1)

Greenfinch 1

They also watched a Buzzard attacking a duckling, and heard a singing Grasshopper Warbler.

This morning was rather too windy, and started rather cloudy before the sun broke through. This is my way of excusing us for struggling to see anything at all for the first hour. Its not that the birds weren't there. Warblers were calling constantly and we accumulated a decent list based on half seen bits of tail and flurries of wings.

This Sedge Warbler was most showy warbler on offer

The former pool had evaporated despite some recent heavy rain, so our hopes were pinned on the flash field. Here, the water level was still high and we only managed four Teal, two Green Sandpipers, 10 Moorhens, and 32 Lapwings.

Lapwing

At least the sun came out and the day warmed sufficiently to boost the butterfly list. We saw our first Small Coppers of the year, and the first Brown Arguses and Common Blues of their second generation.

Small Copper

Brown Argus

So a slightly steady morning, but as my neighbour likes to say (in a different context) "there's always something".