Monday July 10 - Encouraging signs at Morton Bagot

Whisper it very quietly, but the condition of the nearest flash at Morton Bagot is just about perfect. I went there today, and counted 30 waders of five species. OK 19 of them were Lapwings, but that still left room for eight Green Sandpipers, a Common Sandpiper, a Little Ringed Plover, and best of all my first Redshank of the year.

Redshank

Green Sandpiper

Little Ringed Plover

Common Sandpiper

Lapwings

This is about as good as the flash gets, 50% water, 50% mud. If only it would stay that way. The weather forecast for the next week is pretty rainy, so it shouldn't be drying out. But too much and the mud will disappear.

Also present were three Teal, two Little Egrets, and two Grey Herons.

Before I even reached the flash field (where the viewing is still a bit restricted) I counted two or three singing Grasshopper Warblers, and lots of butterflies. These included my first Essex Skippers of the year and a lot more Gatekeepers than last week. The year turns, and different insects peak in numbers.

Essex Skipper

Counting butterflies takes a lot of concentration and diligence, two qualities I do not really possess. So although I got some counts, these will be far below the actual numbers present. As for moths, I soon tired of looking at the grass moths but did catch one to confirm that they now include Agriphila straminella as well as numerous Garden Grass Veneers.

Agriphila straminella temporarily detained.

I can see my wandering away from Morton Bagot being curtailed in order to take advantage of the temporary perfection of the habitat.