Saturday 13 June 2020

And the sun came out!

Hello

Great weather today with comfortable temperatures, a nice breeze and plenty of sunshine but not great for hay fever sufferers! The forecast for tomorrow looks similar.

Thrapston Pits today attracted up to two Great White Egrets, three Little Egrets, three Cuckoos, a Hobby, two Oystercatchers and a Redshank but no sign of the Avocets of the last couple of days. This time it was the turn of Lesser Black-backed Gulls to predate the Black-headed Gull chicks on the island. Deb and Eric also saw a Kingfisher, plenty of warblers and thousands of damselflies!

Three Black Terns at Clifford Hill Pits kept a procession of observers entertained today with a supporting cast of a Ringed Plover and a Barnacle Goose. Nearby and a Curlew was seen over the scrape at Summer Leys LNR and a Green Sandpiper was on the deck there (which will be a failed breeder on it's way back south - autumn passage and it isn't even officially summer yet)!

Insects at Pitsford Reservoir included Black-tailed Skimmer and Beautiful Demoiselle in the Scaldwell Bay and the best birds in Hanging Houghton village were a singing Spotted Flycatcher and fly-over singles of Grey Wagtail and Siskin, with two male Beautiful Demoiselles on the Brampton Brook below the village and a Hobby and two Barn Owls this evening. New Covert on the Kelmarsh Estate appears to be harbouring two pairs of Spotted Flycatchers this year.

An Osprey carrying a fish over Spratton village this evening was the day's wildlife highlight for David Arden.

Butterfly enthusiasts were out looking at Wood Whites at a few locations today and White-letter Hairstreaks were seen at Ravensthorpe Reservoir and Fermyn Woods. This latter location also provided early examples of White Admiral and Silver-washed Fritillary today.

Regards

Neil M

Scarlet Tiger moth.

Common Buzzard.

Peacock butterfly caterpillars.

Juvenile male Blackbird.

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