Ditchford

Hi

Not long in from completing a very warm WeBS count at Ditchford GP!  Masses of insects on the wing in this very warm weather but not much in the way of birds.  I guess the best was a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull, 3 Common Sandpipers, a Greenshank, 28 Snipe, just a single Kingfisher (most years we would expect double figures at this time), 4 Cetti's Warblers and three broods of Tufted Ducks.

Dragonflies were very conspicuous with large numbers of Brown Hawker, Emperor, Black-tailed Skimmer, Ruddy Darter and Migrant Hawker, with just a couple of Southern Hawker.  Large numbers of Banded Demoiselle were on the wing with even more Common Blue and Red-eyed Damselflies and smaller numbers of Blue-tailed Damselfly.  Plenty of butterflies too and even a Common Blue butterfly which are exceptionally scarce this year.

At Pitsford Res this afternoon, birds visible from the Old Scaldwell Road feeding station included a Black Tern, two drake Red-crested Pochard and a Goldeneye.

Regards

E & N