Butterflies and Orchids

A walk around Summer Leys this morning was rewarded with my first Little Ringed Plover chick of the year.  It was with its parents on Round Island.  Two further LRP's were on the slips but without young.  There are a number of Lapwing chicks roaming the scrape now as well as two of the three Oystercatcher chicks, sadly one has disappeared.
The orchids are showing well in several places around the reserve, particularly near to the Pioneer Hide where both Common Spotted and Southern Marsh-orchid are in full flower.  There are a couple of unopened flower spikes of Bee Orchid in the same area.
After visiting Summer Leys I continued up to Glapthorn Cow Pasture where the first Black Hairstreak butterflies where seen on the 26th.  There were adults on the wing in several locations through the wood but were generally very flighty in the breezy conditions.  When they did land it was generally quite high in the bushes so getting good quality pictures was quite difficult.  In all there were probably 7-8 individuals flying.

Regards,

                  Neil H