Friday 26th July 2013

Coverage of both high tides produced 24 Ringed Plover, 60 Dunlin, 43 Sanderling, 1 Knot, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 5 Bar-tailed Godwit, 12 Whimbrel, 23 Redshank, 3 Turnstone, 3 Common Sandpiper and hundreds of Oystercatcher and Curlew.  Also present 130+ Sandwich Tern, 2 Common Tern and 2 (ad & juv) Mediterranean Gull.  Apart from a Swift overhead and a Green Woodpecker in the trees, everywhere else pretty much drew a blank.

Wildlife News: the male Long-tailed Blue butterfly that flew into the kitchen of a nearby property yesterday (!) was safely released within the Back Meadow this afternoon where it remained on view for over an hour, much to the delight of an assembled group of admirers. It likely roosted there. Common Blue, Brown Argus, Small Skipper, 'browns' and 'whites' etc festooned the un-cut area of meadow. 

Long-tailed Blue 29/07/13 © Nick Moran

Long-tailed Blue 29/07/13 © John Marchant