Birding and other distractions

At a bright and breezy Grain (Port Victoria) there was a reasonable showing of butterflies today. Most noteworthy was Wall with around five being seen all on the landward side of the seawall except for one on the ruins. A fresh-looking Common Blue was a pleasant surprise for the end of September; doubtful that I'll see any more like this in remaining weeks of the season. Also present was a Small Copper, Red Admiral, and several Meadow Brown. Dragonflies were conspicuous, most being Migrant Hawkers but also a fair number of Common Darter. Birds were generally quiet, with a few tacking Blackcaps in 'ouzel alley' plus the odd Chiffchaff elsewhere. A Kestrel was quite approachable near the end of the walk. Wall Wall Small Copper Migrant Hawker Common Darter Kestrel

A warm sunny day, so I was tempted back to Cliffe to look for butterflies again, plus birds on the pools at high tide. Walking from Salt Lane along the raised bank towards the creek Keith and I soon found Clouded Yellows, eventually six in total, which were typically very active and gave no opportunity to photograph. Nearer the creek we also saw a couple of Wall butterflies, though Small Heath was easily the most common species. Moving on towards the river the shelter of the seawall  enabled further butterfly sightings, especially near the jetty as on the previous visit. These included several Small Copper, a number of mostly worn Common Blue, a smart Peacock and 6 more Clouded Yellow. Also a few more Wall; interesting to note that they generally looked smaller than is usual for the species. With high tide approaching we walked back along the track from the creek, checking pools as we went. Good numbers of waders had already gathered, though Avocet only flew in as we neared the sou...

A WeBS   count today on the flats (offshore at high tide) and also marsh. Good to see returning Brent Geese on the river, also a nice raft of Wigeon. The marsh was generally quiet though small flocks of Meadow Pipits were notable along the seawall. However, the New Diggings had high numbers of birds, especially gulls, the bulk of which were c1000 Black-headed. Waders were represented by 114 Lapwing, ten Greenshank, and three Green Sandpiper. Weather was generally warm and it proved to be a good day for reptiles, with three Slow-worm (under refugia), a brief view of a Common Lizard, plus two Wall Lizard. The Wall Lizard colony has declined in the usual area, perhaps moving inland, today being my first sighting of these reptiles this year. A possible view of a Wall today, though plenty of Small Heath, by far the commonest butterfly. A fresh Red Admiral was seen near the New Diggings. Slow-worm Wall Lizard Wall Lizard Red Admiral

Keith and I stayed in Beverly overnight on Monday in order to be at Buckton early the following morning. Parking at Bempton we walked along the coastal path admiring the Gannets on the cliffs. The Green Warbler had originally been found the previous Thursday in a small copse surrounded by arable near Buckton.  Arriving on site at 7:15 I was surprised and relieved to see it immediately, rather brief views though sufficient to note key features such as the wing bar. I stayed there for 3.5 hours in total, with two other similar views during this period, plus a number of less satisfactory glimpses. The Green Warbler was fairly vocal, with a disyllabic call not dissimilar to Pied Wagtail. A young Willow Warbler was also present, giving some potential for confusion though the Green was a much brighter bird. I waited too long to make the journey for this bird, though got away with it, seeing the warbler on what proved to be it's last day. As it turned out our visit that day may have been ...

Better than expected weather this afternoon tempted me to look for butterflies at Cliffe. The visit would also coincide with high tide hence the opportunity to check the pools for waders and other waterbirds. There had been reports earlier in the week of Clouded Yellows near the seawall, so that was the first port of call. Sure enough the butterflies were still around, mainly near the jetty with a profusion of flowering plants there and noticeably warm. I saw approx. six Clouded Yellow including three battling together. A couple were very quite worn though most looked in reasonably good condition. They were very active though the odd one occasionally landed for a short period. Other butterflies included two Painted Lady, plus Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Common Blue and Small Heath. A confiding Wheatear nearby showed well on the seawall. Checking the pools on the way back the wader numbers were very impressive, particularly approx. 2000 Avocet. Testing a new travelscope (...