Birding and other distractions

A late afternoon visit when the sun finally appeared. I was hoping to find an Adonis Blue of the second generation though didn't have any luck, probably still a little too early. However, there were fairly good numbers of Common Blue, most quite worn to some extent, as were several Small Blue seen on slopes near the main entrance.  However, the most numerous butterfly was Gatekeeper, with Brimstone and Peacock also present. Common Blue Female Common Blue Small Blue Male Gatekeeper  Female Gatekeeper  Peacock Cuckoo Bee

After Tuesday's dip at Hickling the info last night was that the Black-winged Kite had roosted at nearby Horsey Mere. I therefore set the alarm clock to make an early start for the journey to Norfolk. I picked Jeremy up at 4:00 and after a fairly uneventful journey we arrived at Horsey by 7. We heard that birders were already watching the bird so then had a stressful walk of over a mile to reach the site. On arrival the bird was still present though viewing was difficult due to the number of birders already there plus obscuring vegetation. Nevertheless reasonably good views were obtained as the kite sat in a distant tree (about 500m away), preening most of the time. After about 45 minutes it finally flew off high to the east.   Later that day I heard that the kite had moved to Felixstowe in Suffolk.

An hour at Oare prior to the BTO meeting. Last week the Bonaparte's Gull returned for the 11th year and I luckily saw it within five minutes of arrival today. The bird was on the foreshore and shows little sign of moult at this stage. On the east flood a flock of about 200 Black-tailed Godwit contained the odd colour-ringed bird. Two Little Grebe had two chicks. Bonaparte's Gull  As above  Black-tailed Godwit  Colour-ringed Black-tailed Godwit 

An afternoon visit, starting in PV. It was mostly sunny if breezy, though had clouded over by the time I reached TF. I wanted to look for Purple Emperor and WL Hairstreak in view of last year's sightings at the corresponding time. PV is a now an overgrown jungle and it was only possible to walk to the first pylon (from the gate at DV), nevertheless this includes the areas where both butterflies were seen last year. Unfortunately neither species was seen, perhaps no great surprise in the case of Purple Emperor. Other butterflies were numerous and included a White Admiral and my first of year Painted Lady , though the former didn't hang around. In TF bramble growth was a problem in many spots. However, I managed to find one male Adder and five Slow-worms. Ivy-leaved Bellflower  Painted Lady White Admiral  Small Skipper  Male Adder Three Slow-worms 

A very warm day for the boat trip, and fairly calm. The boat left Chatham Maritime with the usual crew at 14:15, high tide being relatively late in the day. The island where Sandwich Tern usually breed was now very quiet though there may have been the odd pair feeding young out of view, since adults were seen carrying fish. The Little Tern colony was now also much quieter, though adults could still be seen on the beach plus a small number of fully fledged young birds. In contrast other islands were still fairly busy, with Common Terns feeding young, and an unexpected small colony of Sandwich Terns, perhaps late breeders. Nearby an absolute brute of a Great Black-backed Gull appeared to gave fledged offspring, though it was unclear whether three young birds together were all from this parent. One of the youngsters was noticeably more bulky, with a very thick-set head. However, it was unclear what species the smaller birds were if not GBB Gull.  The finale of the trip was observing a...

A pleasant morning walking the forest trails, though it was hot and humid. The main objective was to look for butterflies. One of the first butterflies that I found was the brimstone-like Cleopatra with bright yellow panels on the upperwing. They always rested with the wings closed, obscuring the yellow, though I did manage a fluke shot of one in flight revealing the colourful upperwing. The highlight of the trip was finding Southern White Admiral nectaring from flowers, at times just a metre away. The butterfly was immaculate in appearance,  the bluish sheen on the upperwing confusing me into thinking Lesser Purple Emperor whilst at the reserve, though later reference to books revealed the true identity. Nearby a Scarce Swallowtail competed for attention though this individual did not hang around for long. Other butterflies included Marbled White, Wall, Small Copper, and a hairstreak sp. Cleopatra Cleopatra Southern White Admiral  As above  As above Scarce Swallowtail...