1st September
Still very little to report on the Meadow. Lapwing numbers are building up with perhaps 30 or 40 now hanging out on the former flood areas. I noticed a flock of 30 odd linnet as well so their post breeding flocks are now forming. Last week there were a few juvenile warblers about in the hedges including garden warbler, a very pale leucistic whitethroat, willow warblers and a wheeling buzzard mewing overhead. The black-headed gull numbers are now much reduced though last week there were in excess of 150. The main bird of interest at present is the YELLOW WAGTAIL with at least 4 seen on an outing last week and at least 8 on a visit this week. They give their presence away by their distinctive flight call and either land on the northern former flood area (which seems very rich in insects) or they head for the cattle which of course are continually disturbing the insects.
As a point of interest, the mass of tiny red flowers that are now growing where the flood waters were are called "redshank". It's quite remarkable how they mark out where the flood waters were.
There is very little butterfly action on Burgess Field any more, mostly speckled woods and large whites.
As I've not been out to the Meadow for a while I thought that I would show a photo of a humming bird hawk month taken from my garden close to the Meadow. It's been part of a buttterfly bonanza in the garden in the last month with peak counts of 11 painted ladies, large numbers of large and small whites and also red admirals, small tortoiseshells and comma's all visiting one small buddhlia bush.
As a point of interest, the mass of tiny red flowers that are now growing where the flood waters were are called "redshank". It's quite remarkable how they mark out where the flood waters were.
There is very little butterfly action on Burgess Field any more, mostly speckled woods and large whites.
As I've not been out to the Meadow for a while I thought that I would show a photo of a humming bird hawk month taken from my garden close to the Meadow. It's been part of a buttterfly bonanza in the garden in the last month with peak counts of 11 painted ladies, large numbers of large and small whites and also red admirals, small tortoiseshells and comma's all visiting one small buddhlia bush.