Thursday 10 July 2014

An unseasonal duck

Today was spent birding and pulling Himalayan balsam (my arms are still tingling from the nettle stings...). The birding was fairly slow, although Collingham held 2 Green Sandpipers (at Mons Pool) and a Hobby, and a Turtle Dove was purring on Northcroft Lane; another was at Meering. However, things picked up when I had a second visit to Collingham this evening, with a male (Greater) Scaup on Ferry Lane Lake; presumably this is the bird that's been at Holme Pierrepont recently? 

Scaup with a Tuftie
Turtle Dove

I also looked at the sightings book for the first time in ages. It transpired that I have now missed two Wood Sands this year - the bird on 2 June (which I knew about), and one on 3 July (which I didn't know about, and doesn't seem to have been reported, which I a bit disappointing).

Aside from birds, there were lots of butterflies around today; Small Torts especially seem to be having a very good year, and I counted 35 in one small thistle patch on the west side of Ferry Lane Lake. I also saw my first Essex Skippers of the year at Collingham, and 2 Purple Hairstreaks at Langford Lowfields next to the carpark. 

Purple Hairstreak
Purple Hairstreak
Essex Skipper

No comments:

Post a Comment