Botanical birding

After my BBS visit to East Markham (which didn't throw up anything out of the ordinary), I called in at Gamston Wood. A pair of Spotted Flys in the northern part of the wood were good, but what I was really after was a bird-related plant; Bird's-nest Orchid. I'd been shown the gone-over flowerspikes of these plants last year, and despite a concerted effort I couldn't find any trace of them today, and I'm pretty sure I was in the right spot... However, a coppiced area nearby held at least 57 spectacular Greater Butterfly Orchids, with Common Spotted Orchid, Common Twayblade and non-flowering Broad-leaved Helleborine also present, along with a few patches of Herb-paris. Nearby, the SSSI road verges (which I have the pleasure/headache of being responsible for) held a further 6 GBOs, lots of Common Spots and Twayblades, plus a few Bee and Southern Marsh Orchids, bringing the orchid tally for the morning to six species; not bad.

Greater Butterfly Orchid in Gamston Wood

This afternoon, Collingham Pits wasn't up to much and Mons Pool was also quiet - water levels were up, and birds were few; the Shelduck pair still had 6 young, and a Hobby hung above the site monitoring the Swifts and Sand Martins.