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?
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| Scaup with a Tuftie |
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| 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.
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| Purple Hairstreak |
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| Purple Hairstreak |
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| Essex Skipper |
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