Painted Lady butterflies arriving in numbers
Double figures of Painted Lady Butterflies on the Wild Safaris today.
Painted Lady arrival
It's worth checking any flowers for our latest arrivals, faded, worn or damaged individuals were seen along the seawall and Wild Safari route. These insects have probably just arrived from the continent and should now breed leaving us with a generation of fresh butterflies later in the year.
South Lake
Two 2cy Mediterranean Gulls with Herring, Lesser BB and Black-headed Gulls, Little-ringed Plover, 64 Black-tailed Godwit, 40 Avocet (broods of 4,3 and 1), pair of Lapwing, a Common Tern, 2 drake Shoveler, 19 drake Gadwall (now moulting),3 Teal, Great Crested and Little Grebe.
Duck Decoy
An insect hatch off/emergence attracted a low flying feeding flock of gulls including Mediterranean.
Rushy
Pair of Little-ringed Plover + chick, Cranes pair + 2 chicks, Grey Wagtail (unusual for late May), 10 drake and 8 duck Tufted Duck, 5 drake Gadwall, 2 drake Shoveler and 36 Avocet.
Tack Piece
Golden Plover, Egyptian Goose + singing Whitethroat along the hedge from Estuary Walkway, on the scrape from hides- 11 drake Gadwall, 6 Avocet + chick, pair of Tufted Duck, 17 Shelduck, 110 Greylag and 3 Canada Geese and a Pied Wagtail.
Estuary Tower
Cuckoo singing in grounds/Decoy, 26 Avocet + 2 chicks, nesting Cranes, Mediterranean Gull with Black-headed Gulls, Peregrine, pair of Oystercatcher, 3 Lapwing, 2 Curlew + 31 Canada Geese.
Middle Point
Five singing Reed Warbler, 10 Dunlin, 17 Ringed Plover, Sanderling, 18 Curlew and 2 Avocet on the mud plus a Common Tern flew down this afternoon.
Top New Piece
Two Spoonbill (earlier at Middle Point tidal pool), drake Garganey, 31 drake Gadwall, 35 Shelduck, pair of Cranes with two chicks, 2 Lapwing, Redshank, 22 Avocet, drake Shoveler + Pied Wagtail with juvenile.
Bottom New Piece
Six Redshank and 2 Lapwing.
