Recent visits have been hard work with highlights being Black Tern, five or more Little Terns including young being fed by adults, and Roseate Tern, all found by MF and who was as usual happy to share views through his scope or provide directions. The Roseate was particularly tough being in amongst a couple of hundred Common Terns and mixed gulls on the beach with strong overhead light. Periodic, but thankfully minor disturbances caused the flock to lift up but quickly resettle on the shore.
Wader-wise just Green and Common Sandpipers, LRPs including juveniles, three Dunlin and one or two Snipe all on south scrape with no access to North Scrape nor Eleven Acres.
The east side produced a probable Willow Emerald which helicoptered up over the trees, a brief Ruddy Darter and a Purple Hairstreak in the tallest Oak. Beneath that the Marsh Thistles are providing plenty of sustenance for bees and the Angelica, Hemp Agrimony and Fleabane etc home for a few Leptura quadrifasciata, both large Volucellas and a few other diptera etc.
There seem to have been good numbers of Willow Warblers hu-weeting, mostly invisible but several lemon yellow youngsters showing well and even a few late singers. Acrocephalus warblers have been evident and apparently the ringers have caught a number of Grasshopper Warblers on site. I guess it'll be the 2022 Bird Report before we know how many and whether any Aquatics dropped into their nets.
(Black Tern, Dunlin, South Scrape, Avocet, Common Tern and Common Terns in a sea of moulted feathers, Roseate Tern courtesy MF)
