The only things thriving locally are reeds, Achillea (a very drought-resilient plant all over the field) and Orthoptera with many grasshoppers in the longer dried grass. So far I've only had Lesser Marsh but I'm sure other species are there. 'Butterfly Alley' is done fir the year and the ragwort has all gone to seed. A Cettis in the pond side vegetation and a couple of audible Willow Warblers, a few Swallows, a day-roosting Little Egret and a fishing heron were it for birdlife.
A couple of female Volucella zonaria were on Hemp Agrimony.
Most of the dawn to dusk gull noise is down to Herring Gulls and their offspring but last night's calls felt different and, lo and behold, a medium sized raptor gliding away southwards at 2015 hrs was neither buzzard nor kite and, despite having five pairs of binoculars in the house, none were to hand. Dammit! I guess Marsh Harrier was the likeliest culprit.
.jpeg)
