Tuesday 20 October 2020

Insects, holding on - just!

Another wet start, then mainly dry till mid afternoon. Warm SE wind.

Just my stuff so far (MD). Possibly more to come

South shore - low water mid morning
Skylark 1 on saltmarsh
Wheatear 1 
Rock Pipits at least 5 - I couldn't decide whether these were passage or the recently elusive local birds. I did suspect passage as I only saw them on the way out, no sign of any on the return leg. But their distribution (1 + 3 + 1) was typical of the birds previously resident.
White Wagtail 1 on Red Nab.
It was chased away several times by one of the Rock Pipits.

Eventually, an uneasy truce 

but just enough time to find a snack

Pink-Footed Goose 75 SE 11:15

Middleton Nature Reserve - mid afternoon 
Mute - the "missing" cygnet is now back on the main pond. Not being chased off by the female and the three cygnets, but certainly being encouraged to maintain social distancing!
Two adult on the no swimming pond and another on Tim Butler.
Gadwall 4
Teal 2
Shoveller 1
Little Grebe 2

Cetti's warbler 1 singing
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 south
Pink-Footed Goose 73 S 14:05

Insects:
Even without the sun it was warm. I'd seen a couple of Migrant Hawkers. Then the sun came out, only for a few minutes, but suddenly there were three Migrant Hawkers and two Common darter feeding around me. Then the sun went in and the rain started!
This female Common Darter
managed to catch a beetle in the sunny break.


This Red Admiral was the only butterfly seen.
It's admirable that it could fly at all!