Saturday 30th June and Sunday 1st July

Common Tern second screen (c) P. Barker

Kestrel Wash and brush up All pics (c ) P. Barker

Juvenile Whitethroat (c) P. Barker

Well it still doesn’t feel like high summer, better this weekend than last, but still breezy with occasional showers.
There were a few more waders about with a Green Sandpiper on the second scrape on Greenaways in addition to the two seen during the previous week on Ashgrave. A Greenshank was reported on Friday and heard on Sunday. There are still one or two Lapwing chicks on Big Otmoor and there are at least seven fledged juvenile Redshanks together and moving around the scrapes. A Little Ringed Plover was also present on the Big Otmoor scrapes. One of the scrapes has drained down well and is showing a lot of attractive mud for passage migrants. Unfortunately there was no sign of Fridays reported Knot. I have also heard of a summer plumaged Black Tailed Godwit that was seen on Saturday on Big Otmoor
Many warblers are singing again and the Grasshopper Warbler in the usual spot by the feeders was showing well on Sunday morning. Lesser Whitethroats are again very vocal along the bridleway and on the path to the second screen. A Cuckoo seen on Sunday morning may be the last adult that we see this year.
A juvenile Kestrel gave excellent views beside the path to the second screen and offered great photographic opportunities as it went through a complete preening session after a bath. It seemed unafraid and showed amazing flexibility in the way that it managed to service all of its different feathers even those that seemed most difficult to access. Hobbies continued to hunt actively over Greenaways and it was very pleasing to see at least five Turtle Doves in the carpark/Roman road/cattle pen areas.
There were many more dragonflies about but the cool breezy conditions have meant that there are still not as many Butterflies on the wing as we would expect for early July, a warm, still and sunny day will bring them out in great numbers......should we ever have such a day again!

Large Skipper (c) P. Barker

Red Admiral (c) P.Barker

Hobbies left overs (c) P. Greenaway

Dragonfly nymph ? (c) P. Greenaway