Quiet Days!

It has been a very quiet last couple of days, with long largely unproductive sea watches while basking in the gloriously warm sunshine, though today did produce a little quality in a single Sooty Shearwater early morning (AJG) and 4 Balearic Shearwaters mid morning with another 2 this afternoon, curiously though on a flat calm sea. As I sit on the patio typing (20.00) c40 each of Swifts and Sand Martins, along with numerous Starlings and Gulls are swirling high above snapping up the hordes of flying ants.

 Herring Gull with Whiting at the fishing boats

 Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull at the fishing boats

 Mute Swan  from the sea watch hide not often seen on sea watches!

Around the reserve it seems to be the same birds present for the last few days, Little Stint, Wood, Green and Common Sandpipers, Little Ringed Plovers, Greenshank and now 2 Great White Egrets (DB), Bearded Tits seem to be more in evidence at the ramp with the ever present Marsh Harriers and occasional fly pasts from Bitterns.

There was a just a handful of birds caught in the nets today, of note the first Garden Warbler I have seen in Britain this year. 

 Garden Warbler at the observatory

 Lime Hawkmoth

The Moth trap has been fairly busy, my first Lime Hawkmoth, a Four-spotted Footman, Small Mottled Willows, Privet, Poplar, Pine and Elephant Hawkmoths and few new for the trap micros.

Four-spotted Footman