Not a lot of time this week for a blog as we've been pretty full on with work.
Just a quick update in terms of the reserve closure - the Reserve will remain closed as we are not currently able to open our hides or toilets under government guidelines.
This week has been another hot and dry one and this has meant birds have been getting on with raising their young, lots of insects emerging too particularly butterflies and dragonflies but also plenty of flowers in Horseshoe Meadow. So I will allow the pictures to tell the tales this week...............
Little egret - more and more are now feeding on the reserve away from their breeding colonies
And those Sticklebacks have been feeding the bitterns!
The quintessential sound of summer - cuckoo, its currently a good year for them
Marsh harriers are having a mixed breeding season, but this female was hungry!
Reed buntings have started singing again in large numbers - it always amazes me just how many there are in the tidal reedbed hundreds of pairs
And the yellow wagtails have been collecting nesting material - the koniks winter coat of the floor
A few sheep have joined the cattle out on the marsh
While so did this cheeky fox
There was another brief visit from this drake garganey
And there was a late passage of waders west including these oystercatchers
We've had a few hairy dragonflies - this one though was out on Crowle Moors
And nice to see the yellow flag iris flowering
The first silver Y moth of the year from this morning
And sea milkwhort flowering out on the grazing marsh
Horseshoe meadow is blooming very nicely
and attracting masses of butterflies like this large skipper, the first one out today
And brown argus
In among the blues
Large white, they never stop still long enough!
Some meadow plants - clary
Rough hawkbit
And that's about it - June next week!