If you had to choose, who would you say was the better flyer – a black-headed gull or a brimstone butterfly?
Watching a male brimstone flutter his way across the Mere, I wasn’t the only one captivated by his showy, yellow wings. A black-headed gull, looked up and saw an easy meal. Worse, another gull spotted the same target.
Both birds took off towards the unfortunate butterfly, beaks agape and aiming to be the first to snap him up. But, far from delicate or defenceless, the butterfly clearly saw both birds coming. As they approached, he waited until the last moment then folded his wings and dropped, leaf-like towards the water.
Baffled, the birds looked about for their prey and, seeing nothing fluttering, wheeled away squawking their frustrations at each other.
The butterfly, nearly at the water now, opened his wings and accepted the slight uplift from some nearby bathing gadwall then continued on his way.
Great crested grebe and catch from John Wyles. Thanks John!
First thing this morning, Graham Speight at Edderthorpe Flash recorded one wood sandpiper, one common sandpiper and four avocet. Thanks Graham. A little later that list was amended to include: one little egret, two redshank, one little ringed plover and two shelduck.
John Seeviour reported from Bolton Ings that there were: one mute swan, three great crested grebe, three little grebe, three mallard, nine gadwall, fourteen tufted duck, four pochard, one grey heron, three herring gull, one common gull, five chiffchaff, five willow warbler, three blackcap, two whitethroat, two bullfinch and a green woodpecker. Thanks John.
Meanwhile, mid-morning and in a sighting from the bittern monitoring hide, a spoonbill was seen to fly down the valley in the direction of Adwick Washland. At this stage I have no further details but, if you saw this one, I’d love to know more.
Sand martin on the Mere this afternoon
At Old Moor today, a male bittern boomed throughout the day and there were regular sightings of female birds flying to and from Bolton Ings. One bird dropped into the reedbeds at Wath Ings and provided watchers there with some excellent, close-up views.
On the Mere there was little change today with the nesting Mediterranean gulls still sitting tight and, nearby, six lesser black-backed gull, three oystercatcher, twenty-five sand martin, two redshank and hundreds of black-headed gull. Here too was a great crested grebe, a pair of gadwall and four pochard along with tufted duck, Canada geese, shoveler and mallard.
Still sitting – the Med. gull pair
On the Field Pool were lapwing, one little egret, mallard, tufted duck, jackdaw and crow.
Common tern, shelduck and redshank were all seen on the Wader Scrape though I have no reports today yet of those unseasonal goosander.
The warblers of Green Lane were in fine voice today with reed warbler, sedge warbler, blackcap, willow warbler, chiffchaff and bullfinch all filling the air with song.
A little egret feeding on the Field Pool today
Finally, to Wath Ings where there were: mute swan, oystercatcher, cormorant, great crested grebe and – of course – that stalwart sedge warbler performing beautifully just beneath the hide windows.
As far as I know, that’s it for today but with watchers still out there, who knows what could happen before sunset. Maybe even a spoonbill roosting somewhere nearby…
Stranger things have happened…