Finally normal service is being resumed and the good old British weather is more akin to what we are used to. Typically our busiest time, July is the beginning of the small window of opportunity that we have to undertake our main grassland management. Surprisingly what is largely a farmed landscape demands a considerable amount of attention to control the less palatable and invasive species. However our enthusiasm has to be kerbed as we now wait for the lying water to disappear to enable access across the fields without causing damage. However the birds seem oblivious to our challenges. The waders are returning, with a number of black-tailed godwits appearing on the reserves and around the estuary and good numbers of redshank and greenshank can be seen and heard, together with the piping call of the whimbrel.
The first osprey was seen at Bowling Green Marsh on the 26th of the month a true sign that autumn is on its way. However the best sign has to be the flocks of lapwing that are both at Powderham and Goosemoor, a collection of both adult and juvenile birds illustrating a recent successful season.