I have had a fun couple of days away from the reserve (yes it is possible) including a great ringing demo and a flock of SEVEN Stone Curlews on the scrape at RSPB Minsmere yesterday and an Osprey and my first Willow Emerald damselflies near Maldon today. With a little time to spare, I popped into the reserve at about 1530 to be greeted by a stranded terrapin (species as yet unknown). I deftly skirted any responsibility for said chelonian (sorry ladies) and headed out for a short amble.
Purfleet Scrape is looking great again with lots of soggy mud and a single Redshank and a Greenshank were out with the 55 roosting Lapwings while 12 Yellow Wagtails and many probing Starlings were around the insect-disturbing feet of the cattle.Onwards, where after some pointing by the wardening team at my newly shorn barnet, I apologised for helping to add Stone Curlew to the Minsmere Love Passage Waders list and strolled on with head hung low with the instruction that I could not leave until I had added one to ours!The weather was becoming weird and visibility deteriorating and I have now added a new word to my vocabularly... Virga... the unusual situation when rain falls but evaporates before it reached the ground creating a very humid and murky at atmosphere a bit like smog but without all the grotty stuff!
Virga in action....And so out of the virga came the shape of the young male Marsh Harrier and two hawking Hobbies while Ringed Plovers called invisibly in the murk as they headed onto the pools from the high tide over the wall.
Some great Hobby shots from earlier today by Bill CrooksNo sign of any Whinchats (three this morning) but the walk back along the river all resulted in the first Wall Brown butterfly of the year at last!Never did find that extra wader but the ladies were all still tied up with the homeless terrapin to notice me sneak off the marsh just before five....
23-8-13