The Safari didn't see much on Patch 2 this morning other than a very distant Grey Seal, some gulls and about the same number of Oystercatchers.
At lunchtime we had another bash and it wasn't much different other than the very distant seal had drifted much closer on the rising tide.
A 7-spot Ladybird landed on our arm and when we turned to blow it off we saw a small number of little black flies, a bit like St Mark's Flies but smaller, more delicate and without the long dangly legs - so nothing like St Mark's Flies then - - apart from being black!
Looking along the seawall for any stray Wheatears, there never are, we saw some fishermen by each set of steps but more interestingly there were swarms of flies which had attracted a couple of zipping Swallows. There seemed to be rather a lot...taking our eye away from the eyepiece on the scope we saw there were rather a lot, literally millions of them...musta just hatched there was nothing like those numbers ten minutes earlier.
Our final act of the week was to leave the office early and pick up CR and go and have our monthly look at the snake-pit seeing as we were rained off last week.
At last we found a few Toads, three in fact bringing our total for the year to a massive four. Lots of Frog tadpoles there and a lovely Green Veined White butterfly, our first of the season. Also there were Small Tortoiseshells and a manky looking Peacock, but no sign of any limbless reptiles and the secretive Water Voles remained as hidden as ever. Better luck next time - hope so, might have to get the chest waders out and walk the length of the ditch from within.
Where to next? Moth trap is on but before we can have a look in there tomorrow morning we have a dawn chorus guided walk, well a rather late one, to guide. Hope the birds are in fine voice, the forecast is for frost - yikes!
In the meantime let us know who's clenching their teeth in your outback.
No comments:
Post a Comment