Little Stint & Painted Lady

Lade - 0700hrs - cool, dry, sunny, ne 5 - With overnight temperatures more akin to winter it was no surprise that there was only a meagre collection of moths in the trap this morning, although Lychnis was new for the year. Over the pits the nagging north-easterly kept the passerines quiet and the only noteworthy bird was a Little Egret in the willow swamp.
ARC - 1030hrs - From the causeway road at the southern end a Little Stint was a welcome addition to the Marsh year list (194), along with LRP, RP, a 1st summer Little Gull and the now familiar collection of drake dabbling ducks.
Pigwell - Nothing much here apart from a pair of Shelduck and singles of Yellow Wagtail and Corn Bunting.
RSPB - 1400hrs - A mooch around the bird reserve was largely fruitless due to the strong wind. The stint remained at the south end of ARC.

                                                                          Painted Lady

                                                                           Sea Kale

Lade  - An evening stroll around the local patch revealed several Small Heaths on the wing plus a cracking Painted Lady basking on a sheltered garden wall. Over the beach the blasting east wind had sent most of the windsurfers to the pub, while the Sea Kale looked spectacular in the low evening sunlight. It truly is one of the botanical highlights of the season and currently the blooms are at their best, albeit about three weeks late.