A steady trickle of migrants

Lade - Cool, dry and sunny, n 2 - The past couple of days on the local patch have been pretty similar with a trickle of drift migrants either hanging around or moving through in bright sunshine on a light northerly airflow - with the curse of the school holidays now over, we can no doubt look forward to a period of more settled weather. With B&B guests coming and going a late morning walk out yesterday delivered a decent return on butterflies with plenty of Common Blues and Small Heaths still on the wing, plus Painted Ladies, Red Admirals and even a Clouded Yellow. 

                               Clay balls, Lade Bay

                               This fuchsia hedge was alive with bees

On the warbler front a few more Chiffchaffs have been noted around the site today along with plenty of Willow Warblers and lesser numbers of Sedge and Reed Warblers, Whitethroats and Blackcaps. The ponds have been the best spot for mixed flocks of warblers, tits, Spotted Flycatchers and this morning our first Goldcrest of the autumn.

                                Meadow Pipits, Lade Desert

                               Sedge Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher, Lade ponds

Out on the shingle ridges several Whinchats and Wheatears were joined by parties of Yellow Wagtails (DB reported `hundreds` dropping onto the Kerton Road triangle this morning) and Mipits with more passing overhead, plus singles of Tree Pipit and Grey Wagtail, 10 Goldfinches and 3 Siskins. Hirundines keep on coming with a big increase in Swallow numbers today.
A late morning check of the beach resulted in all the usual shorebirds, plus 6 Teal and 2 Shelducks.
As for moths, well, the chilly nights have knocked numbers for six, but Vestals are still coming to light and this mornings highlight was L-album Wainscot.

                                  L-album Wainscot, Plovers

ARC - A look at the wader islands (or what`s left of them) this afternoon revealed 100 Lapwings and Golden Plovers, 3 Knots and a Dunlin, plus all the usual wildfowl and hirundines on and over the lake.
The Red-backed Shrike was into its sixth day by the access road on the bird reserve and the Cattle Egret was reported again on Dengemarsh.