Bee Orchid

Lade - hot, dry and sunny, S 3 - Spent the morning mooching around the local patch, until it got too hot around 11am. Along the foreshore a few Barrel Jellyfish amongst clumps of beached Whelk and Squid eggs, while further out on the sands a couple of red Bar-tailed Godwits amongst a host of Curlews and Oystercatchers.

                                Barrel Jellyfish

  On the lakes the first Mute Swan cygnets were on show along with a brood of Gadwall on north lake, but while there were plenty of Coots out on the open water few of the early brood youngsters appear to have survived predation yet again. Several Cuckoos were active around the Willow Swamp attracted to the numerous Reed Warbler nests.

                                          Bee Orchid

  Once we`d moved through the mass of rotting, stinking Valerian around the site entrance I spent some time searching for Bee Orchids along the old railway line track, eventually locating a single plant in pristine condition. The Southern Marsh Orchid patch is now restricted to just two plants beside south lake with another clump behind the wall mirror. Great Lettuce has sprung up across the shingle, in places six feet tall.

                               Great Lettuce

  I had high expectations from the garden moth trap last night, but I fear the wind sprung up suppressing the catch. However, we had our first White Spot and Small Dusty Wave of the season.

                                             White Spot