Wader Island

Lade - warm, dry and sunny, sw 2 - A much better day with lighter winds and less cloud than yesterday that encouraged a lot more insects onto the wing, including a few Migrant Hawkers in the garden, and singles of Marbled White, Painted Lady (only my second of the summer) and even a few Small Tortoiseshells which have been scarce here.

                                Small Tortoiseshell in the garden

                                Wader island, south lake

  Every summer on south lake, as the water table drops, a small island gradually emerges about 50 yards out from the main track at the south end. Sometimes in a really dry summer more low islands pop up on the far side of the lake, but are too distant to be of much use for observing small waders. So far this past fortnight the close island has produced a steady trickle of waders, and this morning was easily the most productive yet with two Black-tailed Godwits and singles of Bar-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper and Oystercatcher. Curlew, Lapwing, Dunlin and Green Sandpiper have also paused a while over the past month and hopefully as the autumn progresses the wader list will increase.
  On the high tide this evening it was good to see up to 20 Sandwich Terns fishing in the bay and several distant Gannets heading down-Channel.