RXwildlife Sightings

After the mid-summer low counts of Little Egrets, the numbers are now increasing rapidly with 26 tonight at the Castle Water roost.

The Pannel Scrape was similarly quiet yesterday, the main sounds after months of gull-bedlam was that of Lapwings and a few remaining Common Terns & their young.
Waders here and at the Flood included 6+ Green Sandpipers, 6 LRPs, 2 Common Sandpipers, 1 Greenshank, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Snipe.
Also at the Flood: 2 Little Gulls, Barn & Little Owl.

The end of July and beginning of August are usually the best time of the year for woodland butterflies. In many of our larger woods the white admiral and silver-washed fritillary are on the wing and purple hairtreaks can best be seen in late afternoon high in the tree tops. Along the coast, if you are lucky, you may catch a glimpse of a fast-flying dark green fritillary. If you stand in the same place, they often come back a few minues later as they patrol in a grand circle.

The photo is of a white admiral seen in Bixley Wood, Beckley earlier this week.

Ternery Pool has changed over the last few days, with most of the breeding gulls having moved on, the pool is now dominated by hundreds of fledged Sandwich and Common Terns, still being being fed by the parents. So the sight, sound and smell is spectacular. The Little Terns on the shore are more discrete and have now fledged 13 chicks. Only 1 Roseate Tern today (and 1 Black Tern yesterday).