Interesting sightings during the first half of August were as follows. A Little Grebe starting showing and occasionally calling from the pool by the railway that is choked with 'Mair's Tail'' I cannot see any roters on its mantle, which I think it may need for lift-off if it runs out of food. It could of course use its vertical take-off jump jet system.
Three juvenile Shelduck arrived on the 11^th & are still present today and since the recent rain showers did increase the inundated edges of some pools. Both numbers of Gadwall & Teal have started to increase. Hobby sightings do seem few & far between this year, probably reflecting low numbers of local returning swallows & martins, but the one on 17^th (SB) was only the 3rd sighting here this year.
WeBS count on 12th totalled = Greylags - 36. Mallard - 30. Gadwall - 2. Shoveler - 1. Teal - 16. Coot -2 Moorhen - 37. Lapwing - 113. Snipe - 9. Green Sandpiper - 2.
A little more recently and 2 Black T Godwits seen to arrive at 7 40pm on 16^th and after immediatly performing a thorough 'wash & brush up’, settled in with the roosting Lapwing flock. It was thought they must have left when there was no sign the following day. But on the 18^th they were re-found a few hundred yards downstream on the 'tricky' to view Ibis pool unless they were different birds, due to the thought that on this pool there were maybe 3 birds present, which turned out to be the case later on the 19^th. These three then appeared to join another six on BM before being flushed by the local Sparrowhawk (SB) around early evening. A little later a short period of 'Viz-Mig' with 20 to 30 Swifts and a similar combined number of swallows & both House & Sand Martins all moving slowly through, but always eventually to the south.
Butterflies - A fantastic year for butterflies by all recent standards. Even a new species this time, unless someone knows better. This was a Brown Argus on about the 4th. Just 1. But it was the 1st. Other butterflies that day - Red Admiral 1. these have been scarce up to yet. Green V White 13. M/Brown 4. Gatekeepers 3. Comma - 2 C/Blue 2. By the 18th it was all Speckled Woods + a few Whites. (These counts relate to a transect running from the end of the canal to the kennels.)
The nearby Forge Site, Jacksdale has been good for Butterflies especially Common Blues. I have never seen so many in 3 visits each lasting one hour or so I never saw less than 30. A photographer I spoke to says he estimated there could have been c100 C/Blue's that day. Also there- several Brown Argus, but some can be difficult to separate from some female Blue's. Also early August quiet a few Clouded Yellows. I saw 5 in a short visit, but there was no doubt more.