The Invasion!

With an appointment to keep in Lancaster at 1.00pm on Wednesday, always keen for a little birding, I thought if I took my binoculars with me I could follow on with a walk by the River Lune along the quay, on to Freeman's Pools and a little invasion into the parish of Aldcliffe. Nothing too serious, just a walk through, with little time on my hands for lingering or digging into hidden corners....so off I went.

Green Sandpiper Antonio Puigg 

It was good to find 3 Green Sandpiper, two in a channel towards the wildfowlers pools - where I noted 4 Little Egret and 7 Black-tailed Godwit - and one resting with its head tucked in on the flood where I also saw 2 Little Ringed Plover. A minimum of 550 Canada Geese were on Aldcliffe Marsh, and walking the path I counted 15 Goldfinch and a Peacock butterfly which fought against a stiff breeze. Thank you for the Green Sandpiper Antonio.

And finally....a couple of butterflies I reckon I might otherwise never see for real.

Silver-spotted Skipper Marc Heath 

This Silver-spotted Skipper is relatively-local and restricted to closely-grazed chalk downland sites in southern England. Its former range extended from Somerset in the west to isolated colonies in the north as far as Cumbria and Yorkshire. Its range contracted in the 20th century due to a reduction in grazing stock as well as the onset of myxomatosis which severely affected rabbit populations. Recent years have been more promising and this is one of the few species that is increasing its range. Thanks for these images Marc.

Spotted Fritillary Noushka Dufort

And the Spotted Fritillary, an interesting creature in that a single specimen was caught near Dumfries in Scotland in June 1866, it was believed to have been an introduction, and no more specimens were seen until a 120 years later in 1986 when several individuals were seen flying in Fobbing Marshes in Essex, these were also believed to have been introduced. Thanks for these images Noushka.