Butterflies2blog.

Painted Lady. Warren Baker @ Pittswood Birds

Butterflies generated a little more interest for me than birds yesterday if only because I found 7 Painted Lady, all at Cockersands except one at Conder Green, also 8 Small Skipper, 8 Small Tortoiseshell, 3 Speckled Wood, and a Common Blue....Hardly impressive stuff, and the Painted Lady number was hardly a mass invasion, but good to see some butterflies at last.

I got just a glimpse of one of the Common Terns heads above the vegetation on Conder Pool where I noticed an increase in wader numbers, being c.350 Redshank and up to 40 Lapwing, the two young Oystercatcher still surviving and growing, and I could find only 3 Common Sandpiper today. On the circuit, two - possibly three - House Martin nests are active at Cafe d' Lune, whilst none have taken up at River Winds this year, 3 Reed Bunting and 10 Linnet seen.

Juvenile Grey Heron. Pete Woodruff.

On the Lune Estuary, 10 Little Egret was a good count, with good close views of 2 Grey Heron juvenile with their full black crown, grey neck, and dingier plumage, a build up of Lapwing and Curlew numbers was noted. On Jeremy Lane 2 Reed Bunting as I drove along.

At Cockersands, a couple of hours raking around produced just 3 Skylark, 2 Linnet, a Sedge Warbler, and a Reed Bunting, and the usual Bank Houses area Tree Sparrow.

Splash Of Colour. Pete Woodruff.

A splash of colour in the Cockersands sea of green....'Clik the pik' it's quite pretty, and the Painted Lady is even prettier - stunning even - thanks to Warren.