Butterfly Highlight.

Ringlet. Pete Woodruff.

Highlight for me on Monday was the Ringlet I found at Aldcliffe, very unexpected and probably a first for the area. The only other Ringlets I've ever seen aside from the one at Latterbarrow recently, have been at Witherslack were I saw twenty on 9 July 2015.

I had only gone to Aldcliffe for the last hour for a quick whizz round, and in the warm and sheltered cutting near Stodday I found a little selection of other butterflies, including 3 Comma, 2 Red Admiral, 2 Meadow Brown, and a Speckled Wood.

On a circuit along the high path and return via the lower, 4 Chiffchaff were heard, 2 Whitethroat seen, with a Sedge Warbler singing full throttle, a few Swift were over, but more notable was a movement probably of up to a three figure of House Martin. I counted 205 Greylag in a field, with two unreadable orange collared birds.

In the Glasson area I found 5 Mediterranean Gull, a visit to the Lune Estuary coincided with the near high tide, but I was rewarded with good views of a 2nd summer bird, and in the field at the junction by Saltcote Brow, 4 birds were all hunkered down in the grass, all except one were 2nd summer/adult with full black hoods, but the one seen as an all white-winged adult with 52 Black-headed Gull.

Ringed Plover. Pete Woodruff.

There was little more than 85 waders on Plover Scar at high tide, c.50 Golden Plover, 25 Dunlin, and 10 Ringed Plover, with 15 Linnet dropping in. Butterflies seen, 6 Small Tortoiseshell, and 2 Meadow Brown. 

Looks like the Ringed Plover image escaped the quality control check!!