As far as sightings this period have been concerned, it's been pretty much the usual stuff. The main species on the floods at present is black-headed gull of which there are several hundred all picking their way over all areas of the water and mud with quite a few juveniles in amongst them. There are one or two larger gulls about and it will soon be time to start looking out for yellow-legged gulls.
A typical Meadow scene at present with black-headed gulls everywherePlenty of mallards with their ducklings around and the three lapwing chicks seem to be doing fine. The OYSTERCATCHERS have still been around in varying numbers and yesterday evening there were three of them flying around in their usual agitated state. They've recently taken to feeding actually in the flood water itself down at the southern end rather than on the Hinterland.
On one occasion I found one of the oystercatchers in amongst the geeseThere have been a few LITTLE RINGED PLOVERS going through and I can only assume that these are failed breeders on their way back again. In a similar vein a couple of COMMON SANDPIPERS down at the Southern Tail on Saturday were probably on their way back south again so one could argue that the autumn passage has already started.
The two common sandpipers skulking in the churned-up mudThere have been a few STOCK DOVE sightings both on the Meadow and in Burgess Field itself and the HOBBY has been seen occasionally flying across the Meadow. Common terns are regular sighted and a LITTLE EGRET was loitering on the Meadow one morning.
On the butterfly front I've seen a MARBLED WHITE and a RINGLET in Burgess Field already as well as a COMMON BLUE.
Once again the wild-flower sections of Burgess Field are very colourful.
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