2nd June

So we're into June now and the summer doldrums though actually it's felt like it for quite some time now as far as the birding has been concerned. The "floods"  are now completely dry and the grass and various Meadow plants  are fast reclaiming the muddy area. Since my last posting there has been some news on the bird front with a male CUCKOO spending a day hanging around Burgess Field recently. I also forgot to report a one-off sighting (or hearing to be more precise) of this species by Mary MacDougall in the Trap Grounds a few weeks ago now. Someone also reported hearing a female bubbling away on one occasion. So it's actually been quite a good spring for Cuckoo's with quite a few passing through.

 

The rather changeable weather hasn't been doing us any favours as far as summer insects are concerned and in fact it's been ages since I've even got the moth trap out at all. Still I did manage to find the first few summer butterflies in Burgess Field with a Small Heath and a Common Blue both having been seen.

Angled Shades, caught a couple of weeks ago

I found this grass micro moth in Burgess Field: Dichrorampha sequana

At least the flowers are coming out in turn. The Meadow is currently carpeted in a sea of yellow Buttercups - it always looks so pretty when it's like this.

A sea of yellow Buttercups

Large Bitter-cress growing by the side of the canal