A short but rewarding visit to the North Wall.

As I arrived at the reserve this morning I was greeted with a chap who said there was a Marsh Harrier in a hawthorn bush. Sure enough on looking over the Breech pool I had  distant view of a very dark plumaged,creamy headed individual....apparently a juvenile (confirmed by Owen who arrived shortly afterwards)

Distant Marsh Harrier

On turning around and looking along Whites Creek from the sluice gate I got a good view of a splendid summer plumage Spotted Redshank...

On the opposite bank and a little further away a Greenshank....

In the far distance a pair of Yellow Legged Gulls (possibly three) but too far away even for a record shot.

...but then, another couple of birds almost too far away but irresistible to photograph were two Cattle Egrets in bushes on the usual high water egret roost site towards owl copse.

Apart from these good birds a  couple of Whimbrel were present out on the mudflats and a lonely Curlew was feeding by the wall ........

...plus a small flock of Curlews flying from Honer fields to the harbour.

Short and sweet but a pleasant 45 minutes!

A few photos from earlier...

Pyramidal Orchid along the North Wall July 2

Partial eclipse of the moon 
July 16

...and finally an Emperor dragonfly on the garden pond.

 ....and that's it for now

Medmerry.

I usually listen to BBC Radio 4 'Tweet of the Day' at 6.00 every morning and today it was the turn  Bill Oddy expounding on the spread of the Little Ringed Plover in the U.K. and highlighting its call notes/song. As it happened I was visiting the Medmerry RSPB Reserve today and first up was a Little Ringed Plover showing very well next to the Stilt Pools....

 There was a distant Common Sandpiper and a Green Sandpiper called as it dropped in on the far side of the pools but the only wader within photographic distance was this Greenshank.

A Grey Heron was fishing in one of the channels...

Skylarks and Yellowhammers  were present with some in full song..

A rather perky looking individual.

Great bird but no Corn Buntings on this visit.

Really good to see all these farmland birds thriving here.

Stock Doves on fence post

...and one in flight.

A male Kestrel on the look out.

 Bees and Butterflies feeding on the variety of wild flowers

 Great to see this Marbled White

A very good morning.
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Incidentally Pagham Spit has the most Childing Pinks I've ever seen............
They are in places I have have never seen them before in the past 34 years!