Thursday 28 July 2011

Water Rail Chick

Bird News
The black-necked grebe was still on Ibsley Water today as was the black swan and an indeterminate number of Egyptian geese. Right below the hide the single remaining little ringed plover chick was giving good views and at the end of the day a single greenshank was on the spit to the east of there. But bird sighting of the day once again went to a proved breeding for a rarely seen species, this time it was water rail. On opening the Ivy North hide I spotted a rail chick that did not look right for moorhen, then I realised there was an adult bird preening in a patch of reedmace, eventually I could see it was a water rail and the chick's identity was confirmed. The youngster was a week or so old and from the movement I don't think it was the
only one. That is two really high quality confirmed breeding records in consecutive days and both just dipping in to the end of the Breeding Birds Atlas, the four years of fieldwork end in three days.
Insect News
The most interesting moth in the trap was a probably willow ermine, they can be hard to identify with certainty, but I am pretty sure that is what it was. I also finally caught up with silver-washed fritillary today, at least two were in the garden behind the Centre at lunchtime.
Other News
We continued ragworting again today, although only eleven volunteers turned out so perhaps it is getting to them, I know it is getting to me.

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