Land of the Giants

Despite continuing damp weather the various young birds still seems to be doing OK, on Ibsley Water the Lapwing, Little Ringed Plover and Shelduck families are still running and swimming around. The many Common Tern families on the rafts on Ivy Lake also still seem to be getting lots of food and growing well with several broods of three chicks.

Cloudy nights mean warmth and lots of nocturnal insects, a good range of moths, but little of great note. The most interest insect was a Giant Lacewing, these are much bigger and quite different from the familiar green ones so common in gardens. A rather poor picture, taken under dull skies below.
Another Thursday and another volunteer task, today it was Himalayan Balsam pulling. At first there did not look to be much, but a closer look, unfortunately, revealed the truth hidden amongst the nettles. It was not all bad though, the dull weather meant that the vegetation had hundreds of Common Blue Damsels clustering on it, flashes of electric blue on a grey day. We also came across a male Scarce Chaser sitting quietly on a bramble. Toadlets are increasing and a few froglets were about as well today.

Next week's task will be trying to build rafts that will grow emergent water plants like Yellow Flag, sedges and reeds. The materials continue to be delivered and there is now a growing range of unlikely items building up in the yard. Hopefully more of this with pictures of wonderful rafts next week.

I saw few birds today, but people in the Tern hide this afternoon were rewarded with three separate sightings of the Osprey.