In to the Valley

I'm still not 100%, the chest infection seems to have cleared up but there are periods where I get very tired and achey, hay fever flares up now and again, and there are days where I don't really feel up to doing much at all.

Last Sunday I popped over the Sandon again for a few hours. About a dozen birders were lurking round the church and green, including Jay and Kevin from Amwell, and we were graced with the presence of Colin Wills as well, so it was an entertaining morning despite the non appearance of the Laughing Dove. Someone said he'd seen it briefly around 9am before flying over towards the barns, but an extended search of the area failed to locate it. We had a Hobby go over and eventually the two Spotted Flycatchers put in an appearance in one of the gardens.

This morning I went to Rye Meads. I haven't visited the Lee Valley much over the last few months, the combination of weather and health taking its toll. Added to which its been rather quiet at Amwell,  even by the usual mid-summer standard, but last week Colin mentioned that Rye was probably a better bet as it has been pulling in the odd thing or two. 

Lots od moulting ducks, with ducklings of course. Tufted Ducks and Gadwall seem to have been pretty successful, and there were a few Shoveller kicking around as well. There was supposed to be a pair of Teal and a summering Wigeon which I failed to locate. Most of the Tern rafts are occupied by Black Headed Gulls, and the Common Terns seem to have nested on the rocky islands on the lagoons.

I managed to find three Green Sandpipers, and one Common Sandpiper, but the Little Ringed Plover family eluded me.

The Kingfishers have had at least one brood and I wasn't expecting to see them, but both adults were hidden, sitting just above water in the big trees by the nest bank and only their constant calling gave them away. One did appear briefly, sat on a branch by the nest hole then vanished under the trees again.

When I got back to the Draper hide, it was full of binocular-less photographers firing away at anything that moved. They got very animated when everything went up but failed to notice the female Marsh Harrier that had caused all the disturbance.

Being rather dull, and maybe because of last nights heavy rain dragonflies were absent, bar a single Blue Tailed Damselfly, but there were a few butterflies. Speckled Woods and Gatekeepers were seen all over the reserve, with singles of Holly Blue, Common Blue, Red Admiral and Small Tortoiseshell. A very bright orange butterfly was very confusing. I thought Comma, saw a lot of black and white and assumed Painted Lady, but when it settled it turned out to be a Jersey Tiger moth. First one I've seen in Herts outside of the moth trappers test tubes.