Willow Warblers

 A similar day to yesterday though there seemed to be a little less sun and a little more wind. Just a local jaunt today taking in Willowbrook Industrial Estate and Priors Hall but the breeze did its job of keeping things down and I struggled to see much of note.

Little Ringed Plover and Skylark

My spotting began at the plover site where I managed to find a Little Ringed, I haven't seen any Ringeds since they first returned and I'm more than a little concerned that they won't hang around this summer. Walking on to Willowbrook where a Willow Warbler was singing again in much the same spot as it was last week. There were plenty of Skylarks though very few were singing which was presumably due to the wind. More Willow Warblers were singing in both the North and South Gullets at Priors with still more around the ponds. Clearly there has been a good arrival of them over the last day or so and they're beginning to establish their territories.

Willow Warbler and Great Crested Grebe

At the quarry lake the Sand Martins were battling the breeze low over the water while some courtship display proved that the two Great Crested Grebes are a pair and may well breed. I had my first look around the ponds this year as I look forward to the coming dragonfly season. No sign of any early Large Red Damselflies but it shouldn't be more than a few weeks before the first emerge. In sheltered spots I encountered a few butterflies with two Peacocks a Small White and four Speckled Woods making up the total. Not much else to report though a group of seventeen Tufted Ducks on the reed fringed lake was noteworthy.

Speckled Wood and Peacock