randombirder

Another great field trip led by the Kent Wildlife Trust to West Blean Woods for the Heath Fritillary . Thankfully it was a warm sunny morning and there were plenty on the wing with six to seven flying around their favoured foot-plant the common cow-wheat.

Kat's birthday weekend away and a long awaited trip to Brugge.  Only two and a half hours of road to rubber time with of course a Eurotunnel journey in between, it's a mystery as to why this trip hadn't been made sooner. Brugge is a truly stunning city.  Despite the indifferent weather conditions, the city was a buzz of locals and tourists dining in the many restaurants and bars that line vibrant streets.  They entice you after a visit to any one of the striking historical buildings the city is renowned for. The city's centrepiece is the 13th century Belfry of Bruges towering high over the market square.  The 272 feet tower offers great views over the city on all sides, and the collection of bells strike at fifteen minute intervals.  The metallurgical work to create the colossal bells and to then transport them up into the bell tower was an outstanding effort. A real highlight on the Saturday evening was a recital of Queens Greatest Hits...

A trip to Strumpshaw Fen RSPB for Swallowtail Butterfly.  What a treat and so very lucky to have happened across newly emerged specimens and such a beautiful thing too.  Today was the first day of real warmth for a while, so the butterflies were just enjoying basking in the summer sunshine. There were at least seven Painted Lady on site today. Plenty of wonderful Odanata and inverts too.  At least three Hairy Dragonfly were seen and half a dozen of these Scarce Chasers . Then this brute parked up on the path - an emergent Black-tailed Skimmer taking in the warmth of the sun. There were some interesting insects too like these  Cinnamon Bug and Shield Bug . An immigrant Silver Y was enjoying the sunshine too. Damselflies seen today were the Large Red , Common Blue , and this Blue-Tailed . The were plenty of Marsh Harrier on site with reportedly ten breeding pairs.  A Hobby s...

Before flying home, I took a two hour walk round the woodland close to Kat's parents house.  And it was fantastic considering this is suburban Warsaw barely 30 minutes to the airport. At least six singing Wood Warbler were present, two Pied Flycatcher , three Common Redstart , two singing Golden Oriole , a Crested Tit , and a Common Buzzard .

This was the final full day in Poland, and the final opportunity to connect with something unusual.  It was still reasonably warm but the weather was changing as the clouds had filled in and things were looking ominous.  When it rains here in summer, it doesn't hold back. Driving through Biebzra Marshes for the final time, and taking the opportunity to stop at regular intervals, there were plenty of singing Wood Warbler , Redstart , Tree Pipit , and Pied Flycatcher . Near Barwik, a couple of Golden Oriole were fluting from the treetops - a beautiful bird with a most beautifully melodic song. I was keen to catch up with White-Winged Tern, a species that was relatively easy to locate on the last trip.  This time however was a real struggle drawing an unexpected blank. We headed over to Goniadz which was great for marsh terns last time around, and it wasn't bad this time either with around 25 Black Tern there.  This is a great site with a lot of potential,...

Just 40 minutes up the road was the Lithuanian border so we headed over for the day.  We planned a day by the lakes near to the small village of Meteliai which did look like a town closed down for the summer.  Just next to it was a tower that overlooked the eastern lake which looked great for wildlife but sadly that was the closest we could get. Just up the road was a parking area next to a big lake - and it was a relaxing place to spent a few hours in the warm sunshine with lovely views across a large water body.  A pair of Pied Flycatcher were breeding here, with a male Icterine Warbler singing heartily from the top of a pine.

The highlight of today was a trip to Długa Luka for the Aquatic Warbler .  This site never disappoints for this rare species with 4-5 singing adults and one fortuitously picked up singing from the top of a reed.  Another gripping bird is the Montagu's Harrier of which a male was seen hunting low across the expanse of the marsh, with another seen from the car as we drove to our next port-of-call.  En route, a Golden Oriole had been picked up flying between the trees. Slightly later into the evening, we wandered into Barwik where a wooden platform had been erected to observe a Great Snipe lek which has since been abandoned.  The site is great and as the evening drew in on what was a hot sultry day, the birds began to appear. The first of these was a real treat coming in the form of a 'white-spotted' Bluethroat that sang heartily from a nearby tree.  A wonderful sight.  The final list was quite an impressive one as one by one, things began...