August 3rd 2011

Another sultry night brought in good numbers of micros as well as my first Least Yellow Underwing, Rosy Minor and Dusky Thorn for the year.
The ponds water level has been dropping all summer and is now at its lowest since the early 90s which meant the fishery had to shift the fishing pontoons this morning before there boats bottom out and left high and dry. Unfortunately the disturbance meant there was very little on show along farborough bank until we picked out 4 Little Ringed Plover and 4 Common Sandpiper flying along the northern shore line and 6 Common Tern and 7 Yellow-legged Gulls out in the centre. By the time we reached toft bay the pubic were already going down to shore line with there picnics so we were lucky to find 3 more Little Ringed Plover and a Dunlin. Highlight of the morning was the Red Kite soaring over toft bay before drifting off east in to Northamptonshire, probably the same bird was reported low over rainbow corner heading towards the country park by Pete. Also seen today were 3 Buzzard, Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Teal, 2 Shoveler, 5 Whitethroat, female Goosander while the Red-breasted Merganser finally made a brief appearance after 3 hours of looking then it flew back to the north shore.
Back home and Bob’s sharp hearing picked up a calling Peregrine overhead and we enjoyed 3 together followed later by 10 Swift and a Hobby as the thunder clouds built up.
Had a meeting in Shuckburgh so once it was over I had a pleasant walk around Beacon Hill before calling in on Napton Reservoir. The hill and adjacent wood had Hobby, 4 Raven, 6 Buzzard, Swift, 7 Bullfinch, juvenile Wheatear, 3 Mistle Thrush, 5 Yellow Wagtail, 18 Stock Dove, Whitethroat, 17 Goldfinch, 3 Jay, calling Nuthatch, 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Green Woodpecker and Great-spotted Woodpecker while Napton Reservoir had 2 Sand Martin, Common Tern, Common Sandpiper, 2 Grey Wagtail, 12 Goldfinch, 6 Linnet, Sedge, and Grasshopper Warbler.
Butterflies seen were Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Small Tortoisehell Speckled Wood, Green-veined White, Large White and Small White. Dragonflies included Migrant Hawker, Common Hawker and Southern Hawker while a couple of moths flushed were Straw Dot and Clouded Silver.