
The first thing that caught my eye was the profusion of wild flowers. The wet weather has been good for them at least and they are out in abundance. This one has a particularly attractive combination of purple and magenta so it provides a splash of colour for the page.
The river is back to a more normal level so mud flats are starting to appear, encouraging the waders to return. They were present in some numbers but I was surprised to see a party of three Whimbrel on the beach, they are presumably just passing through as this species is not a regular sight here.


The riverbank was alive with the song of Nightingales again, and today they were competing with the even louder, if not quite so melodic voice of Cettis Warblers.
Shallow pools behind the beach had trapped small fish, and a Little Tern was taking full advantage, twisting and turning in the air to make accurate dives for its lunch.
It is quite a feat of aviation to plunge into the water from a height, catch a sizeable fish, and then lift off and swallow it whole in mid flight. It requires a high success rate to maintain the calories needed for such efforts, and this individual was doing very well. |

Serins are so common that we take them for granted. However I would miss the flash of yellow and their cheerful twittering song if they weren´t here. It is always a welcome sound on a country ramble.