Terns

Draycote Water was a little more impressive than of late this morning with a juvenile Spotted Flycatcher on the farborough bank barrier on our arrival followed by 5 adult summer plumage Black Terns feeding out in the middle with at least 9 Common Tern dotted around the site and 3 adult Yellow-legged Gulls. Only a single Little Egret noted along the north shore and a Raven over but after a rain shower our best sighting was of 2 Sandwich Terns that were observed leaving to the east. After breakfast we found a day flying Barn Owl and more surprising was a juvenile Lesser-spotted Woodpecker working its way through the canopy of a small coppice – a county tick for Dave so he was chuffed especially as he found it. With overnight temperatures of a minimum of 16c over the last two nights if it wasn’t for the thunderstorms in the wee hours on both mornings I would probably be shovelling my way towards a record count, even so 91 species from 489 moths in two days is pretty Impressive for my small garden. Nothing bionic but plenty of first of the year species.