A sunny sunday in North Cave Wetlands

Unusually, a sunday trip to North Cave with the wonderful company of Jess Stokes and Gui Saúco. It is quite a shock to see a bus and a quite full car park and people everywhere! (I am used to the very quiet mondays), but the weather is amazing, almost 20 oC, no wind and almost clear blue skies. The sound of a large flock of Greylag and Canada Geese greets us, and then a large skein of Pink Foot geese flies high overhead.

While at Turret hide the whole of the geese flock on the village lake takes off and starts flying in circles around the reserve, until they settle again later.

 In Island lake, Jess spotted this Wood Sandpiper quite close to the hide.

 And after leaving Turret hide, there are several invertebrates on the wing:

 Speckled Wood

A very bright male Common Darter (we also see at last two pairs mating)

The hoverfly Sphaerophoria scripta

I only manage this shot of a late Small Copper feeding on rape flowers. We also have a fleeting view of a Comma, followed by a Stoat crossing the path!

This male Migrant darter settled on the butterfly walk

 We got to see these Egyptian Geese, which have been in the reserve for a few days.

This female Marsh Harrier flew a couple of times around the reserve...

..flushing the Lapwing flock.

Bird list

1. Black Swan   
2. Black-headed Gull    
3. Blackbird    
4. Canada Goose    
5. Carrion Crow    
6. Chaffinch    
7. Coot    
8. Curlew   
9. Egyptian Goose
10. Feral Pigeon    
11. Gadwall    
12. Goldfinch    
13. Great Black-backed Gull    
14. Great Crested Grebe    
15. Green Sandpiper  
16. Green Woodpecker 
17. Greylag Goose 100
18. Jackdaw    
19. Lapwing    
20. Little Grebe    
21. Magpie    
22. Mallard    
23. Moorhen    
24. Mute Swan    
25. Pink-footed Goose    
26. Pochard    
27. Robin    
28. Rook    
29. Starling    
30. Teal    
31. Tufted Duck    
32. Wigeon    
33. Woodpigeon    
34. Wren