August 2013

I saw a clouded yellow butterfly in Flax Bourton during early August. Remarkably my neighbour found a pupating swallowtail larva on his fennel patch in his Flax Bourton garden on 25th! Some photos here.

Another day on the levels with another nephew (Bobby) on 30th. We just visited the Ham Wall side, and had excellent views of an osprey, also seeing a bittern, kingfisher, and a hobby. On the return journey I saw a whinchat, a wheatear, and a greenshank in the Heron's Green area of Chew Valley Lake.

On 26th I visited Shapwick Heath and Ham Wall with my nephew Harry. We had a great day, seeing 4 great white egrets, a glossy ibis, a garganey, an osprey eating a fish, a juvenile Mediterranean gull, and a good variety of waders including a curlew sandpiper, 2 dunlin, 3 green sandpiper, 1 common sandpiper, a ringed plover, 4 ruff, and 7 greenshank. We rescued this grass snake from the cycle track.