Much About?

Much About?

When I first started birding, this was a standard greeting when one birder encountered another. It's a question that wants to hear the answer, 'Yes mate, lots,' followed by a list of mouth-watering goodies. In reality that never happened. 'Nah mate, it's pretty dead,' was more likely. So anyway, here we are, heading for late July. If that question were put to me on my local patch right now, how would I respond?

First, there are juvenile Med Gulls to enjoy...

And juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls...

But okay, gulls aren't your thing? In that case, have some early migrants...

Sedge Warbler

Yellow Wagtail

Wheatear

But migrants aren't exactly thick on the ground just yet, so in the meantime there are butterflies...

A lovely, fresh Brown Argus

Small Skipper

Wall Browns, making more Wall Browns

If I had wader habitat, this post would look extremely different. Lets face it, a good wetland will be leaping with stuff right now, but a good wetland is not what I have. Unless you class the sea and its shore as a 'wetland'. In which case, yes, in places it is very much leaping with stuff, but nothing you'd want to point your optics at, as this photo of a Yellow-legged Gull seemingly making a bee-line for said 'stuff' amply demonstrates...

Ni-i-i-i-ice...