During a few days with my sister in Cambridgeshire, we paid a re-visit to rspb Minsmere. Sadly it failed to turn up the hoped-for bearded tits and bitterns but nevertheless was an enjoyable day out. Arriving just before 10 am we decided to visit the scrpes, though not before observing butterflies on some of the centre's buddleia bushes. We saw red admirals, various white species, gatekeepers and peacocks although no painted ladies. A humming bee hawkmoth also presented some opportunities for photography.
Across the site numerous gatekeepers could be seen, they seem to be having a good year this year. We also found a white admiral on some bramble in some woodland and a gypsy moth on a tree trunk. We saw a couple of southern hawker and emperor dragonflies and some ruddy/common darters.
At the hides surrounding the scrapes, we spent some time watching a small flock of little gulls, mostly preening on the mud with the occasional fly around. They were joined by some sandwich terns, then some common girls, all three species being new sightings for the year for me. Also on the scrapes were common terns, common sandpiper, green sandpiper, avocets, oyster catchers, ruff and little ringed plovers and a great white egret flew over. .
After some refreshments in the cafe we went down to the bittern and island mere hide which overlook reedbeds but did not see any birds of note here.
We then drove the short distance to Dunwich heath where we hoped to find grayling on the heather, rather than the silver studded blue butterflies which were about last time we visited.
It took a while to find any but eventually we saw three or four which landed on the gravel path and quickly did their 'disappearing act ' as they shut their wings and became camouflaged. This was another first for my butterfly year list.
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