Minsmere in July

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 As per usual when my sister visits, we planned an excursion to see both birds and butterflies , this time to Minsmere in Suffolk,    Arriving around 1030 we started off with a circular walk around the scrapes where I was able to find 9 new birds for my list comprising little gull and common gull, sandwich tern, common and green sandpipers, spotted redshank ,little ringed plover, ruff  and barnacle geese.  After a bite to eat in the cafe we ventured partway around the reed beds where we surprised to find a rather faded and tatty white admiral butterfly nectaring on some  brambles although we didnt find any bitterns or bearded tits which we hoping to see.  

On our return to the visitor centre  the warm sunshine had brought out many butterflies and a hummingbird hawk moth and also one rather non descript butterfly we were unable to identify.  As we got back to the car, I did wonder if it could be a greyling which was a a butterfly we were hoping to find on the heathland at Dunwich, Having not taken a photo or taken notice of the markings were were unsure but walking at Dunwich we saw several more similar ones which when they landed were well camouflaged on the path and as apparently they often do, slanted their wings to pick up the warmth from sun.  After doing a bit of googling, we realised that yes, this was indeed a grayling.


juvenile litttle ringed plover

black tailed godwit

sandwich tern and little gull

avocet



ruff



common tern

common sandpiper

barnacle goose

oyster catcher


white  admiral



grayling

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