Saturday 11 June 2011

Orchids blooming at College Lake

A second LITTLE RINGED PLOVER is sitting on the east island from the visitor centre hide, the pair that failed are still showing an interest with lots of displaying and scrape making in front of the octagon hide, at least 12 Lapwing chicks seen in varying stages of development and 3 Common Redshank chicks - one of which has fledged.

It seems that all the orchids at College Lake are having a bumper year this year. There are very good numbers of both common spotted and bee orchids, and pyramidal are just starting to flower, though they do seem rather stunted. Of interest is a variety of common spotted called albaflora (not my doing but the orchid books!) which has pure white flowers and unspotted leaves. Butterfly-wise - still good numbers of small blue on the wing and both meadow brown and marbled white now about.Finally saw my first brown hawker of the year, which according to the ID books is nearly three weeks early (Paul Reed)

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