Good Friday at Blacktoft.

 

A very pleasant sunny morning for a Bank Holiday. Marshland hide was my first port of call

Still a large number of shovelers on site. The avocets and black headed gulls seemed to have sorted out which islands they are going to nest on.

On the path I saw this toad

I do not like disturbing wildlife and try as I may I could not avoid disturbing this peacock butterfly. It was on the ground and as I approached it flew off in front of me and landed. This was repeated several times until we reached the end of the path that leads to Ousefleet when the butterfly flew over my head and landed a few feet behind me.

From the visitor centre I got a quick glimpse of a water vole.

Lots of visitors. Some just out to enjoy the nice weather, others calling in on their way back from seeing the albatross at Bempton. Others came in the hope of seeing bittern and cranes. There were 7 cranes on Townend lagoon on Thursday! Plenty of cetti's warblers singing, along with blackcaps and chiffchaffs. I heard a sedge warbler but did not manage to see one.