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Achieved a fifty per cent return on today`s target sps; ie Yes, Clouded Yellow (s), No, Whinchat ! A West side story of a fast flying, `chequered` pale looking butterfly near Uplees copse. Not recognisable by me but eventually `pinned `down on Red Clover where with inevitably the wings closed, it revealed as a Clouded Yellow. Perhaps with closed wings the paleness was less apparent, but one can detect a near off white to outer aspects of the upper-side wing. The second Clouded Yellow was near Dan`s Dock and a clear contrast, with bright yellow uppersides and black bordering; but refusing to settle. It appeared larger than the first insect, which maybe was the palest of pale female croceus and not one of the other pale sps. A Painted Lady was also on clover, and skippers various; Common Blues and Gatekeepers were abundant. A female Sparrowhawk was disturbed, making the resident Green Woodpeckers twitchy. Whimbrels were sea-bathing; 5 Sandwich and a Common Tern flew W; Swallows were having a field day and a Pied Wagtail family party were catching diptera on a bank of cast up Bladderwrack, andSwifts are at the departure gates. Marsh Mallow continues to spread—hard to appreciate its confectionary roots or its medicinal remedies; and Golden Samphire withstands the sea`s battering and continues to prosper. Left Whinchat for another day, although a near Autumn day in the SW gale suggested sooner than later!

Mike Roser