June 19th
Well it was Day 2 of the bioblitz at RSPB Mersehead. Unfortunately the weather had changed completely from yesterday! Today was windy and dull, looking as if it would rain any second!
As we arrived there were pots of beetles and bugs awaiting identification and Bird Ringers were waiting for the next bird to fly into their net. They had been quite busy already and were just ringing a female chaffinch. They were very gentle with the bird while taking their measurements and weighing the little creature. It was then released unharmed.
The bugs and beetles in pots were tiny and needed expert attention to identify, but they were interesting to look at.
After a look at the list of creatures that were found on site yesterday, we set off to see what was about today. We weren't too confident about what we might find as it was a bit chilly and the wind was quite strong. Walking down the track that leads to the beach, we listened to the skylarks singing all around us. As we suspected there wasn't much movement in the grass or bushes, not even the bees!
The gorse bushes were covered in cuckoo spit and spiders however and we did spot a Latticed Heath moth and saw some fungi growing on a piece of wood.
A couple of rabbits were out on the grass and yellowhammers and stonechats flitted backwards and forwards across the track in front and behind us. A shelduck and a heron flew overhead.
On reaching the sand dunes we could see the tide was right out - there was just a huge expanse of sand! A return along the same track gave us a sighting of a coupe of caterpillars on the path - a Garden Tiger and a Drinker.
Such a shame that the weather rather spoiled the second day of the bioblitz.
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