Tuesday 14 August 2018

Green Sandpipers at Lemsford Springs

4th August 2018

I normally visit Lemsford Springs in the winter when the vegetation has died down or has been cut and some of the watercress removed from the gravel stream, but today the temperature was unbearably hot at 33 degs C and I needed a nice cool hide to sit in for a couple of hours, so Lemsford it was.

The vegetation had been cut in front of the hides, but was still growing in the stream which meant that the uninterrupted views of the gravel bottom were a little more restricted than usual. The first hide was uncharacteristically quiet with not a single Green Sandpiper in sight, let alone a Grey Wagtail or Kingfisher.

I therefore relocated to the Infocus hide and from there could see three Green Sandipers up the channel that leads to Lemsford Mill. I sat in wait hoping that they would fly downstream to their favourite spots, but to no avail. Then a further two birds flew upstream and landed right in front of the hide.

At first they were both in deep shade, but gradually moved into the sun allowing a few shots in the clear fast-running water












They then moved further back against one of the banks which provided a backdrop of what first appeared to be Blood-drop Emlets Mimulus luteus, but is actually the Hybrid Monkey Flower Mimulus x robertsii (M.guttatus x M.luteus). Pure Monkey Flowers Mimulus guttatus have plain yellow flowers.








But the highlight of the day was when the two birds posed for a group photo.

MAGIC!!




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