Tuesday 24 May 2016

Visit to Rhyl part four of four

After my morning spent watching House Martins (see part three of my four-part blog post from my visit to Rhyl) I continued my journey to the sand dunes in the hope of seeing more butterflies. Todays weather was noticeably warmer with a much less chilly wind so I was quite optimistic...
 
My first butterfly was a very tatty old Small Tortoiseshell....
 
 
The Wall Brown male was in exactly the same location, and I saw another three fluttering past.....


 
My first Common Blue male of the year stopped briefly for a photo shoot....


 
and there were several Small Heath butterflies around but not at all wanting to settle. Eventually I got one back lit by the sun.....

 
and another that dived in to the grass just like Small Heaths like to do....

 
Right at the back of the sand dunes where the golf course ends, is a large expanse of short rabbit controlled grass surrounded on both sides by bramble and gorse. The area was alive with birdsong, with Linnets, House Sparrows, Starlings, Blackbirds, Greenfinches and Common Whitethroats all calling and declaring their territories....
 
Common Whitethroat

Greenfinches
Walking back along the prom, the tide was coming in and therefore pushing some of the little waders close to the sea wall.
 
There was a Turnstone that was particularly well camouflaged.....
 

 
Plus several Sanderlings in both winter and summer plumage......




 
As I walked back past the muddy puddle, the House Martins were still gathering mud...
 
 

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