counting coots

That's right kids - another first for the patch.  Hot on the heels of the two year ticks (when it was decreed that this patch is now on fire) my next sojourn brought an excellent first for the patch!

Behoooooold!

Yes, I can see that it isn't a bird.  In fact my identification skills lead me to believe that this is, in fact, a butterfly.  I can also confirm that it is a Speckled Wood and I have not seen one of these in this here patch before.  And yes, it is not where it should be as it should be (as it's name suggests) in a wood, being speckled.  Not on a sandy bit of almost waste ground next to a big river.

Yes, I would have preferred to witter on about birds.  But if the highlight of a visit is 'oh, there are now more than 30 Black Headed Gulls knocking about' then the butterfly gets the nod.