Met up with resident ecologist Tony Blunden today and had a look round Windmill Farm Nature Reserve, a mix of Lizard heathland , traditional hay meadows and hedges, sacrificial crops, pools and a few areas of reed. There's a few local specialities such as Small Pearl-bordered and Marsh Fritillary and a good site for rare migrant dragonflies with Lesser Emperor on the weekend and a breeding population of Red-veined Darters. Unfortunately the sun didn't come out so the inverts were keeping their heads down.
In the afternoon we had a family trip to Guwalloe Church Cove Beach
A few highlights in pictures below.
8 Cattle Egret flew past and landed in a nearby meadow
There were good numbers of Adders
The weather remains stubbornly cool and rather windy but we were lucky to get this Dark Green Fritillary
A very late Heath Spotted Orchid
Small-flower Catchfly
The diminutive Yellow Centaury which only opens in full sunshine . Just to the left there is another good local plant- Allseed. Windmill Farm is also the site for Pygmy Rush and Pillwort which occur earlier in the year.
Lesser Water Plantain
Sea Storksbill
Sneezewort
Sand Spurry
Field Woundwort
Yellow Bartsia
Marsh Ragwort and Black Bog Rush.
Sea Holly at Guwalloe Church Cove Beach
Scallop Shell in the camp site moth trap
Drinker
True Lover's Knot- good numbers of these in the moth trap. Also 10 Elephant Hawkmoth, Herald, Small Blood-vein and some other species that I encounter regularly back homes
View from Lizard Point- did a quick sea watch with Tony first thing- a steady stream of Manx Shearwaters flying past, a few auks and a couple of Med Gulls
View from Poldhu Beach towards Church Cove
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