Migrant Bird Watch on 23 May

On Sunday 23^rd of May was the last migrant bird watch. It was also my first migrant bird watch as before I couldn’t wake up early enough. Once we set off I finally saw the creatures which were waking me up so early in the morning!

But the six hour walk was well worth it. The grass of Wanstead flats was fresh with dew when I spotted lots of spider webs glistening in the morning sun. They were beautiful and each had a small hole in them where the spiders would hide. I was even fortunate enough to spot one in the hole of its web. These spider webs were amazingly detailed and just sat on the grass like a silk carpet.

We also saw a few whitethroats. One kept coming back to the same tree and in flight was singing a very uplifting tune. He kept flying from a nearby bush to the very top of a tree.

There was a very confident skylark on a log posing for us in the middle of Wanstead flats it was as if we weren’t there! Nearby I got the chance to photograph a male skylark displaying to a female! It was a very good day for skylarks.

On top of that a small copper butterfly was hanging on a piece of grass as if it was waiting for us. Many of Wanstead’s wildlife seemed to be wanting the spotlight that morning! In the afternoon we were walking round Wanstead Park. We then saw another small copper which looked tiny compared to the one before.

We were lucky to see the great crested grebes doing a bit of their dance and it seemed like they were making their nest. I guess time will tell if we were right.

Sofia Benajeh