This Week I Have Mostly Been Dipping

Starting on Wednesday when I hot-footed it ( well, not really I drove) over to Beer Cemetery Fields to see the Pied Flycatchers which Ian M had seen less than an hour earlier. Despite spending almost three hours there I didn't get a sniff of one. There was a nice 'first winter' male (can it be that already?) Common Redstart, at least six, probably eight Spotted Flycatchers and several Tree Pipits. The Redstart evaded my camera but the Spotted Flycatchers were posing well as usual. I noticed that they were catching a lot of  Meadow Brown butterflies which were looking pretty lethargic in the cooler weather we're having recently, always sad to see the butterflies on their 'last legs' so to speak. Today I've spent around four or five hours not seeing any sign of the juvenile Cuckoo that's been around the Black Hole Marsh/Stafford Marsh area for a few days. It was showing well yesterday afternoon at the exact time when I'd got to go to work and it was seen this morning briefly but not by me. I was even there at the tine but briefly went into a hide to check if it was on Colyford Common. When I came out it had been and gone. Rats! I've never seen a juvenile Cuckoo either. There were still plenty of nice waders  to look at on the lagoon tonight though, including a male and female Ruff and two Little Stints.

Juvenile Little Stint

And an adult I think

The female Juvenile Ruff.