Late July

The juvenile Little Ringed plover was still at Carr Beds on the 16/7/09 but heavy rain the following day covered all the mud and shingle so it was not seen subsequently.

Also at Carr Beds a single Greenshank was present on the 18/7 and up to 5 Green Sandpipers were reported with 1-3 being seen most days and Snipe started to return with up to 6 present.

At Port Carlisle on the 19/7 Little Egret, Greenshank and Little Gull were all in the harbour area.

4 Storm Petrels were reported at Workington on the 23/7 and 5 on the 30/7 but numbers seem much lower this summer than usual. Also at Workington there was a Med gull present in the harbour area on these two dates, and at Skinburness 2 were reported on the beach on the 24/7/09.

Perhaps the most interesting bird of the month was the reported Steppe Grey shrike at Alston on the last day of the month but closer examination proved it to be the Great Grey shrike seen there in April which has presumably summered and become a worn plumage odd looking individual, it certainly had an odd pale bill and extensive white in the wings.

On the Butterfly front at least 8 Purple Hairsteaks showed well at Finlandrigg woods but were difficult to photograph with only some blurry digiscoped efforts managed.