Having dropped Jet off at the Kennels we were soon pulling into the Rimac car park on the Saltfleetby/Theddlethorpe NNR by which time it was time for lunch and a brew up before heading out into the dunes. Despite being warm at 22C it was annoyingly windy which was going to make photography a challenge. It was good to see rest harrow in flower as well as common centaury. I always enjoy vipers bugloss and it was lovely to see some orchids still hanging on: pyramidal, southern marsh and common spotted. There was a lot of marsh helleborine by the pond on the freshwater marsh, although it was past its best. On the butterfly front there were lots of small skippers and whites about along with good numbers of ringlet and meadow brown and lots of gatekeepers. I found one each of peacock, common blue and small copper which posed beautifully on ragwort. There were large numbers of darter dragonfly but I could only find ruddy darters; why no common I wonder. I have since posted some images on facebook and was delighted when a friend who is much more experienced than I am identified one of the gatekeepers as an aberration, ab.excessa.
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Gatekeeper
Gatekeeper
Gatekeeper
Gatekeeper ab.excessa
Gatekeeper
Marsh helleborine
Ruddy Darter, male
Ruddy Darter, male
Ruddy Darter, male
Ruddy Darter, female
Ruddy Darter, female
Ruddy Darter, female
Ruddy Darter, male
Ruddy Darter, female
Ruddy Darter, female
Ruddy Darter, male
Ruddy Darter, female
Ruddy Darter, male
Small Copper
Small Skipper
Small Skipper
Having enjoyed a couple of hours at Rimac we continued on down to Huttoft Bank for a paddle. However, it was so pleasant there and the sea temperature at least moderate if not warm, I was tempted into having a swim. The water was delightful and refreshing and I came out thinking we should indulge in more sea swimming!
Feeling refreshed, it was time to head back into Mabblethorpe for fish and chips. On our way through earlier it had been unusually crowded in the town itself, reminiscent of boyhood visits for my birthday treat back in the 1950s when British seaside holidays were de rigueur. In view of this we called at the excellent Queen's Park chippie where enjoyed our tea in the sun outside. Excellent.
I was time to head homewards by now but not before calling in at Paradise Lagoon at Saltfleet to see what birds were about. The lagoon produced lapwing, little egret, dunlin, greenshank and several green sandpipers.
Next stop was at Howden's Pullover for a brew and a short walk to look at the sea lavender which was excellent. After this we could delay our return home no longer; it was beer o'clock!!
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