Sunday afternoon at Carlton Marshes

On Sunday afternoon, 13th August, I looked around the dyke area, meeting up with Rob H, and I was pleased to find a Great Raft Spider and show this to Rob, looking at the dyke just 5 metres east of the bridge, viewing from the field and looking over the far side. A good start but the time spent looking at this meant I was walking later than expected past and taking the west path, a Chinese Water Deer was walking down the path towards me, I froze the Deer kept walking until it saw me, turned round and walked away. It was later heard crashing through the reeds as I walked west. The Scrape was disappointing with just 3 Redshanks, 4 Lapwings and 5 Snipe seen. No sign of the 'Islandica' Godwits. Walking around the river loop I was too late for any Wall Brown butterflies, but this lead to prime Barn Owl time. First, a Barn Owl was seen hunting regularly over the Scrape area and returning to a tree nearer the Oulton Marshes reserve. Another Barn Owl perched on a tree as I walked past and stopped got some shots before other Owl photographers moved and sadly flushed the bird. Having no truck with this bad fieldcraft, I left and stood at the regular place, where a Barn Owl hunted in the field north of the main track and swooped down right in front of me where I was able to get one good shot as it emerged.