With the sun out, I headed a short way down the road to Ardley Quarry, just into Oxfordshire, to look for butterflies. The main highlight was my first 3-4 Grizzled Skippers of the year, while other butterflies seen included a Holly Blue, a Large White, a Brimstone & several Orange Tips. No hoped for Green Hairstreak as yet though.
The other main highlight was a very confiding Common Lizard basking on a log pile, affording some lovely views.
I had been mulling over driving over to Farmoor Reservoir afterwards, for another attempt at the Bonaparte's Gull. With it seemingly now reliably in situ and with Dan Watson heading over there too that afternoon, together with Tim Marlow, I decided to give it a go.
I met up with Dan & Tim around the SW side of F2 and was quickly onto the petite Bonaparte's Gull bobbing around not too far offshore. Over the next hour or so, the bird showed fantastically well, flying within a few feet from us or sat on the water closeby. These were dramatically better views than my only other Bony's, at Dawlish Warren a few years ago, bobbing distantly out at sea!
Occasionally it would pluck a stickleback from the water and when any Black Headed Gull came near it would crouch low down in the water and would call, letting out a weird sort of squeaky grunt!
Other birds while there, included a singing Cuckoo, my first of the year, a fly-through Ringed Plover, c5 Common Sandpiper & double-figure Common Terns.
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