BIRDING
News of a Black Tern had KAF and me belting up to Welland Bank Pits - how much time av I had to spend at this god-forsaken place this spring! Sorry Lincs birders - but its about time we managed to found you guys something in this part of the Peterbirder area to come and look at. I'm tryin - believe me!

Anyway, KAF neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeded Black Tern for the area and thankfully, by the time we got there (only 2.5 hours after first sighting - hardly belted up there did we!), little blackie tern was still showing brilliantly. We enjoyed it for about an hour with a first-summer (2CY) hobby hawking for insects which was almost on constant view as well. A few drag year ticks as well - Quad, Bl-tailed Skimmer and Common Blue Dam.

INSECTS
Back home I discovered this beastie on the inside of the back door.



It's only a bleedin Horntail (or wood wasp) - just look at the size of its hooja-madoober! That's one ellava ovipositor eh. Just what the 'eck a Horntail is doin in the fens I don't know. Its an inhabitant of pine woods but has been known to emerge from timbers in new houses. Maybe someone nearby has just has a load of new timbers delivered and it popped out. The nearest pine woods are some way away I can tell ye.

BIRDING
Mikey Wee disturbed the evening with a call from Blackbush. 'What the frick is he doin trespessin on my patch at 9.30 at night!'. Well, he was at Priors and with naff all there (what's new for 2004 - the demise of Prior's Fen that's what) he decided to do a bit of speculative listening on the great Blackbush for . . . Quail. And it paid off! He pinned two birds down west of the drove north of Cambers, and by 10.30 I had bagged at least one of em as well as a couple of rasping Grey Parts (grapes to you and me). Nice work Mikey - even if it was past your bedtime!