It was a hot day on the parts of the dunes that lacked a breeze; perhaps that’s one of the reasons why, yet again, I couldn’t find a sand lizard. There was plenty else to see, of course, starting with ‘the usual’ Stonechat, and a (juvenile?) Meadow Pipit that, if you study the photo, was doing something very tricksy with its toenails.

Other birds included skylarks, linnets and all the other usual, but I was paying more attention to other flying things. The newer natterjack scrapes seem to have attracted a lot of Black-tailed Skimmers, a species which I didn’t think were common on the dunes. Also present: a female Emperor, and chasers both broad-bodied and four-spotted.

The display of Pyramidal Orchids on the foredunes was impressive, and of course there are still plenty of marsh and bee orchids around. Marsh Helleborines are now out anywhere it’s damp, but I failed to spot any Dune Helleborines on dryer ground.

Butterflies included Small Skippers and Meadow Browns in addition to the species I’d already seen a lot of, and the thistles were covered in Five-spot Burnets.

Up at Slack 47 it was a bit quiet on the dragonfly front, with a couple of ‘BBC’s and lots of damselflies, but also a female Ruddy Darter.