Butterfly Bonanza...25th August

Today was a day comprised of a visit to the National Trust property of Castle Ward on the southwest shores of Strangford Lough. The morning was spent birding around the 800 acre estate and the afternoon looking around the property.

From a birding point of view we didn't have a great deal. On the roofs of the old Castle Ward large numbers of House Martins were sunning themselves and there were good numbers of juveniles amongst them. The shoreline of the estuary produced the expected collection of wader species e.g. Redshank, Oystercatcher, Curlew etc.

Waiting to be guided around the house we had a look in the formal gardens and nectaring on the flowers in two large beds were literally hundreds of Red Admirals, Peacocks, Small Tortoiseshells and Painted Lady's.