Almost two months since the last post here. Must get out more! The weather wasn't great today, although it was sunny and warm, the wind was gustly at times, and the wind turbine roared like a plane in the sky. The wildlife was fantastic though, and the meadows were beautifully covered in wildflowers - wild carrot, birdsfoot trefoil, catsears, spear thistles, common thistles, rosebay willowherb, ragwort and more. Butterfly-wise there were many
Speckled Woods and many spiral flights (one of them with three individuals spiralling away) and we saw Green-Veined Whites, Gatekeepers, a Small Skipper and a sunbathing Small Tortoiseshell. I was expecting to see some dragonflies, but I only saw a blue damselfly which didn't wait for me to get my camera ready. A young frog and a tiny recently emerged toad completed the day.
Soldier beetles Rhagonycha fulva mating on Wild Carrot
Female Small Skipper Thimelicus flavus
Babysitting coot and charge
Tiny toad Bufo bufo
Today's Birds
- Mallard, with fully grown ducklings
- Coot, at least two families with young of different ages.
- Woodpigeon.
- Swift
- Swallow family
- Pied wagtail
- Reed warbler singing from the reeds
- Blackcap singing
- Blackbird brambles (with blackberries)
- Magpie, 2 indivs near the house on the brambles
- Crow, family of 4 or 5
- Goldfinch
