Noddle Hill nature reserve in summer

Last time we went to Noddle Hill it was November. What a difference the season makes. This is a superb place to visit in summer, with wildflower meadows, ponds, wooded areas, some scrub, lots of little cris-crossing paths and the big fishing lake with an island (from the educational pond, above). There were plenty of wildflowers today and we did several Big Butterfly Counts, with a total of 9 species plus Six Spot Burnets all around.

Information board at the entrance of the reserve

A large pond snail netted by the kids

Comma on creeping thistle

 Mating large whites. The male flew carrying the female behind for a while and chose to settle on these almost white leaves.

 Wolf spider Trochosa sp.

Six spot burnets mating

A Red Admiral on my t-shirt 

Gatekeeper and red-tailed bumblebee on ragwort

Small Copper

 Wild carrot

Green-veined white

 Amphibious bistort

 Queen red tailed bumblebee Bombus lapidarius on vetch

 Peacock

 Goats beard and Marmalade fly

Butterflies (& moths)

1. Peacocks, 3 feeding on creeping thistle
2. Comma, at least 2 also on creeping thistle
3. Speckled Wood, 2 males in a territorial dispute near the pond dipping pond
4. Small Copper, on the meadow next to the educational pond
5. Gatekeeper, many around on Ragwort
6. Red Admiral, one lands on my T-shirt
7. Green-veined white
8. Large white
9. Meadow brown
10. Blue (common?) too distant a view
11. Six-spot burnet

Birds

1. Magpie family
2. Crow, young ones on the road verges
3. Starlings
4. Goldfinch
5. Great tit
6. Long-tailed tit
7. Woodpigeon
8. Collared dove
9. Sparrows
10. Greenfinches
11. Blackbird
12. Bullfinch
13. House Martin
14. Linnet
15. Reed warbler
16. Lesser black-backed gull
17. Herring gull
18. Black headed gull
19. Moorhen
20. Mallard