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| Bank Holiday Monday and not a soul in sight! |
Bank Holiday Monday - a warm sunny afternoon. I arrived about 3 and strolled round at a leisurely pace for a couple of hours. Some sad news was that a Chaffinch nest which I had noticed on an earlier visit ( but not publicised on the Blog) had been toppled out of its fork in the tree. Those more expert than me suspect it to be the work of a Sparrowhawk. One Chaffinch less on the Reserve and all eggs lost. Red in tooth and claw and all that.
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| 28th April all was well ( taken from distance with telephoto lens - no disturbance to bird) |
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| 7th May. Fallen nest caught in branches on its side. Thought to be work of Sparrowhawk |
Happier news - Sedge warblers seemed to be everywhere. I was hearing them both in front and behind me wherever I stood. Here is my complete list:
Birds:
SC209694 ( path junction) Sedge Warbler; male Reed Bunting; Robin; 2 x BlueTits together
SC208694 ( boardwalk) Long Tailed Tit; Sedge Warbler; Willow Warbler; Great Tit flying over.
SC208695 (beehive loop) Sedge Warbler
SC209694 ( gorse boundary ) Whitethroat
SC209694 ( near hide in brambles ) Sedge Warbler
SC209694 ( from hide) 3 x Mallard Drakes on water
SC208694 ( compost) 2 x Willow Warblers together; single Willow Warbler; Sedge Warbler; Heron flying over.
SC209694 Heron flew off from near hide
SC209695 3 x Goldfinch; 3 x Swallows flying over.
SC209693 female Blackcap
A personal observation: when looking for Sedge Warblers try looking 10 or 12 feet away from where the rattle seems to be coming from - they are clearly ventriloquists! The whistle at the end seems to be the more accurate location.
Butterflies:
SC210694 unidentified white flying
SC209694 ( Ginie's bench) male Orange Tip; Small Tortoiseshell; Green Veined White
SC209693 male Orange tip
SC208694 2 x male Orange tips seen together over damp meadow area
SC208694 male Orange Tip near boardwalk
SC209695 Green Veined White later chased by male Orange Tip
SC209694 male Orange Tip on Stitchwort
SC208694 ( willows) Male Orange Tip
Other :
SC208694 Eristalis pertinax Hoverfly
SC209694 7-spot ladybird
SC209694 Gorse Shieldbug
SC209693 buttercups attracting small flies
SC209695 Sorrel in flower
SC209695 11 Water Crickets
SC209694 2 x unidentified snails in gorse bush
SC209694 Gorse Shieldbug ( in short supply so far this year)
SC209694 Common wasp in gorse ( my first view of this was it's head only, upside down inside a flower. Only when it finally emerged could I see it was a wasp and not some strange bug)
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| only the head visible at first, and upside down! |
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| it eventually emerged |
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| very large - a Queen perhaps? |
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| lovely views of Sedge Warblers |
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| same bird |
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| While looking for the Sedge Warbler a Reed Bunting landed a short distance from me |
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| I just kept clicking |
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| I saw lots of male Orange tips but no females to date |
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| Larval food plant is Ladysmock |
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| the beautiful patterning of the underwing visible here |
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| 7-spot Ladybird |
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| tranquil scene - male Mallards |
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| close up of one of them |
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| tiny flies on buttercups |
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| Eristalis pertinax, I think |
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| Gorse Shieldbug - only the second I have seen this year |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Green Veined White ( the green veins are on the underside) |
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| and another |
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| Goldfinch |
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| Longtailed Tit |
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| very pleased to see so many Marsh Marigolds in the damp meadow |
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| another Sedge Warbler |
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| and another elsewhere |
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| rattling and whistling away |
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| almost missed these two snails |
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| Sorrel |
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| I took several shots of this Willow Warbler |
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| it was singing its heart out from time to time |
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| several shots of the same Blue Tit |
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| Sedge Warbler in flight mode |
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| Grey Heron flew into my shot ( I was trying to take a much smaller bird in one of the trees) |
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| Reserve now looking lush |
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| looking towards the reed bed |
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| looking back over the bridge |
A delightful afternoon!
