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| The pond is turning into a mudflat! Shelduck have been sighted! | |
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Wednesday dawned rather cloudy and grey but the Met. Office had promised some sunshine for the afternoon and sure enough while eating my lunch some blue sky began to appear. By the time I reached the reserve at 2 it was a lovely afternoon. Here is what I recorded:
Birds:
SC210694 Willow Warbler heard but not seen
SC209694 Moorhen on the pond; Sedge Warbler heard but not seen; Heron heard but not seen; Robin;
SC208694 2 x Shelduck flying over; Willow Warbler heard but not seen; Chiffchaff heard but not seen
SC208695 Chaffinch & Willow Warbler heard but not seen;
SC209695 Goldfinch; Great Tit;
Other:
SC210694 male Orange Tip butterfly; Common Wasp; "Footballer" Hoverfly ; Wolf spider with egg sack
SC209694 Silver Ground Carpet moth
SC208694 unidentified fly on buttercup - member of Muscidae/ Anthomyiidae/ Fanniidae species
SC208694 Wolf Spider on bridge
SC208694 unidentified white butterfly flying
SC209693 Soldier beetle on Hemlock Water Dropwort
SC208695 2 pairs of mating Hawthorn Shieldbugs
SC209695 Unidentified Micromoth
SC209695 4 x Gorse Shieldbug
SC209694 Gorse Shieldbug eggs + 3 x Gorse Shieldbug adults
SC209694 5 x Sloe Bugs along gorse boundary + 5 more near Ginnie's bench including a mating pair
SC209694 Wolf spider carrying egg sack
SC209694 unidentified white butterfly flying
SC209694 Yellow Dung Fly - Scathophaga stercoraria
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| Hemlock Water Dropwort near the hide |
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| Hemlock Water Dropwort coming into flower |
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| More Hemlock Water Dropwort near the reed bed |
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| looking towards the reed bed |
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| Sticchwort has spread to near compost heap |
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| Native flag iris in the damp meadow |
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| and a cultivated purple one near the bridge |
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| garden escape Oxalis near the gate |
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| all that remains of last year's hazel nuts |
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| Goldfinch |
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| "Footballer" Hoverfly -Helophilus species |
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| Gorse Shieldbug |
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| Gorse Shieldbug eggs |
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| Mating Hawthorn Shieldbugs |
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| Close-up of Hawthorn Shieldbug |
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| I always say it sounds like a football rattle ! |
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| Soldier Beetle on the Hemlock Water Dropwort |
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| Wolf Spider carrying egg sack |
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| Robin - one of the few birds I saw rather than just heard |
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| Distant picture across the meadow - some kind of Speedwell? |
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| White Cuckoo Flower rather than the usual pink |
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| Willow seed |
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| Cherries forming on the memorial tree |
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| the huge buds of Hogweed |
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| Yellow Dung Fly - Scathophaga stercoraria |
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| Buds on the Meadowsweet |
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| unidentified tiny fly on buttercup Muscidae/Anthomyiidae/Fannidae species |
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| Sloe Bug |
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| Two more - no social distancing here! |
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| spot the Sloe bug? |
Having walked round in the sunshine at a leisurely pace for an hour or so it was time for a spot of work. I had brought secateurs and gardening gloves with me and pruned back some of the vegetation which was invading the paths and bridge as well as some overhanging willow branches near the path junction. I then headed home for a welcome cup of tea.
My lovely afternoon there was somewhat spoiled later when I learnt about the antisocial behaviour and graffiti in the hide ( see previous post). The Police are taking action.
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| Looking back towards the hide as I head for my car |
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Please click on the photos to enlarge them
thanks to Steve Crellin for fly IDs
