I postponed my trip to
the reserve until the afternoon on Monday as the wet morning was not too
inviting. I was there just before three and it took the usual half hour
to check each small mammal trap and make sure there was food and dry bedding in each. (See previous post)
I then decided to spend 10 minutes in the hide before heading for home.
All was quiet on the pond and I was about to leave when suddenly the
rain restarted, so I settled in to wait for the shower to pass. Two
hours later it was till raining! Was I down hearted? No! Definitely
not. There was suddenly a lot of bird activity and I had a great
afternoon bird watching, although the elusive Water Rail did not put in
an appearance. I think many of these small birds are now on passage back
to warmer climes. Here are a few photos of what I saw. Starting with a video of the Blackbirds pillaging Rowan berries. There were at least 4 different Blackbirds during the afternoon.
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| Spoilt for choice |
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| where shall I start? |
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| very tasty |
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| moulting into adult plumage |
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| markings very distinctive |
At least 4 Willow Warblers there at the same time, often flying round in pairs. They were coming and going all afternoon.
It was a treat to see Blackcaps on the Reserve. I didn't manage to photograph a male although I saw one twice.
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| female Blackcap |
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| male and female together |
Next to appear, a juvenile Whitethroat
Also noted,
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| blurry record shot of Great Tit |
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| juvenile Robin |
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| Grey Heron flying over |
Also seen on the reserve before the rain started:
SC209693 Speckled Wood butterfly
SC209694 Green Shieldbug nymph
SC209693 More Moth Pupae on rushes ( to be identified)
I am resolved to visit the reserve in the rain more often! So much to see!
