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a spring afternoon - not as peaceful as it looks!
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I had another commitment Saturday morning so my visit to bait the small mammal traps had to wait until 3 p.m. in the afternoon. Once this was done I wandered round the reserve in the sunshine for a couple of hours noting down the wildlife I saw:
Birds:
SC209694 Willow Warbler heard not seen; male Pheasant; Goldfinch; male Blackbird; Chaffinch heard not seen; Chiffchaff heard not seen; 2 x Song Thrush near the new pond; Blue Tit; Mallard Drake
SC209695 Coal tit; 3 x Goldfinch
SC208694 Willow Warbler; Blackbird heard not seen; Mallard flying over; Great Tit;
SC209693 Pheasant heard not seen; 2 x Goldfinch
SC208695 Robin
Butterflies:
SC209694 Peacock; unidentified white flying;
SC208694 2 x Peacock in territorial dispute
Other:
SC209694 2 x Gorse Shieldbug
SC208694 Wolf Spider
SC208694 Eudasyphora cyanella fly and probable Calliphora species fly
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I often see a Blackbird searching for food among the woodchip
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Coal Tit
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rare among my photos at the Reserve
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Mallard flying over
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| Goldfinch |
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| Moorhen |
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Willow Warbler
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Hawthorns starting to flower
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apple blossom too
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Cuckoo Flowers among the Hemlock Water Dropwort leaves
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caterpillar food plant for both Orange Tip and Green Veined White butterflies
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looking across the meadow
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view through the shutters
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ever receding water
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Probably a Calliphora species
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Green Bottle Fly - Eudasyphora cyanella
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Gorse Shieldbug
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Peacock butterfly
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Peacock making use of the new timber for warmth
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Wolf spider
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primroses on the bank of the stream
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The usual look at progress on the new boardwalk
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note the Peacock butterfly
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a few more planks to go yet
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Saturday afternoon at the reserve was a great contrast to my morning
visits earlier in the week. Far from being a haven of peace and quiet
there was a great deal of noise! Shooting was going on locally for most
of the afternoon - whether for rabbits or crows I don't know - but the
loud cracks certainly made me jump and even put up a butterfly, let
alone the birds. A mallard flying over veered off course to the right
but fortunately was not the target on this occasion. As well as the
shooting there were residential sounds of garden maintenance,
strimmers, chain saws, mowers etc. Even the sound of the steam train
and the barriers closing at level crossings was carried towards the
reserve on the wind. Nevertheless it was an enjoyable afternoon's
wildlife watching. Perhaps Sunday will be more peaceful!
With thanks to Steve Crellin for help with IDs.
please click on photos to enlarge them
