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Always a sense of anticipation - what shall I see today?
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Last week's visit saw me arrive at the Reserve by 9 o'clock. Quite an achievement for me! A fine, sunny day and a few more birds around than last week. Butterflies, Dragonflies and more Hoverflies too. Perhaps summer has arrived at last! Here is what I recorded:
Birds:
SC210694 female Blackbird flying over: Woodpigeon flying over.
SC209694 ( from hide) Woodpigeon taking berries; Blackbird x 2 taking berries; Goldfinch; Swallow flying over; Unidentified Warbler flew into reed bed but not seen again; female Mallard; Woodpigeon x 2 heard but not seen.
SC209694 ( elsewhere) Woodpigeon flying over; another seen carrying nesting material into hedge; Chiffchaff heard not seen; male Chaffinch; juvenile Wren; 2 x Great Tit together; Blue Tit;.SC209693 Goldfinch flying over; Great Tit & 2 x Chaffinch together in Hawthorn tree; Willow Warbler heard not seen;
SC208694 Magpie on the path; Willow Warbler heard not seen.
SC208695 juvenile Dunnock; Wren x 2; juvenile Blackbird.
SC209695 Chiffchaff heard not seen; male Blackbird taking Rowan berries.
Butterflies and Moths:
SC210694 Meadow Brown; Green veined White.
SC209694 Green Veined White; Grass Moth; Unidentified White flying near hide; Speckled Wood x 5; Holly Blue.
SC208694 Speckled Wood x 2; Green Veined White; Silver Y moth.
SC208695 Speckled Wood; Green Veined White.
SC209695 Speckled Wood; 2 x Green Veined White.
SC209693 Speckled Wood x 2 ; Meadow Brown; Red Admiral.
Other:
SC209694 large blue unidentified Hawker Dragonfly over main pond.
SC209694 ( dragonfly pond) Common Darter; male Blue Tailed Damselfly; egg-laying female Blue-tailed Damselfly.
SC208694 Common Darter on path; Common Darter on Bridge Handrail; Common Darter on Boardwalk; large unidentified Hawker flying over meadow.
SC208695 Common Darter flying.
SC209694 7-spot Ladybird x4.
SC210694 7-spot Ladybird x 2.
SC208694 7-spot Ladybird.
SC210694 Marmalade Hoverfly on Cushag ( Ragwort)
SC209693 Marmalade Hoverfly.
SC209694 Eristalis species Hoverfly on Cushag ( Ragwort).
SC208695 Helophilus species Hoverfly ( "footballer").
SC209694 Honey Bees throughout reserve.
SC209695 various unidentified flies on Cushsag ( Ragwort).
SC209694 Cranefly x 2.
SC209694 Water Beetle in dragonfly pond.
SC209694 2 x Green Shieldbug nymphs ( different instars)
SC209694 Ichneumon wasp.
SC209693 Solitary Bee.
SC208694 Wolf Spider on boardwalk
SC210694 Woodlouse species on wall
SC209693 Angelica in flower
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Woodpigeon taking berries
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Blackbirds too
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Another Blackbird elsewhere on the reserve
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Mallard eating grass seeds
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same Mallard on the remaining water
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Woodpigeon carrying nesting material
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Speckled Wood
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they were on nearly every path
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such as the Old beehive Loop
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Red Admiral
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Meadow Brown on Meadowsweet
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Holly Blue
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plenty of Green Veined Whites too
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black veins on upper wings very visible here
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Silver Y
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Dragonfly pond
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living up to its name with a Common Darter
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It likes the big quartz rock
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but also the branch I put into the water
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female Blue-tailed Damselfly egg laying
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male Blue-tailed Damselfly nearby
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a lovely bright specimen
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Common Darter on the boardwalk
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and on the bridge handrail
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this one chose the path through the meadow
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I almost deleted this blurred butterfly photo then spotted the Plant Bug
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Crane Flies throughout the reserve
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Cushag/ Ragwort attracting Hoverflies
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an Eristalis species I think
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on bramble flowers - a Flesh Fly perhaps?
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Helophilus Hoverfly - "footballer"
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Marmalade Hoverfly on Cushag/ Ragwort
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and another elsewhere
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a black and white Hoverfly on Bramble
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a fly with distinctive markings on the abdomen
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Wolf spider on the boardwalk
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Woodlouse on the wall
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one of several 7-spot Ladybirds
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nymph of Green Shieldbug
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and an earlier instar of Green Shieldbug nymph
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Angelica in flower
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emerging from the Beehive Loop
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| Boardwalk |
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and looking the other direction
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usual view from the boardwalk
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looking back from the boardwalk towards the hide
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still colourful flowers in the meadow
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mostly Meadowsweet and Loosetrife
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I love the jungly path through the reeds
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berries everywhere at present
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start of the meadow path
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fluffy Meadowsweet flowers
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Marsh Woundwort near the noticeboard
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lush vegetation round the pond
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usual view from the hide ramp
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Yellow Rattle at the rattling stage in the mini meadow
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looking through the hide shutters
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hard to see the hide from the usual spot
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I had to move along slightly
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the deep, dark wood but not a Gruffalo to be seen!
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| my final photo of the Purple Loosestrife before leaving |
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please click on photos to enlarge them
