Roe Deer
I watched it quietly until it moved off into the undergrowth to my left. Leaving the Hide I headed off towards the river and around the pools. En route there were many butterflies, mainly Green-veined Whites with several pairs of Orange-tips. However there were very few Peacocks and Small Tortoiseshells, which surprised me.
Orange-tip
On the paths after the nights dew were many slugs mainly Black and a few Reds. One Black Slug was in the way of a bug a Notostira elongata and couldn't be bothered to go round it, so it went over the top of it instead.
Notostira elongata takes the short route
Unimpressed the Black Slug slowly slithers along
My trail was the same as before, which was to head off to the River Cole via Marston Brook. From the River it was around the big pool and back into the main wood. En route there was a Great Spotted Woodpecker making its way up a tree trunk and as I neared the large pool I was greeted with a pair of Beautiful Demoiselles. The male was slightly different than I've seen before and when I got home it turned out that it was an immature male. Also along here were several Green Dock Beetles, with many females full of eggs.
Great Spotted Woodpecker
The large pool
An immature male Beautiful Demoiselle
An immature male Beautiful Demoiselle
An immature male Beautiful Demoiselle
A female Beautiful Demoiselle
A female Beautiful Demoiselle
A female Beautiful Demoiselle
This is a pair of Green Dock Beetle, Gastrophysa viridula, The female on the left has a distended abdomen as she is full of eggs.
At the far end of the pool is some shallow water with thousands of tadpoles. I'm not sure what species they are, but the water erupted when I got too close. They looked like miniature catfish swimming through muddy water. An amazing sight.
Just a few of the thousands of tadpoles
A Highland Cattle Bull
Mum with her calf
Once back into the wood I came across more Green Dock Beetles, a Sloe Bug, dozens of Nursery Web Spiders and more flies that I need to ID.
Nursery Web Spider
And another Nursery Web Spider
A Sloe Bug
which was very fast and flighty
A fly sp.
And another Fly sp.
The woods were alive with singing birds, there were many warblers including Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Willow Warblers. I came across just one Sedge Warbler and a few Common Whitethroat, but not a single Lesser Whitethroat. A Cuckoo was good to hear and in the centre of the wood I had a Tawny Owl call a couple of times which annoyed a few birds locally.
A Wren in good voice
A Willow Warbler - note the flies above his head
A close up
Another Willow Warbler
As he sings so he "shimmies" his wings
A Robin sings from above his territory
An alert Rabbit
And off because..........
A Fox was after it...........
Birds recorded today were: 2 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 3 Pheasant, Moorhen, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, 1 Cuckoo, Tawny Owl calling, 1 Swift, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Skylark, 3 Swallow, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, 1 Sedge Warbler, 8+ Garden Warbler, 7 Common Whitethroat, 18+ Blackcap, 13+ Chiffchaff, 10+ Willow Warbler, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Rook, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Starling, Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Bullfinch, Yellowhammer and Reed Bunting.
Mammals seen: 1 Grey Squirrel, 1 Fox, 3 Rabbits and 2 Roe Deer
Amphibians seen: Thousands of tadpoles, species unknown.
Butterflies recorded today were: 8 Orange-tips, 2 Brimstone, 1 Small Tortoiseshells, 3 Peacocks and dozens of Green-veined Whites.
Other insects etc.: An immature male and adult female Beautiful Demoiselle, Crane-fles sp., Black Slug, Red Slug, Sloe Bug, Notostira elongata, Bee Flies, Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis), Green Dock Beetle (Gastrophysa viridula), Flies sp.
Today's Photos Here