An Awarding Winning Country Park

A good walk this afternoon covering both Stanton Park and Stratton Wood, Plenty to see with lots mixed flocks of Long-tailed Tits, Blue Tit and both Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff seen with them.

New noticeboards have gone up around both woods. Unfortunately vandals have already damaged the one at Stratton Wood. So mindless!!

Long-tailed Tit

Long-tailed Tit 

Willow Warbler

Willow Warbler

Willow Warbler

In Stratton Wood a Fox was seen and there were a couple of Jays spotted as well. Other than with the tits, in the hedgerows there were also more Chiffchaff and even Blackcaps.

Chiffchaff

Chiffchaff

The pool at Stanton Park on the left as you head back to the car park had a possible Northern Red-bellied Terrapin (Pseudemys rubriventris), sun bathing on a log and there was a Southern Hawker hawking along the bank.

Possibly a Northern Red-bellied Terrapin (Pseudemys rubriventris), taking a rest on one of the pools at Stanton Park.

Also out were several butterflies mainly Speckled Woods and a couple of Peacocks. There were a few Common Carder Bumblebees and the hoverflies were out in force as the sun came out and I noted Drone Fly, Syrphus ribesii and possibly a female syrphus torvus.

Possibly a female syrphus torvus Hoverfly. Told apart from other Syrphus species, by the presence of hairs on the eyes.

Speckled Wood 

Hoverfly, Syrphus ribesii 

Drone Fly

Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)

Common Carder in the flower and just above it Crane Fly in flight

Drone Fly

Birds Recorded: Mute Swan, Mallard, Moorhen, Black-headed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Swallow, Grey Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, 2 Blackcap, 5+ Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler, Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Marsh Tit, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Wren, 2 Jay, Magpie, Rook, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Starling, Chaffinch, 2 Linnet, Goldfinch, Greenfinch and Bullfinch.

Also seen: Fox, Grey Squirrel and Terrapin sp.

Invertebrate seen: 6 Speckled Wood, 2 Peacock, 3 Green-veined White, Hoverflies sp., Drone Fly, Southern Hawker, Crane Flies sp. and Bees sp.