Early Morning on the Farm

Another early start, (5:00am - 8:00am) and this time a visit to the Reserve at Lotmead Farm. Its always nice to add another bird species to your patch list and this time I added Skylark, with 2 males singing above the fields.

On the Reserve Pool, there were a few new additions, with 3 juvenile Little Grebes and two new Mallard families, one with 3 ducklings and the other with 8, both of which have only just hatched.

The youngsters haven't gone unnoticed and several times Lesser Black-backed Gulls that were just passing by, swooped down on them, sending the chicks and ducklings diving and scurrying away for cover.

I had hoped to get lucky and see the Otter which had been seen here last week, alas it didn't show, but I did get Muntjac that cautiously made its way along the back of the pool.

Here are a few images from my morning visit:

A Muntjac makes it way around the pool.

This is an adult Wood Pigeon.......

.....and this is a juvenile. Note lack of white collar, which often confuses people into thinking its a Stock Dove.

An adult and juvenile Little Grebe. Great to see 3 juveniles on the pool.

A male Blackcap stopped briefly and then carried on into the undergrowth searching for food.

A male White-tailed Bumblebee

Buff-tailed Bumblebee, Bombus terrestris 

Possible Hoverfly, Syrphus vitripennis

A male Poecilobothrus nobilitatus.......

.........and the female..........

..........close-up

Possible Fly, Azelia nebulosa

Orthotaenia undulana or Celypha lacunana

Strawberry Snail, Trochulus striolatusa

Birds Recorded: 5 Little Grebe (2 adult, 3 juveniles), 1 Grey Heron, 1 Mute Swan (First summer), 30 Mallard (9 adult, 9 juvenile, 11 ducklings), 2 Pheasant (male and female), 2 Moorhen, 2 Coot, 5 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 12 Wood Pigeon, 2 Skylark, 2 House Martin, 5 Swallow, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, Song Thrush, 2 Reed Warbler, 1 Garden Warbler, 2 Common Whitethroat, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 5 Blackcap, 4 Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Treecreeper, Wren, Magpie, Rook, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, 5 Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Bullfinch, Yellowhammer and Reed Bunting.

Moths: Orthotaenia undulana or Celypha lacunana

Bees: Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) and White-tailed Bumblebees.

Hoverflies: Syrphus vitripennis

Flies: Azelia nebulosa, Poecilobothrus nobilitatus

Snails and Slugs: Strawberry Snail (Trochulus striolatusa) and Red Slug (Arion ater rufus)

Note:
More on Poecilobothrus Here