A Nice Surprise

Another lovely walk around Nythe pool today and what a lovely surprise to hear and then see a Nightingale in the bushes overhanging Dorcan Stream, as it flows into the pool. There was the initial song and as I walked back around to get a better view there was a second burst of song and then it flew off into Nythe Wood, as dog walkers came along the path.

This won't be a bird that will stay here, but will be one on passage, perhaps to the Cotswold Water Park to the north, or who knows Mouldon Hill.

Other birds of note were 4 singing Blackcaps, 3 Chiffchaffs and 1 Willow Warbler. A Green Woodpecker was also heard.

Butterflies seen today were 7 Speckled woods, 3 Orange-tips and a Peacock. The latter the first I've seen for a few weeks.

Still lots of hoverflies about and another bee to ID.

Here a few images from today:

Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a Carrion Crow make short work of someones offerings of bread rolls on the playing fields.

And another in flight. In fact there 22 Lessers and 2 Herring Gulls all attempting to grab the rolls.

A pair of Speckled woods mating.

A member of the Tenthredininae family..........

............ possibly a Pachyprotasis sp.

Common Green Shieldbug, Palomena prasina 

Day 2 and work continues with the clearance of all the silt in Nythe pool........

......and already its looking pretty good.

.......with a large expanse of water already cleared.