It's not often I get to have a morning walk, but as I was up fairly early and the weather was bright and sunny, it was a perfect opportunity to see what was about. Even though I was out for quite sometime, I only managed to cover the the two horse paddocks and the butterfly reserve.
Why!! Well it was pretty "busy" with birds, with many highlights including a Grey Heron, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, 6 Swallow, 20+ Meadow Pipit, 5 Pied Wagtail, 4 Stonechat, 10 Chiffchaff and 4 Siskins. The latter my first this Autumn.
Birds Recorded:
1 Grey Heron
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
6 Swallow
20+ Meadow Pipit
5 Pied Wagtail
Dunnock
Robin
4 Stonechat
Blackbird
10 Chiffchaff
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
4 Siskin
Goldfinch
I very nearly missed this Grey Heron. Hence the rear shot of it, as it flew over me.
The upper horse paddock was full of Meadow Pipits feeding on the flies being kicked up by the horses.
A male Stonechat
And another Stonechat with a Chiffchaff just beyond it
A male Blackbird in flight
There were several Chiffchaffs on the reserve.
And another.
This Chiffchaff was on the brambles in the lower horse paddock, with a Dunnock on the right.
There must be something about Chiffchaffs and Dunnocks as I came across these two in the Butterfly Reserve.
A male Great Tit......
.........calling from the Sycamores on the reserve.
A juvenile male House Sparrow.
There were lots of Goldfinches about.
This one seems to have lost its head!!
3 Large White
2 Painted Lady
Bees Recorded:
Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae)
Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
Hoverflies Recorded:
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Cranefly (Tipula paludosa)
Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Dark Bush-cricket (Pholidoptera griseoaptera)
Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus)
Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae)
Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
Hoverflies Recorded:
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Cranefly (Tipula paludosa)
Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Dark Bush-cricket (Pholidoptera griseoaptera)
Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus)
Dark Bush-cricket (Pholidoptera griseoaptera)
A Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus)
And another Common Field Grasshopper
Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
This is Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), which is a common wildflower belonging to the sunflower family, Asteraceae. It is sometimes called Milfoil and Thousand Weed. More on this plant Here and Here.
General Shots:
The Lower Horse paddock. The brambles behind the horses had 4 Stonechats and at least 3 Chiffchaffs in amongst them. The only annoying thing was a dog walker, walking along the fence line inside the paddock and not on the public footpath I was standing on.
Ships Today:
This is White Potato Vine (Solanum laxum 'Album'). More on this plant Here.
General Shots:
The Sycamore Bump on the Butterfly reserve. Lots of Chiffchaffs here this morning
And on top of the Bump looking south.
Ted:
Here he comes leaps and bounds.
