Tuesday 25 March 2014

Tuesday 25th. March 2014

A damp , cool day today at least gave time to catch up on photographs taken over the last few trips out , and to post some of them . The warmth of last week brought more Adders out from their Winter hibernation . I have still only found males , but I have heard of at least one female showing .  Four
males here looked like they had been flattened by a steam roller , but when I passed them later
 on , three of them were charging around as if a female was in the area . A
 
 quick check didn't find one , but that's not saying that there wasn't one around .
 
Once Carol puts out the bird food first thing , anything up to 8/9 Jackdaws swoop down , bullying the other species . They do look smart in their breeding plumage . 
 
Another early morning search for Brown Hares failed again . All that was found was this Rabbit /Meerkat . 
 
Another Adder site almost overlooking the M25 , produced just two males . This one was happy for me to take shots , but swiftly made off when two joggers approached . The sun was out but a very
cool wind blew across the site , so I wasn't expecting to find this Sm .Tortoiseshell sunning itself . On site , I also had my first singing Blackcap of the year .
 
Found my first Bluebells of the year in flower , beaten this year by Warren/Pittswood Birds . 
 
Also found , lots of Cuckoo Flower / Ladies Smock / Cardamine pratensis , a member of the Cabbage family . Hopefully the Orange Tip butterflies who use it as one of the plants they lay eggs on , will follow soon . 
A stop whilst passing at Bough Beech Reservoir found very little on the water , but around the Visitor
Centre , what seems to be a growing colony of House Sparrows were very vocal . Whilst photographing them , the head of a Weasel popped out of a woodpile , and popped back in as quickly . I backed off and waited for it to show again . Half an hour later I gave up , chilled to the bone .
 
Having failed to see a Brambling last Winter , this one was going the same , until , whilst having breakfast this morning , I saw a white rump fly off from below the feeders . A wait at the back bedroom window proved successful , when the bird returned with the other Finches a while later . Unfortunately the shot was through double glazing and drizzle .

3 comments:

Warren Baker said...

Ive managed to get some Ladies Smock established around my pond Greenie, just need those OT's to show up, I also need a Brambling to show up here too, not had one yet this year !

Mike H said...

Greenie, thats really spooky .On looking out of our bedroom window today I noticed a different looking Chaffinch and it turned out to be a male Brambling. Unfortunately on trying to get a photograph I disturbed it and haven't seen it return yet.

Phil said...

Lots of signs of Spring Greenie.....just need the weather now!