A Peacock Butterfly In The Garden

There seem to be plenty of peacock butterflies around his year. Sadly the once abundant small tortoiseshell (a close relative of the peacock) seems to have almost completely vanished. Thankfully the peacock is still thriving and what a fantastic sight it is.

A Wood-White, a Brimstone and an Orange tip (Female) in Tugley Wood

Once again, Tugley wood has shown a new aspect of its wildlife by revealing these two marvellous butterflies nectaring on Hedge Garlic by the edge of the road. Both were unusually approachable. Interestingly, the wood-whites further in the forest were not so easily approached though it was good to see one female laying eggs. I was also lucky enough to see several garden warblers singing their amazing songs from well hidden perches. Sadly I have still to get a photo of this drabest of warblers though.

A Snipe and a Green Sandpiper at Unstead Sewage Works

What a wonderful sight, a marvellous snipe and a green sandpiper at the Unstead sewage pool.

A Wood Lark on Blackheath

The wood larks are back!! What a wonderful song from one of our most enigmatic heathland birds. It too is vanishing due to habitat loss, along with the tree pipit and the dartford warbler. I was lucky to find this one perched in the evening light. A wonderful and rare sight.

Two Garden Visitors

Today there have been two visitors to the garden.....one of them, the song thrush, is one of our greatest singers and the other, the hedge sparrow is a bird of curious habits and a delightful song reminiscent of the white throat warbler. The female dunnock mates with as many males as possible but only allows one to father her chicks....by ingenious means.....however, all the local males think the chicks are theirs and help in feeding them......the dunnock is also regularly parisitised by the common cuckoo and somehow fails to recognize that the giant chick in its nest is not its own....

A Sand Lizard, a Grass snake and a Smooth Snake at Crooksbury Common

At the moment the sand lizards are in their full breeding colours. They are brilliant to see.....although thats not easy to do. They manage to remain well hidden most of the time. Seriously endangered by habitat loss they are now our rarest reptile along with the smooth snake which feeds on them. A tragic case of the endagered eating the endangered....such is life. Enjoy them while you can, but blink and they are gone......forever....

A Hobby (Falcon) and Kestrel on Blackheath

I sighted this beautiful and very rare falcon sitting on a dead tree on Blackheath, Surrey. The light was poor and the distance great but through the telescope it could clearly be seen. Marvellous! The photos aren't great but still its elegance and sickle wings can clearly be seen. I followed it round for some time trying to get a better picture as it flew from tree to tree, but all to no avail and eventually it vanished through the pines and was gone. A ghostly and magical memory of one of our most impressive birds.