A smooth snake and a grass snake together

Now here is an amazing picture!! Why? Because smooth snakes (our rarest reptile) are thought to feed mainly on other reptiles. However the grass snake is safe here because the two are the same size. Lucky old grass snake! Both species are found on the Surrey heaths where they live in the heather and are rarely seen.

A beautiful male stonechat

The stonechats are tiny robin sized birds with a big personality. They are among my favourite birds and the males are especially feisty, "tapping" madly if you get too close and flickling their wings. I also think they are amazingly beautiful and their stone tapping sound is one of my favourite sounds on the heath. Look out for them now as they are nesting again after returning from Africa.

Ethereal Swans at Fleet Pond

Fleet pond was once a Royal fish pond. It is now the largest lake in Hampshire and is a good place to see birds, especially swans. In the evening light these are truly magnificent creatures and supremely graceful.

Turtle Doves in Tugley

Aren't these turtle doves beautiful.....

Sunday, 7 June 2009

Baby Blackbird

The young black birds are out and about now and looking cute. They are very vulnerable to predation by cats though so if you see one gently shoo it into a tree or if it can't fly yet (they sometimes leave the nest early), put it in the branches of a tree. Don't listen to the TV naturalists of this world who advise leaving a bird where it is to be eaten by cats (inevitably). Some birds need our help!!!!

Turtle Doves

The turtle doves are back, beautiful harbingers of spring.....