Very Wet Thursday

 Yesterday was the monthly walk at Paxton Pits and, unsurprisingly, only a small group ventured round the reserve. We did manage to record 37 bird species including Garden warbler, Chiffchaff, Common Terns hopefully nesting on the rafts,  adult Cormorant ?teaching young about fishing and Great Crested Grebe pair. Back in the garden in the afternoon, many insects were sheltering on leaves and flowers while the spiders continued to monitor their webs.

Paxton Breeding Bird Survey and Mining Bees

Yesterday was the first Breeding Bird survey of 2024 at Paxton - a windy but warm 7am start to the walk to catch the early song was rewarded by singing Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and Willow Warblers on our route and elsewhere Garden Warblers and Reed Warblers announced their presence while Nightingales are here singing in the private areas of the site. Later in the morning I went to look for Mining bees in a favourite location and the bramble leaves were teaming with different species - haven't identified all yet (shown are the Early Colletes female and male, ?Orange-tailed Mining Bee, Small Sallow Mining Bee, Tawny Mining Bee and Red Mason Bee

Paxton Pits

The mist cleared at Paxton on Saturday to give some wonderful reflections with the absence of wind. Cormorants, Herons, Coot and Moorhens were all getting on with building nests and setting up territories etc

 

Paxton Stalk Balls and Scarlet Elf Cups

Winter Stalk Balls, Tulostoma brumale, are most commonly found on the coast in sand dunes etc but there is a good population at Paxton Pits on the gravel areas. Along with Pixie Cup lichens and Scarlet Elf Cup fungi they make wonderful macro subjects. As previous post, pairs of images - Raws processed with DxO Pure3Raw and  stacked in Zerene stacker in the computer next to in-camera stacks.

Birthday Walk at Paxton

The pits at Paxton were more or less frozen over for our Third Thursday walk at Paxton so all the waterfowl were pushed into the small open areas. Lots of Fieldfare, Wren, Tree Creeper, Green Woodpecker, Single Lapwing, Several Herons and Cormorants completed the walk.