Parkgate 12th February

Parkgate on Monday presented so many spectacles - the view of masses of birds against the industrial scenes on the other side of the estuary and the speed with which the water rushed in to inundate the marshes at high tide. There were lots of White Egrets catching the voles, flocks of Pipits and Skylark, hovering Kestrels, Herons etc.

Dorset - Chesil Beach (30/05/2023)

Back from Dorset but still lots to process and record on my Blog (aka diary!!). I wanted to visit Chesil beach as I always find it a wonderful mixed wildlife area and was rewarded with insects, flowers and birds - here only a sample. The skylark had a very battered tail presumably as a result of ground nesting in a very rough terrain. Quite a few butterflies including mating Common Blues and lots of Bee Orchids, Broomrape and Wild Gladioli.

Windy Walk on Royston Heath

I walked across Royston Heath, through the Beechwoods and back along the edge of the golf course this morning admiring the winter trees and wind-swept clouds. As with my hunt for flowers in bloom in Toft on January 1st, I found only a single dandelion and small patches of Groundsel though the Hazel catkins are in full flower

 

Spring is in the Air

Wonderful to hear a couple of Skylarks trilling away at Trumpington Meadows - not enough for the collective  'Exultation of larks' but still enough to raise the spirits. Plenty of other activity among the rooks, waterbirds, gulls and jackdaws

Royston Heath

Some wonderful skies on a walk across Royston Heath yesterday morning. The skylarks were out in good numbers which is great to see and hear. Not so many golfers had braved the frosty conditions but it certainly is a course with a view.