Leaving Tesco's about 9.15, I headed off along local footpaths via East Wood, Cradle End, Green Street and then over the polo fields and down the hill to the village.
Firstly, a check for the garden warblers that frequent the ride near East Wood. They have been present for several years now and, again, I heard the male singing as I arrived. After a short while a reasonable photo, too.
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| male garden warbler |
Also singing along here was a willow warbler, my second for the parish this year, 2 chiffchaffs and a whitethroat. As I made my way along hedgerows more warblers, (blackcaps and whitethroats) were heard before a big surprise: a singing sedge warbler, deep in the vegetation alongside a ditch near Cradle End. This is only my 2nd parish record, the first being in 2009 at The Ford. I waited for a while to get a photo but the bird was making its way along the bank under cover of the thick cow parsley etc. A pleasing record.
Another whitethroat at Ivy Farm whilst goldfinches, skylarks and a lone swallow along Green Street.
Into Millfield Lane and more singing blackcaps and another garden warbler before a male yellowhammer on the roof of the cottage.
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| yellowhammer |
Very little on the polo field or down Brick Kiln Hill apart from tits, a common buzzard and a great spotted woodpecker. However, I did spend time searching through a nettle bed for insects and my endeavours were rewarded.
3 types of ladybird were seen, with over 15 7 spotted ladybirds, 1 10 spot and 1 harlequin.
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| 7 spot ladybird |
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| 10 spot ladybird |
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| harlequin ladybird |
Plenty of other insects to keep me on my toes, but at least I did recognise this scorpion fly and suspect these are sloe bugs, too.
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| scorpion fly |
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| sloe bugs |
However, hoverflies are a really troublesome creatures for me to identify so I am not 100% sure of these identifications. I shall forward them to someone far more knowledgeable, as I do not have access to the definitive guide on these. Something that I would like to remedy;
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| Epistrophe eligans |
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| Eristalis, posssibly E. pertinax. |
I am considerably safer on butterflies and a comma, several orange tips and my first green veined white of the year were all seen adjacent to the nettles
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| comma |
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| green veined white |
A bumble bee joined me in my search as I came across some mating weevils and a dark bush cricket.
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| Phyllobius pomaceus |
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| Dark bush cricket |
Plant wise, plenty of red campion, parsley species and the end of the bluebells. Another regular plant found was this herb robert.
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| herb robert |
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| Bluebells on Brick Kiln Hill |
Finally, upon arriving back home, a common buzzard soared overhead, only to be mobbed by corvids.
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| common buzzard |
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