With the wind a bit brisk and from the north-west I set off this morning with more of a sense of duty than of purpose. There was heavy cloud cover for the first hour of a late start so it seemed as though I didn't even have insects to fall back on.
Walking along the road I checked out the Redstart garden, and was not surprised to get a negative result. It must have moved on. Down at the main pool, which was now quite full of water, I bumped into Alan, the HOEF dragonfly surveyor. We chatted for a while about the hopelessness of this spring, and it was plain that insect watchers were having a harder time than birdwatchers.
Still within half an hour it started to brighten up. The flashes were full of water, and I could see two Shelducks and two Lapwings. As if by magic, insects started to appear. I decided to get my camera out.
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| A female Orange-tip |
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| Large Red Damselfly |
I moved on towards Stapenhill Wood, hearing a family of Great Spotted Woodpeckers calling from within their tree hole, before confirming that the Garden Warbler has also gone (or fallen silent). At least I found a new butterfly for the year, a Small Heath.
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| Small Heath |
And that was about that. Time for a token bird I think.
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| Chiffchaff |
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