March 20th Strumpshaw Fen

Jay

The spell of stormy weather has finally lifted and its back to glorious sunshine again. In fact, spring has bounced back with a vengeance. Despite a lack of photos to show for it (because my subjects prefer to move as soon as I get the chance to point my camera at them), it has been quite a productive day. In the woods, the birds were singing and were pretty active, especially bullfinches. Over 200 or more redwings were flying over me this morning, a sign that these winter thrushes will be thinking about flying north for the Scandinavian summer. A pair of red-legged partridges saw me coming along Sandy Wall and continued further up the path while I was getting distracted by chiffchaffs, Cetti's warblers, more bullfinches and a jay doing its best impersonation of a buzzard. I also saw a Chinese water deer at the Fen Hide and a kingfisher flew over me along the river trail.

Song Thrush

Chinese Water Deer

Sweet Violet in purple...

…lilac...

...and white.

Pussy Willow Catkins?

Robin

Seven-spotted Ladybird

 The warm sunshine was beginning to draw out the insects. The tawny mining bee colony beside the usual bench at the start of Sandy Wall were now doing their annual act of mating and creating burrows before they disappear for another year as quickly as they appeared. Brimstones, peacocks and small tortoiseshells were flying all around the reserve in good numbers and looking fresh with brightly coloured wings. Inside the Reception Hide, there was a bit of a ladybird invasion. They were just everywhere! Outside the Reception Hide, on the other hand, was a bit boring. The broad was fairly empty besides a few greylags, coots and shovelers, while buzzards and marsh harriers were displaying ever higher in the sky than usual and more distant too. A water rail did keep things interesting as it continuously kept squealing close by, but never revealed itself the whole time I was there.  

Tawny Mining Bees (Female on left, male on right)

Greylag

Gadwall

Shoveler

Moorhen