Frustratingly, it's hitting that time of year where birding gets tough, with breeding species thin on the ground as fledglings start to disperse. There was still plenty of activity going on though once you scratch beneath the surface.
I was fortunate to bump into a group doing some ringing. This is something I've wanted to do for a while, and will certainly be looking to get more involved once everything is back to normal. I love being up close and personal with wildlife, and you can't get much closer than physically holding a bird while you collect its data! Due to covid I couldn't get hands on this time, but did enjoy watching them remove a baby Chiffchaff from a mist net for processing.
Whilst on the subject of baby birds, I found this young Blackbird tucked away beneath a bramble thicket. Whether he had fallen from the nest I don't know, but he seemed healthy and eager to feed, so he might just make it yet. There were also a tonne of fledgling Tits and Blackcaps flitting about the scrub and woodland, along with the ever present Linnets and Whitethroats.
The butterflies were out in force today, with all the standard common species, like Red Admirals, Meadow Browns, various Whites and this Peacock. Northward occasionally turns up rarer types, such as Purple Hairstreak, but no such luck today. Areas of the reserve are really good for wildflowers, and create a haven for insects, much to the joy of the Swifts and Swallows darting overhead.
I couldn't visit Northward without having a good look for reptiles. I turned up 9 Slow Worms in total, including a few that I'd previously caught (identified by markings and scars), along with a few Viviparous Lizards. Slow Worms seem to be declining in general, through habitat loss and predation (household cats are their number one enemy!), so it's good to have a local area with decent, consistent numbers.
I also got my hands on a young Grass Snake. This is the smallest one I've caught this year, likely a very late hatch from last summer's breeding. He was also the calmest I've ever found, not even making an attempt to musk and just happily crawling round my fingers before disappearing back off into the undergrowth. I can't underestimate how dainty he was, at about half the width of a fingernail! Snakes grow very quickly for the first few years of their lives, so touch wood he can avoid becoming lunch and hit around the 1 metre mark over the next year or so.
Also of note was yet another shed skin, this was again a young Grass Snake, and there's every chance it could be from the individual I caught, judging by size and the fact I found it not far from him. Finding sheds is always a good indication that reptiles are present and conditions are right for them to grow healthily, and going by the size of these two it shows there's a decent breeding population in the area.
Photo of the day has to go to this curious Grey Squirrel, happy to pose for me once he'd reached the safety of his tree. On principle I'm not their biggest fan, being an invasive species that has displaced the resident Reds (and others), but you can't deny their cuteness!
Until the next one!
No comments:
Post a Comment