Mike's Natural Musings: Over to the Dead Wood.

Saturday 4 April 2020

Over to the Dead Wood.

A superb morning walking over the Horsefield and around the Dead Wood (more correctly Carr Plantation) at the back of Weelsby Woods. The wind has moved round to the south west and with only a gentle breeze the clear sunny day felt warm and spring like. I had gone to the trouble of carrying my tripod as I wanted to rephotograph some xanthoria lichen that I had take the other day and not got as sharp as I had wished. As I was carrying the tripod, I left the birding lens at home which was a shame as some excellent opportunities presented themselves - ah well!! I was delighted with very close views of a sparrowhawk as it flew over and enjoyed listening to a greater spotted woodpecker drumming in the cemetery. I noticed a pair of crows busy with their nest, high in a tall tree on the edge of the cemetery. It was good to have a socially distanced chat with friends Nigel and Jackie who were walking Tilly while I was photographing the lichen.

It was very satisfying to see and hear a couple of skylarks singing and a buzzard called while soaring over the Dead Wood. I disturbed a small flock of mostly male yellowhammers where they were feeding on one of the cultivated fields; I would have thought that they would have been paired up by now.

Plenty of butterflies were on the wing on this warm morning: 2 brimstone, 6 peacocks and 9 small tortoiseshells.
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