The Full Monty on the Local Patch

It was such a beautiful day today that I decided on a full circuit of the local patch, starting in the cemetery and woodland burial ground and taking in Weelsby Woods, The Dead Wood (Carr Plantation) as well as The Horsefield (Gooseman's ); a walk of over six miles.  It was bright and clear again with a few clouds and a mild 13C.  I was absolutely delighted to find two redwings in the cemetery, my first for this year.  Making my usual way around the woodland burial ground, I was pleased to see the bullfinch pair again and to hear the familiar chiff, chiff, chaff of my first summer visitor: a chiffchaff.  A great spotted woodpecker was drumming in the woods and, although no skylark today, I was pleased to see a linnet fly up in front of me from the thick bramble hedge on the edge of The Horsefield; good to see that they, too, are return to their breeding ground.  My final bird sighting of note was a buzzard soaring over Scartho school field.  Butterflies were again forthcoming with three small tortoishells and a very tatty comma.  Spring has definitely arrived.

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Goat Willow

Chiffchaff

Wren

Buzzard

A Hunt for the Elusive Orange Tip

Today has been beautiful: sun and blue skies.  Although there has been quite a strong chill easterly breeze off the sea, it was beautifully warm in the shelter of hedge or wood.  My walk followed the usual route: across the Horsefield and over to the Dead Wood, but I extended it in to some previously unvisited spots on the way back, discovering new potential.  My main aim of today's walk was to search for orange tip butterflies.  I have been hearing loads of reports of them being seen, but so far they had eluded me.

Daily, now, it seems, new plants are appearing and things are greening up.  I found my first ladies smock, more hedge garlic, wild arum producing its green,ear-shaped flowers, bluebells and cow parsley beginning to show.  I was interested to see linnet, skylark and chiffchaff again and, particularly so, a small flock of jackdaws in with a murder of crows.  I was delighted with my first two swallows and pleased with the two commas I found, one possibly the same insect Ihad seen on 25th March as it was in exactly the same spot: basking on an old white plastic builder's container.  I thought that I had missed out on orange tip again, but on examining my images I think that what I had thought a small white, was, in fact a female orange tip.  I think that the black triangles of the rear edge of the forewing are diagnostic.

Oak and ash trees were now coming into leaf and flower and flowers are in bud on the hawthorn.  I was fascinated to find a born-tailed moth larval colony on a hawthorn on the Horsefied; I have only really noticed them on the coast before, usually on sea buckthorn.

• House Sparrow
• Blue Tit
• Goldfinch
• Dunnock
• Chaffinch
• Linnet
• Crow
• Magpie
• Blackbird
• Jackdaw
• Robin
• Chiffchaff
• Wood Pigeon
• Pheasant
• Skylark
• Yellowhammer
• Swallow x2

• Hedge Garlic
• Red Campion
• Wild Arum or Lords and Ladies
• Cow Parsley
• Bluebell
• Ground Ivy
• Ladies Smock or cuckoo pint

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Ash Flowers

Brown-tailed moth catterpillars

Comma

Comma

View to the deadwood past the ancient pear tree in blossom at Peake's Tunnel Farm

The Dead Wood is greening up.

The Dead Wood is greening up.

The Dead Wood is greening up.

Female orange tip (I think)

New oak leaves and flowers

Red Campion

Small Tortoiseshell

Speckled Wood

The Horsefield

Looking across edgeland to the cemetery and Horsefield beyond.

Wednesday, Garden and Cemetery/Horsefield Walk

We are well into 'Lockdown' now and trying to get used to the idea.  It is particularly strange for me as I am over 70 and have a heart condition.

It was another beautiful day and to break up the decorating we enjoyed coffee and later lunch in the garden.  I was pleased to see a peacock butterfly which settled for a while.  A sulphur yellow brimstone flew quickly through and bees were out feeding especially on the perennial wallflowers and the occasional bee fly was around.  I was particularly pleased to see a buzzard soaring over the Horsefield while we were having lunch.

After lunch I set off for the normal cemetery/Horsefield walk.  As I had hoped butterflies were now in evidence with plenty of peacocks and tortoiseshells and a single comma on the horsefield.  I noticed that hazel leaves were beginning to open and blackthorn blossom was a froth of white on the hedges.  Before we can blink I shall be collecting the sloes for next year's sloe gin.  Lesser celendine is in flower here as well as in our garden where it is not quite so welcome.  I was delighted to get my first chiffchaff of the year.

Peacock
Small Tortoiseshell
Comma
Blackbird
Robin
Wood pigeon
Jay
Chiffchaff
Magpie
Chaffinch
Great Tit
Bullfinch
Dunnock
Long Tailed Tit
Lesser Celendine 

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Willow Catkins

A froth of blackthorn blossom

Cherry

Cherry

Cemetery daffodils

Hazel

Hazel

Hazel

Horse Chestnut

Horse Chestnut

Peacock

Not often you can take a bird pic with an 80mm macro

Willow

Comma

Comma

Comma

Dandelion

This is why it's called the Horsefield

Peacock