A Wonderful Day at Bonby and Watts Wood.

Wanting to make the most of the weather, I was up and away early with plans for Bonby Carrs and then Watts Wood for the dragonflies, hopefully broad bodied chasers.

Bonby Carrs

As I hoped I had Bonby Carrs to myself.  Carr Lane is a super location for early migrants, especially wheatears and yellow wagtails.  It is also a favourite spot to photograph birds in song at this time of the year.  A good place for raptors, the fortunate observer can find short-eared owl hunting here in the winter.  Once the vegetation grows too high it becomes impossible to photograph birds on the fence so it will most likely be my final visit until next winter.  Unfortunately Covid 19 has kept me away during spring migration tome.  Although I saw nothing spectacular there were plenty of birds around and I get just as much of a buzz out common every day wildlife as a mega rarity.  Small songbirds were busy all the way down the lane singing to advertise territories and to warn off rival males and feeding chicks in ditch bank nests.  An idyllic couple of hours.

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Brown Hare

Goldfinch

Goldfinch

Lapwing

Lapwing and Lincoln Reds

Linnet

Linnet

Meadow Pipit

Meadow Pipit

Meadow Pipit

Meadow Pipit

Meadow Pipit

Meadow Pipit

Meadow Pipit

Meadow Pipit

Reed Bunting

Reed Bunting

Reed Bunting

Reed Bunting

Shelduck

Young Starling

Yellowhammer

Yellowhammer

Yellowhammer

Yellowhammer

Watts Wood

After a very pleasant couple of hours, I moved on to Watts Wood nature reserve at Dunholme close to Lincoln.  This is somewhere that in the past I have visited a lot but not for several years.  I couldn't believe how much things had changed.  Waist high saplings are now rapidly becoming trees.  I was initially totally disorientated but eventually got myself sorted out.  I headed first for the large Co-op pond. Although very attractive here with large numbers of dragonflies, it was very breezy and nothing was settling.  I did see emperor dragon fly, although it didn't settle at all.  There were plenty of four spotted chasers but no broad bodied.  I also photographed a few damselflies and was amazed when I processed the images to find that one was a red-eyed damsel, one that I had neither seen nor photographed before.

There being no broad bodied I decided to return to a small pond I had passed earlier where there were three males vying for supremacy.  These perched nicely and allowed me to fill my boots with these beautiful insects; I love the yellow-spotted powder blue abdomens of the males and the glistening gold females.  From here I made my way to the original pond, the Beatles pond.  Here there were more broad bodied, this time mating with the female on the wing.  The females then oviposited straight away while the male kept guard.  I was also pleased to find a female hairy dragonfly here also ovipositing.

An excellent day out.

Azure Damselflies mating

Azure Damselfly male

Broad Bodied Chaser, Male

Broad Bodied Chaser, Male

Broad Bodied Chaser, Male

Broad Bodied Chaser, Male

Broad Bodied Chaser, Female

Dog Rose

Four Spotted Chaser

Four Spotted Chaser

Female Hairy Dragonfly Ovi-Positing

Oxeye Daisy

Red-eyed Damselfly

Water Lily

In the Garden

The garden is looking good at the moment and I really enjoy photographing it.

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Evening light

A favourite spot.

Rhododendron

Rhododendron

Rhododendron

Rhododendron

Rambler

Rambler

Rambler

A Walk Along the Ancholme

As Lockdown restrictions are being eased slightly we made the decision to meet Thomas at Doncaster services.  He had been to Doncaster to buy a new car and we met up afterwards at the services, taking our own flasks, sandwiches and chairs and keeping the recommended 2m distance from each other.  Rather than just drive to the services and back, however we decided to have a walk along the Ancholme on the way.  I hoped for butterflies and we wanted to have a look at the new bike trail along the river.

The original plan was to park at Horkstow Bridge, walk down the river to Saxby Bridge and back on the other side.  However, when we arrived at Horkstow, there was a large group of 20 somethings in 3 or 4 cars swimming and BBQing and playing music very loudly.  This is not the first case I have heard of people crowding to normally quiet spots.  Recently so many people besieged Limber for the Brockelsby Estate walk and the parking mayhem and damage caused in the woods has resulted in its closure.  This behaviour is inexcusable.  I also heard yesterday that a similar situation was Hubbard's Hills in Louth.  Deciding not to stay we drove back to Saxby All Saints and the bridge there and walked towards Bonby Carr Lane.  The butterflies I had hoped for didn't materialise, although I did find some beautiful dog roses - one of my favourite flowers.  I wonder if the dry weather is the cause of the lack of butterflies.  We have had no significant rain for over three months.  From floods we moved straight into pandemic lockdown and drought.  When will this world learn that we cannot keep desecrating the planet.

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Looking towards South Ferribly Sluice

Saxby Bridge

A Day on the Bikes and a Picnic.

A Local Day out on the Bikes with a Picnic.

An excellent day out on the bikes today with a couple of good sections of off-roading.  The weather was perfect: low twenties but muted sun which meant for perfect conditions.  Our route took us to Brigsley, ou along Waithe Lane and then an off-road section to Grainsby Park where we had out picnic enjoying watching our first house martins of the year and a pair of blue tits busily feeding chicks in a nest in a hole in the church stone work.  We continued on through the park and the second off road section across to Ashby cum Fenby before joining the main road back into Grimsby and retracing our outward route.  An excellent 17 miles.

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