Amphibious Bistort.
In the canopy.
In the canopy.
Coots busy at nest.
Amphibious Bistort covers the lake.Despite the showers today I couldn’t resist a quick walk down to the lake during one of the sunny and warm spells this afternoon. Passing the Nuthatch nest hole and finding nothing there, I’ve decided that the birds have now flown.
The grass cutters were out, but thankfully they always leave a narrow strip un-cut around the side of the smaller lake which encourages some good growth and which now has numbers of Orchids growing. Northern Marsh Orchid Dactylorhiza purpurella, possibly crossed with something else in some cases is my opinion. The Great Crested Grebe was snoozing on the nest and the other pair on the lager lake appear to be making little progress towards nest building. What I was pleased to see today were two Little Grebes, possibly a pair, which I haven’t seen since one appeared briefly last year. One of the birds remained still amongst the Amphibious Bistort Persicaria amphibia all of the time I was about. I’m wondering if it was simply resting after arrival. Despite the numbers of damselflies about on my recent visit I failed to see one near the lake today, but did catch sigh of what I think was a Common Blue flying over the grassland.
House Martins flew low over the water and occasionally swooped, calling over my head. And a small number of Swifts hunted high above them. As I took some photographs of the bistort, which incidentally before my botanical awakening a couple of years ago, I would have walked past without giving a second look, I noticed the Grey Heron in what appears to have become its favourite spot on the edge of the lake amongst the high grasses. A pair of Coots was busy adding to and tidying their nest.
The thunderous cloud looked very ominous so I decided to cut the walk short and returned via the church grounds where I managed some photographs of the tree canopy. I thought I was being watched by the police as they followed me through the grounds, but there was a friendly hello as they passed me by involved in some community business I think. The Chiffchaffs continued to call. Despite the threatening storm clouds I notice the sun is still shining as I type.
The grass cutters were out, but thankfully they always leave a narrow strip un-cut around the side of the smaller lake which encourages some good growth and which now has numbers of Orchids growing. Northern Marsh Orchid Dactylorhiza purpurella, possibly crossed with something else in some cases is my opinion. The Great Crested Grebe was snoozing on the nest and the other pair on the lager lake appear to be making little progress towards nest building. What I was pleased to see today were two Little Grebes, possibly a pair, which I haven’t seen since one appeared briefly last year. One of the birds remained still amongst the Amphibious Bistort Persicaria amphibia all of the time I was about. I’m wondering if it was simply resting after arrival. Despite the numbers of damselflies about on my recent visit I failed to see one near the lake today, but did catch sigh of what I think was a Common Blue flying over the grassland.
House Martins flew low over the water and occasionally swooped, calling over my head. And a small number of Swifts hunted high above them. As I took some photographs of the bistort, which incidentally before my botanical awakening a couple of years ago, I would have walked past without giving a second look, I noticed the Grey Heron in what appears to have become its favourite spot on the edge of the lake amongst the high grasses. A pair of Coots was busy adding to and tidying their nest.
The thunderous cloud looked very ominous so I decided to cut the walk short and returned via the church grounds where I managed some photographs of the tree canopy. I thought I was being watched by the police as they followed me through the grounds, but there was a friendly hello as they passed me by involved in some community business I think. The Chiffchaffs continued to call. Despite the threatening storm clouds I notice the sun is still shining as I type.
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