Just a few minutes drive down the road from my house is a Wildlife Trust nature reserve and, shamefully, up until a few weeks ago, I had never been. It is only a small place, so I guess I'd always favoured the effort of going a little further to larger areas, but I'm glad I finally went. There was plenty to spot despite the small size, including a beautiful snake's head fritillary with some lovely purple flowers, and others such as cowslip beginning to bloom. Heading in to Spring, but still with few leaves on the trees it was easy to pick out lots of birds nests. There were many rooks around, and their high, messy nests, but also some much smaller and more delicate looking creations whose makers I was unsure of. There were lots of birds around though including goldfinch, robins, and great and blue tits. With a little dampness in the soil there was also plenty of evidence of animals which weren't actually seen, including Muntjac deer and badger footprints, as well as badger sett entrances which appeared to be active. A lovely short walk, well worth exploring the little places.
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| Snake's head fritillary |
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| Cowslip |
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| Frogs spawn |
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| Rooks nests |
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| Badger |
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| Muntjac deer |
A few days later I enjoyed the sunshine over the fields behind my house, with plenty to draw the eye. The blossom was bursting, the buzzards were flying, and the butterflies were dancing along the field margins. Though I have walked in these fields many times, to be able to escape out of my back door and so easily enjoy these little nature encounters will never get old.
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| Buzzard |
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| Blackthorn blosson |
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| Peacock butterfly |
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| Two small tortoiseshells |
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| Over the fields |
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| Sunny spring day |
I've fallen a little behind so there is another trip to Cumbria, a longer walk around home turf, and some seal spotting in Norfolk to come!
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