An annual tradition is to attend the Severn Valley Railway 1940’s weekend. It is a lot of fun, full of human history, beautifully engineered engines, stunning scenic landscapes and if you look closely, fabulous wildlife. Not forgetting the pint and chips whilst overlooking the river!
It has been an extraordinarily hot day, but it has also been a great one!
I stopped today to admire the grandeur of an old oak tree, yet it was the little tiny lives being lived on the bark that got my full attention.
The whole trunk was alive, from the ants heaving their heavy prey to their nest, to the ladybird larvae wandering cross the cracks in the bark and the weavil who eyed me with care as I took its portrait. It was a marvel!
I was only with the tree 10 minutes but I was blown away by the diversity of life that was supported by the bark of the tree trunk. So much more life in the branches and leaves above that I can only imagine!
Cemeteries are interesting places to walk – carefully and ornately carved gravestones, the names of loved ones who have passed, and of course the wildlife that have chosen to live there.
I occasionally visit an inner city cemetery, just to see what life I might find. Today my stroll took me through an old but large cemetery, some of it very well kept, other places had been left untended and become a home to birds and insects.
I watched butterflies, bees and hoverflies on wildflowers and bramble. I heard woodpeckers, bullfinch, wrens and blackbirds singing. I admired the colours of the many wildflowers that decorated the graves alongside the planted roses and placed bouquets.
Cemeteries are a special habitat, so diverse with wildlife, a little piece of urban wild.
I went to visit my friend today. Before we sat down for our cuppa and a catch up, I went on an exploration of her beautiful garden. She has left the bottom part of her garden to grow wild, but even the planted and managed part of her garden is full of wildlife. All the gorgeous colourful flowers are ideal for bees and butterflies. A great home for our precious pollinators.
Whenever I take a trip back to Worcester, I always try to find time to visit the Cathedral and St. Andrews Spire. I’m not always lucky, but in the past I have had many wonderful views of the peregrines that have made these buildings their home.
I have seen many different birds in many different locations, but nothing quite matches a sight of a Peregrine for me and I am always as excited with a spot as I was the first time I saw one. Such incredible animals.
Today was no exception, when I arrived at the Cathedral I spotted an adult on the tower. It was clearly preening time as I watched it have a good skritch!
I walked around to the other side of the tower, but I couldn’t see another bird. I turned to walk to St. Andrew’s Spire when the piercing call of a Peregrine filled the air. I whipped around to see the willowy flight of the powerful predator disappear behind nearby buildings. The bird was still calling so I remained, and the Peregrine returned, alighting upon the top of the tower before swooping down out of sight again. It might have been brief, but it was long enough for me to see it was a youngster.
I began the short walk to the spire, and as soon as the tower came into view I could see another Peregrine. I had no doubt it was an adult. Sure enough, when I reached the spire I could see I was right in my assertion. I was also able to see that there was a chick on the lower castellations. The closer I got, the clearer I could see both birds. I stayed for quite a while watching, photographing and admiring these impressive birds-of-prey. It was time very well spent!
Driving along a single track country lane that clearly had seen very little or no traffic, I saw a sight that lead me to ask the driver to stop. It was a field full of Herons! 5 of them, stood right in the middle, it looked to be 2 parents and 3 young. There were 3 Hares just a few meters away from the towering birds!
As I lifted my camera, the Heron family took flight. They gracefully flew over the hedgerow and into the next field, still a great view even if the birds were another 100 yards away from me.
My photos aren’t great, but they are still a record of a spectacular sight!
Today I thought I would practice my tree ID. I went out to my local park and photographed the leaves of as many species of tree I could find. Not wanting to pick the leaves, I used the inside of my note book to make sure I got a clear photo of each leaf. It was good exercise the little grey cells!
My mobile isn’t exactly the smartest of phones, and the camera is far from DSLR quality in terms of photos. However, I was given a little gadget at Christmas that has been rather fun to play with, and that’s a clip-on mobile macro lens. The amount of detail that shows through is amazing.
So today I decided to get a little closer to nature and took my phone and clip-on lens out into the wild. These are some of the photos I managed to take.
I haven’t seen many butterflies this year, but today I managed to spy 4 species of butterfly. I saw a Peacock, a Red Admiral, a Common Blue and a Small Skipper. I caught a few photos to share with you.
Today I saw my first flycatcher! I knew it the moment I saw it! What agile and pretty little thing! I am over the moon!
lulovelock 