A welcome freshness to the start of my patrol, with a south-westerly breeze and the sun partially hidden behind the clouds. Swooping across the sky a number of Swallows, the shiny dark blue backs visible as they turned, the undersides buff.
Some wonderful stands of Woolly Thistle, the stems covered in a white fur and the leaves tipped and edged with thin points spines, the flower heads a vibrant purple thistle in the most beautiful spike encrusted sphere – I am also urged to touch and feel this. despite the vicious prickles!!
On the top of a berry laden Wayfaring Tree (the berries mostly red, but some still pale, and one or two ripening to black), appeared a Blackbird, fairly speckled and brown indicating a juvenile, while nearby a yellow billed, jet-black male was perched in the Ivy.
Along the edge of the path, Red Bartsia provided a fringe, the dull pinkish flowers on this lopsided plant very distinctive. Scattered alongside the golden yellow Bird’s-foot Trefoil, clambering piles of Tufted Vetch and the taller Greater Knapweed.
Flitting along in front of me a Wall Brown butterfly, a bright and dark brown criss-cross pattern on its wings, around the brown eye marking, basking nearby a Gatekeeper and a Meadow Brown, so allowing, for a short moment, the chance to compare these three closely related butterflies.
A super display of Small Scabious and Field Scabious, with Wild Carrot and Black Knapweed all adding to the morning’s list.
From the Blackthorn bushes came the call of a Chiffchaff, spotted as it popped out onto top, while nearby on the branch of the fruit-laden Apple Tree was a male Blackcap – the greyish body colouration topped with a dark black cap on its head. Yesterday the bird ringers recorded 6 species of Warblers – Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler and Reed Warbler.
The red and black day flying Six-spot Burnet Moth on the yellow Wild Parsnip.