A pleasure to be out for the early morning patrol, with a gentle breeze waving through the meadows. Here the grasses are incredibly high and vigorous this year, with Tall Fescue, Cocksfoot and Crested Dog’s Tail in abundance.
A glorious variety of species within the meadows with large swathes of Bird’s Foot Trefoil, Black Medic and Hop Trefoil low to the ground, bright pink patches of Sainfoin contrasting with the white Ox-Eye Daisies and in some fields the delicate blue of Pale Flax, however the bright yellow of Hay Rattle and Rough Hawkbit both catching the eye.
Singing loudly from high in the slightly cloudy sky was a Skylark, while another fluttered and then disappeared amongst the vegetation.
Suddenly the loud laughing yaffle of a Green Woodpecker attracted my attention which was retained as this bird then landed on the top of a Yellow Meadow Ant hill and proceeded to have a dig about with its long beak.
Above a Kestrel glided then he diverted to harass a Carrion Crow, possibly too close to its family for comfort, having achieved his aim he hovered in the air.
Trundling across the paths around the site were Greater Bloody-nosed Beetles, while the stem of plants in the meadows were home to the yellow or white papery cocoons of the Six-spot Burnet moth. Many of the other plants were dripping with the bubbles of Cuckoo Spit.
Along the drove 10 Speckled Wood butterflies were counted basking on the bare ground, other species spotted were Meadow Brown, Small Heath, Red Admiral, Wall Brown, Common Blue and the dazzling Adonis Blue.
From a patch of Blackthorn the chatting call of a male Stonechat turned my head, alongside it were 3 newly fledged youngsters while nearby a female Stonechat.
On the same patch of scrub a groups of Linnets were noisily twittering and showing off their pink chests as they perched.
As I retuned towards the centre the scratchy song of a Common Whitethroat brought this migrant to my notice as it perched on the Elder bush which is now covered in large white flowers.