Friday 30 April 2010

Wednesday 28 April 2010

Let sleeping snakes lie..















I nearly stepped on this grass snake that was
basking in the morning sunshine on the entrance
drive. A group of ramblers arrived at the same
and were thrilled to share this sighting with us.
This must now be the most photographed snake
in England! It eventually became camera shy
and slithered slowly away into the adjacent grass.
Perhaps it had only just come out of hibernation
as this occurs in March/April?





Sunday 25 April 2010

sunday 25th april



after a long absence, I've remembered the password and can include two pics from today's site visit.



First Chaenomeles, not native plant, but legacy of many years of cultivation.






Second is Speckled Wood butterfly taking brief rest in welcome sunlight......

Friday 23 April 2010

foliage troubles

22.04.2010
my first visit for a while, too long really.
I was plagued by foliage getting in the way of my "perfect" shots, also unwanted branches.
We could also blame the creatures themselves, they don't want to be pestered do they?




here a wren tries to hide under a leaf -and nearly succeeds.




it's time to say "aah" as the ever present blue tits pose for us.




among the leaves, again.




the fritillaries on show again, though with some frost damage.
I managed to hide those to the rear of this shot, they appear lighter.




a peacock butterfly suns itself on a log heap, after all the cold, it's nice to see some beneficial sunshine.
Also seen, orange tip and speckled wood.




I saw a male mallard chase away a duckling earlier, the female seems to tolerate him still.
He's a bit of a mongrel, a bit dull. He may grow up to be a she, we'll see.
Anyway he has found the surplus seeds below the feeders, so he should survive OK.