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 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......

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.

sightings board March

Muntjac crossing

This Muntjac deer slowly ambled across the bridge over the Mere whilst working party attendees sipped hot drinks in the bird hide. It then slowly made its way down the path on the other side, stopping to nibble at the grass. This is by far the best sighting I've had of a Muntjac as they're usually running away into the bushes.

Walk round reserve

Sightings board for January

Bullrushes standing out more in winter

Tree as sculpture

the cold snap is over

so I ventured out onto the reserve for the first time in a month or so.
I found it still buzzing with activity.

01.02.2010

Siskin take niger seeds, let's hope the goldfinches don't object.
No luck catching them in a natural setting this time,
still, got them last year so can't complain. . .see blog for 17.01.2009.

Siskin like sunflower hearts too, -it pays to be versatile.


a little run of little grebe pictures:

Not the clearest image, but how many times have you seen a little grebe
OUT of the water? Me? Never.

a blackbird, waiting for me to leave the feeder area.

Wherever you are on the site, someone is watching you.

The Mere's secretive resident pheasant, also watching warily.

Snowdrops never cease to amaze do they?
The snow clears and there they are!

The last of this winter's redwing flock, it felt as if I had scared them all away,
but they were probably on their way North again soon anyway . . .

Most of the red in redwing name stems from the red on the bird's body.
This redwing shows more of it's plumage, just for the camera.