Wombling About In The Sunshine

So, Monday was another one of those hot sunny days that you aren't supposed to get on bank holidays.

At least, it was away from the Patch. On Patch there was mist, fog, gunk, and so on..

Yeah, anyways, another trip with the Folks was in order, and we went to the place we had been hoping to visit to see Bluebells - cancelled due to Plague - earlier in the month.


Lingering lurgy and rather antisocial weather - just too hot and muggy for hard activity - curtailed our activities, and so no lake-rounding this time. Instead of that, we parked at Haddon [yes, the Two-bar place :) ] and wandered up said Hill to admire the view. Alas, it was a bit hazy in the distance, and Dartmoor was invisible.. :( Not that there weren't views to appreciate - true 360° panoramas are rare things, after all - and we did. We then found a knoll on the flank [carefully scouted to avoid getting too close to any nests, of course] and sat about enjoying the view at greater length.

You really need to be there

Sun and a moderate breeze led to soaring birds, but no kites [let alone anything better] were to be seen, so here's a Buzzard for you

Its always a Buzzard

BOGOF

 

Also a Kestrel

At lesser altitudes, the Swallows, House Martins - and one very low very close Swift! - were too mobile to photo, but a Mipit was more confiding, having more important things on its mind

"Busy busy busy.."

 
Foraging Mipit[s] gradually got closer and closer, there is nothing like sitting quietly to get good views of things.

"Mph-mph-mmmhph"

Squill!

 Eventually, sitting in the sun counting Buzzards [7, btw] was superceded by the need to stretch the legs, so we ambled down towards Wombleball Lake and took an amble about the woods on the south side.

With full canopies up, birds were almost universally heard but not seen, so don't expect anything feathery in this lot;

Buzzards don't count

;)

Lovely woods

Wimbleball - southern arm

 Birds in the area included counts of 16 singing Willow Warbler, 2 Wood Warbler [not a chance of a cr view], 4 Chiffchaff, 6 Blackcap, 4 Pied Fly, 1 Spot Fly, 3 Redstart, and 3 Cuckoos. Of all those, only the odd phyllosc and two of the Redstarts showed, but again, too mobile and too much cover to get them on record [plus the Redstarts had things to do and I'm not keen on interrupting such things]

Bluebell!

With guard fly

A few Bluebells still scattered about, though we didn't venture the extra miles to check the main areas.
Insect-wise, no dragons of any type seen, and mostly Whites on the wing, though a pleasing number of Dingy Skippers also about, they were far too savvy to get photo'd [I almost got one, but unfortunately, Little Black Dogs don't understand about not flushing things...].


Getting back up to Haddon was an effort, but at least none of the eventual showers paid us a visit, so small mercies.

It was a good day.


Though when I got back and switched on my 'puter I did go 'Aaaaaaaaarrrrggghhh.....'

I'm trying to be all Zen about these things.



Be Seeing You...