Frogs are back

It's spawning time again. Due to the severe drought we have had here for the last year most of the usual spawning places are dry. The frogs are spawning in the main part of the moat where I guess the spawn is going to be a lot more available to be eaten. No doubt some will survive and keep the population going.

Pheasants competing

Two years ago we had a male pheasant here pretty much every day. Last year we had a pair of pheasants and I even caught sight of some pheasant chicks. This year it has gone one stage further and we have two male pheasants going through some competitive posturing, presumably competing for the territory. It didn't seem particularly aggressive posturing but it might be that this is just the warm-up stage.

Brimstone

I regard the first Brimstone as the opening of the butterfly season and so the season opened today. As usual I did not get a picture of this fast flying butterfly that never seems to hang around long enough for me to snap it. I see that it has arrived 12 days ahead of the first Brimstone of last year. Normally by now there should also be spawning frogs but with water levels so very low I am not quite sure where they are going to spawn this year as the normal places in the reeds are dry.