Favourite flower

Today I saw that the Yellow Flag was in bloom - definitely my favourite wildflower on the site.

New species - wood mouse

A fresh carcass in the woods gives another chance to make a positive small mammal ID - this time it is wood mouse. They are larger than the house mouse and with a longer tail and there are colouring differences as well.

New species - water shrew

I suppose it was always inevitable that there would be water shrews on site but I hadn't actually identified one until today. I found a corpse outside and measurements and colouring show it to be a water shrew rather than a common shrew. They are larger and blacker than common shrews and also have white hairs around the ears and under the tail. It seems that they don't taste very good (to cats) so it is probably a cat's victim that was left in disgust.

Green Dock Beetle - back again

I am pleased to say that my biological dock control mechanism is back. I have seen eggs and adults (pictured) and we should shortly have voracious larvae (pictured last year). It seems that they manage three cycles in a year so I am looking forward to some serious dock destruction......

Lots of butterflies

The sunshine has brought the butterflies out - orange tips, brimstones, speckled woods, small tortoiseshells and peacocks (pictured). Also some unidentified whites.

First grass snake photo - just about

I was out checking the ducklings camera in hand when a grass snake rushed across the moat with it's head out of the water followed by a moorhen. I am not sure whether the bird was chasing the snake or they were both just trying to get away from my presence. I took an instant photo but it was a long lens and it didn't focus in time so its pretty much the worst photo of a grass snake ever unless you are happy with impressionist-style wildlife photos....

The snake is in the centre of the picture about two thirds up from the bottom - honest

First ducklings of the season

After last week's destruction it is great to see twelve brand new mallard ducklings out on the water for the first time yesterday. The mother is quite relaxed except when seeing off drakes that she doesn't want near the brood. Two drakes did get into some argy bargy as if in a paternity dispute but a small physical confrontation sorted the matter. I love the way ducklings seem to eat anything and everything they can see even stretching up to pick flies out of the air.