Signs of the Summer to come

After a welcome deluge on Friday 17th April - yes it's still April! - signs of summer followed with each new day, although the days remained cool with the prevailing wind from the east. Most of the river course was sheltered with the presence of moorhens noted on 18th together with several Red Admiral butterflies over the nettles and Orange-tips still numerous. On 20th there were more Red Admirals and Orange-tips, many very vocal chiffchaffs, a greenfinch, chaffinch and nuthatch amongst the greening trees.

An oak just in full leaf 19th April 2020

On 21st April, the first sighting for quite a while of two treecreepers, probably a pair, foraging carefully on the bark of a very old oak (not the one pictured) on the river bank - keeping to the sheltered south-facing surface where insects were most likely to emerge in the warmth. They made their way up very high then went on to other branches. Many other birds were in the same tree, including a loudly calling great tit.  Looking up, a common buzzard was seen being chased by a herring gull and a carrion crow.

On a sunny nettled bank, all within about three cubic meters of each other were two Red Admirals, settled on nettles and Dandelion, a Peacock butterfly also on dandelion, three Holly Blues, two chasing each other, high and low, an Orange-tip male and a Large White butterfly.

Another fine day followed on 22nd:

An afternoon check - still many Orange-tips, Large Whites , Speckled Woods and Holly Blues together with Peacock and Red Admiral and many bumblebees. Most birds were still singing including robin, goldfinches, common whitethroat, good views of several dunnock, blackbird, song thrush, blackcaps, chiffchaffs, a pair of collared doves, jay, carrion crow, a colony of house sparrows, nuthatch, two mallard males and two goldcrests.

The Peacock butterfly was easy overlooked as appeared from a distance to be a small stone on the path:

The Peacock butterfly has good camouflage - with closed wings it appears black, as a deep shadow in the sun. Here it was probably warming up using radiated heat from the path and the warmth of the sun on its almost black outer wing. 22nd April 2020.