Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly - Seasonal First

26 Feb 2017, home patch

Not the best photo, I'm afraid, (taken behind double glazing), but our first sighting in 2017 of a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly. May there be many more!

Alton Water - a multi-functional reservoir

My small Lumix camera has not coped well with the low light, but it was good to see several pairs of Great Crested Grebes on the reservoir at Alton Water Park on the Shotley peninsula in Suffolk. We also spotted Moorhen, Coot, Mallard and a single Tufted Duck.

The ducks below have thrown me: I had initially assumed that they were two of the Goldeneye that will be leaving soon for their breeding ground, but I am just wondering whether they are in fact female Tufted Ducks, the far one being a white-vented variant. Do tell me what you think: I have a hunch that I may have overlooked the obvious!  

There were loud twitterings from the bushes, but most of the small birds kept to the thicket, the one below being an exception. A pair of Bullfinches could be seen flitting to and fro through a dense mass of twigs. 

The light, such as it was, began to fade, and we headed back to the start of the trail. This was the scene at our turning point:

The tower is part of the Royal Hospital School in Holbrook.

Alton Water is a reservoir. It is used for recreation by wildlife enthusiasts, cyclists, dog walkers and sailors. You can read more about the spring wildlife here.

Spring sunshine, flowers and insects at NT Ickworth (still too early for lambs...)

The Rotunda

We visited NT Ickworth for the first time this season, hoping to see some early colour in the spring sunshine. The Aconites and Snowdrops were at their best.



Nuthatch - you can just about make it out...

We saw our first Nuthatch of 2017, high, high up in one of the trees. We have seen Nuthatch and Treecreeper here on previous visits, so we knew where to look.

The next three Nuthatch photos were taken here last year: I am re-posting them just to give a better idea of colour and shape. These are such fine birds.

The lovely photo below was taken by David this afternoon...

... while I spotted this branch of early blossom.

There were plenty of catkins on the trees...

... and tiny clumps of a plant that I had assumed was a form of miniature Comfrey or Lungwort, but I suspect it is something else altogether. Any ideas, please? I feel the black spots on the leaves ought to provide a clue.

We saw one Great-spotted Woodpecker in flight and heard drumming in the wood. The hole below, taken with a zoom lens, was high up on a trunk. I'm still wondering what is inside... 

You can see the snaking path of Snowdrops and Aconites. We were looking for the Woodpecker...

The spring flowers were magnificent...

... in their clumps and swathes.

We were particularly surprised to see several bees hard at work in the Aconites.

They were not the only ones who had been beavering away. The wood sculpture took us by surprise as it is a new feature, and as yet an unfinished one.

We found this board, telling us more about it.

The sculpture was well done, but I was not entirely sure that I  felt it fitted the ambience of this otherwise unadorned woodland walk.

This bee in the photo above has evidently 'bagged' a good amount of pollen. I wonder if these bees are from a local hive.

My thanks to David for the photo below...

And finally, what mammals did we see (apart from the sheep who are expected to produce over 1000 lambs in the coming weeks)? Well, two Grey Squirrels... and deer, or at least these rather fun recycled log-and-stick deer, egged on by a pair of log-snowmen!

We made a couple of purchases at the secondhand bookstall before leaving Ickworth in the glow of late afternoon sunshine, rejoicing in the knowledge that longer lighter evenings lie ahead of us.

My First Moth Sighting of 2017

We have noticed a few more moths about this week. The (as yet unidentified) one in the photographs spent a day on our window, but I am guessing that it may have a broken wing. I wonder if the photos suggest the same scenario to you? Having seen the photo of the Lunar Underwing here (if you scroll down the linked page), I am wondering if an encounter with a spider's web might also be the reason for the misplaced wing for the moth in my photo. It was on the outside of the glass: the top picture shows the underside - and antennae.

I understand that moths like the Spring Usher and the Early Moth would normally be taking to the wing at about this time of year.

First Treecreeper Sighting of 2017

Treecreeper (I took this photo some time ago)

I was thrilled to catch a glimpse of the little Treecreeper in the photo below on a recent visit to Christchurch Park. We had hoped to see Mabel the Tawny Owl, but she had gone AWOL; so this lovely little bird made up for her absence.

You can just make out the (2017) Treecreeper, with its long bill

I rather like the West Country nickname of Tree Mouse for this quiet but distinctive passerine.

Winter sunlight in Christchurch Park, Ipswich, 2017

Another Woodpecker...

Photo: 10 Feb 2017

We are having a wonderful spell of Woodpecker visitations. This one, you will notice, does not bear a prominent red patch on the nape of the neck, making her a female. I hope there will be young Woodies on the way in due course...

Green Woodpecker

After the excitement of yesterday's visitor, look who showed up today! 

Do you think it was after ants, grubs or other insects? I imagine its proximity to my bug hotels was purely coincidental...

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Male - on account of red nape of neck

Look who showed up after the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch!

The woodpeckers have started drumming. I wonder whether we will have a male and female as regular garden visitors again this year.

Can anyone tell me why we have the Great Spotted Woodpecker ('Great' as opposed to 'Greater') when we also have the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, here in the UK, please?