Keeping it Local

After my travels to foreign parts I decided to stay in my immediate area and so ventured no further than Weldon. Last night as we passed Stanion Lane Plantation we saw about sixteen Fallow Deer grazing on the grass verges and they included a buck with a fine set of antlers. My wife was a little anxious that they might venture on to the road but thankfully that didn't happen.

A  matching pair of Siskins.

Today began with a Grey Wagtail in the village before I set off for my old patch close to Corby sewage works. Most of the area is now fenced off which in all fairness I had been expecting given the active railway line that takes freight trains into the steelworks. Not a great deal on view here though some patch stalwarts in the form of five Teal and a Heron were noted. From here I went to a site on the edge of Weldon South Industrial Estate where a flock of about twenty Siskins showed well. Another Heron flew over though the star here was a Woodcock flushed from amongst the ash saplings. My first pussy willows were also on show, at least two Sallows were beginning to show them.

Weldon still has plenty of these...

The pond at Weldon Woodland Park still retained its swan though by now it had been joined by a couple of Mallards and a Moorhen - cancel that trip to Norfolk! The A43 pond had a nice total of sixteen Tufted Ducks in the company of a much reduced flock of Mallards. Several argumentative Coots made up the total of birds observed here as they set out the pecking order for the coming Spring.

....and had rather a lot of these.

On the subject of Spring a little surprise came in the rather lovely shape of a Red Admiral on the easternmost edge of the steelworks. My attention had been grabbed by an unseasonal bluebottle and while tracking it my gaze fell upon the butt' as it basked on the metal fence that surrounds the site. I've never had a January butterfly in the UK before though I know that Northants has already had a couple of sightings this year. Given the very mild conditions it had no doubt been roused from its hibernation by the warm conditions, hopefully it can get back to sleep before normal conditions are resumed.

First of the season, Red Admiral.