Furlough

My workplace has put me on furloughed leave for at least the next three weeks which means that I now have quite a lot of time on my hands. While lockdown conditions persist I'll have to limit my nature spotting to whatever I can see in or from my garden and also on my exercise strolls. With car travel and the use of public transport a big no no it will be Shank's pony for the foreseeable future.

Blackthorn blossom and Weldon farm

Rest assured that I will not be posting details of every sighting or a summary of every walk but I will continue to report any interesting wildlife that I'm lucky enough to encounter. Stars noted from the garden whilst doing some much needed work were two Grey Wagtails and several Linnets. My daily exercise walk took me on a circular to Weldon where a singing Willow Warbler was a nice early one as I usually don't see them until the first week in April. The A43 pond had a couple of Canada Geese, three Tufted Ducks and six Gadwall.

Preening Tufted Duck and Robin.

The cooler wind seems to abating somewhat so we may well see a return to more Springlike conditions - fingers crossed!

Weldon woodland park.

Brookfield

My daily exercise walk took me over to Brookfield Plantation where I enjoyed a mix of sunny spells and showers accompanied by a cool breeze.

Brookfield views.

No great surprises today, my highlight was a pair of displaying Sparrowhawk, it was a decent day all round for raptors as I also saw Buzzard, Red Kite and a Peregrine. A few Chiffchaffs were singing while a large flock of Redwings were also noted, a typical late March mix of birds. Of the other birds observed it was a Redpoll which was probably the best though a good selection of species were on view including Nuthatch.

Brookfield pond and Peregrine.

Three species of mammal were seen and they were Rabbit, Grey Squirrel and Fallow Deer, I don't get to see many native ones nowadays.

Sunday's Walk

A wintery northerly wind put the lid back on the Spring genie's bottle this morning and also brought a few icy showers to end to the recent run of dry conditions. For my daily exercise stroll  I headed off across public footpaths to the pretty village of Little Oakley, I used to visit quite often in the late seventies and early eighties but it has been many years since my last visit.

Yellowhammer and Chaffinch

Although it was not the most productive session of the year so far it's just nice at the moment to get out and see and hear the sights and sounds of nature. Birdsong was greatly reduced from recent trips out, presumably birds are having to spend more time feeding while it's cold. One of the few songsters was a single Chiffchaff in the splendidly named Bandy Slade woodland. It was heavily outnumbered by a large flock of Fieldfares and Redwings presumably waiting for more helpful winds before departing. Perhaps the highlight of the morning was a sizeable flock of Yellowhammers, a few Reed Buntings were also noted. Several Meadow Pipits were typical of this time of year as March is a good month to see this species passing through. Lesser Blacked-backed Gulls too often pass through during this month and at least half a dozen were observed.

Buzzard.

Not a great deal of other wildlife on view today with several rabbits and a Brown Hare the only things to report.

Little Oakley views.

After Work

Just a brief post work stroll for my daily exercise ration today as I paid a visit to Southwood, Corby. While it was still very sunny a cool breeze may well prove to be a taste of the weekend to come if the forecast is any thing to go by.

Eurohub pond still looking dry and Comma.

I'd hoped to see a few new butterflies but instead had to settle for some familiar friends with Commas being the commonest of the three species noted, at least five were seen. Only a couple of Peacocks joined them on the list while just a single Small Tortoiseshell was found. Today turned out to be a very good day for Bee-flies with loads of them flying around.

Familiar faces.

No new bird migrants were seen today and only a single Chiffchaff was heard singing. Aside from this there was very little else to report which was perhaps not too surprising given that a couple of motorbikes were roaring about the place.

Up The Butt's!

After a day of doing essential work (apparently!) it was good to take my government approved exercise in the form of a stroll to Corby STW. With the weather remaining warm and Springlike I was optimistic of seeing more butterflies and they didn't let me down.

Peacocks.

At difficult tames like these nature has the power to lift the mood and my two hours without seeing another human were bliss. Many butterflies were enjoying the warm conditions with at least a dozen Peacocks on view. When they weren't chasing and harrying Commas they were fighting each other with several pairs of argumentative butterflies spiralling upwards while spinning around each others orbits. Half a dozen feisty Commas were also noted, I believe that they may be the most aggressive of these early species, they certainly seem to enjoy a rumble anyway!

Commas.

If these two species are a little on the rowdy side then Small Tortoiseshells appear to favour a more zen like approach. A pair that I saw not only seemed happy to share their basking spot but also seemed to mimic their partner's movements. I don't know if this was a prelude to mating but it was certainly interesting behaviour. A further three singleton Torties were observed on what was yet another excellent afternoon for butterflies.

Synchronicity.

Of the other wildlife on show a Grey Wagtail was the highlight while several Chiffchaffs continued to sing, no sign of other migrants just yet.

Grey Wagtail and Chiffchaff.

Late Lep Show Saves Day

Another day of avoiding public transport meant another day of walking and today I went to Deene Lake. As things turned out I might have been better just popping along to Weldon in the early afternoon but then hindsight is a marvellous thing!

Reed Bunting and Blue Tit.

Nothing of note on the way out to Deene where the lake had a selection of the commoner wildfowl and a couple of Little Egrets. Kingfisher and Grey Wagtail were present along the outflow stream and I also checked the Willow Emerald egg laying scars for any signs of hatching. Water levels at the inflow were low and looked promising but there were no waders, a good sized flock of Teal were present but nothing else.

Deene farm pond and Willow Emerald egg laying scars.

Deenethorpe airfield held several Lapwings and plenty of singing Skylarks but few birds of interest. With the sun having burned off the morning frost it was getting decidedly warm and a couple of male Brimstones were seen. I'd hoped to see a few in Laundimer Wood but instead saw very little of anything. Weldon however was a different story altogether and I'd hardly got to the pocket park before seeing a Small Tortoiseshell. Several more Brimstones soon followed but it was my first Comma of the year that was the highlight. It was having a dispute with a Peacock for the ownership rights to a prized basking spot and the smaller but more aggressive species won.

Comma and Peacock.

Around the rest of the village I had further sightings of Small Torties and Brimstones on what was my best butterfly day of the year so far. Passing through Weldon Industrial Estate on my way home added a further Peacock and Brimstone to the bag making for a total of seventeen butterflies of four species, nice to see that Spring is finally taking hold.

Small Tortoiseshells.

A Longer Stroll

Given the current advice regarding social distancing I chose to give public transport a miss and go for a walk instead. My wander took me as far as Harringworth Lodge Lake and while it did not deliver the most interesting of experiences it was still worth the effort. Starting off in temperatures hovering around the zero mark I was left feeling the heat by the time it got to noon as sunny conditions continued.

Peregrine and Fallow Deer.

A Peregrine at its normal spot was the first point of interest, I saw it or another on my return journey. Brookfield Plantation was a little on the quiet side with the first of several Chiffchaffs being the only things of note. On reaching the other side of the wood I found a herd of Fallow Deer which took exception to my presence and headed back into the plantation at a rate of knots! My walk towards Gretton was fairly uneventful though it was good to hear several Lapwing displaying and the songs of both Skylarks and Yellowhammers.

Harringworth Lodge Lake and Cormorants.

Harringworth Lodge Lake was very quiet with very few birds on the water, many of the wildfowl will have begun their northward migration by now. Still lingering in the countryside at the moment are flocks of both Fieldfares and Redwings while small numbers of Meadow Pipits were passing through. The return walk could not produce any birds of interest though I did see my first Bee-flies of the year.

Bee-fly and Marsh Tit

By the time that I reached Brookfield again it was beginning to feel quite warm and there was a noticeable rise in insect activity. As well as bumblebees I saw my first Tawny Mining Bee and also managed to find a couple of butterflies. My first sighting was of a Small Tortoiseshell which flitted off almost as soon as I saw it. An encounter with a male Brimstone was typically fleeting as he flew past but at least my second view of a Small Tort was a little more lasting. I'd staked out a Sallow for a little while hoping for the best when a tatty looking torty appeared and spent the next ten minutes or so feeding before flying off With nothing else popping in during the following minutes I decided to call it quits and head off for home.

Insect selection.

A Short Stroll

Had a half day off from work today and so returned to the area near Corby STW to see what I could find. Some often hazy sunshine was offset to a degree by a stiff easterly breeze but I still hoped to find a butterfly or two flitting around. Things began promisingly enough when I caught a glimpse of a likely Small Tortoiseshell but that turned out to be that as far as butterflies were concerned.

Buff-tailed Bumblebee? and hoverfly.

Plenty of what I took to be Buff-tailed Bumblebees were buzzing around, Sallow flowers appear to be their most common source of nectar. A few of the early hoverflies that look like honey bees were also seen but there were few other insects around today, it might have been a little too cool for them.

Coltsfoot and Robin.

Other wildlife was in short supply too with several Muntjac being the pick of the mammals and half a dozen Teal the best of the birds. With the next few days looking decent weatherwise I'll be doing my social distancing in the countryside hoping to find a little more of interest.

Butterflies

Having got back from Norfolk in good time it seemed a bit of a shame not to make the most of some early Spring sunshine. I took a walk over to my old patch near Corby sewage treatment works which is often a reliable spot for early butterflies.

Male Brimstone

A couple of singing Chiffchaffs and a barking Muntjac added a soundtrack to the walk as did the buzzing of bumblebees. My first butterfly sighting was of a male Brimstone which flew past without showing any signs of settling. Minutes later it or a second was seen though again it didn't stop, not too surprising as this species is often very active when it first emerges. Happily for me one did decide to take a break and I was able to get a few pictures as it perched on an ivy leaf. It was briefly joined by a second confirming my suspicion that at least two were on the wing this afternoon.

Peacock

Not too far from here a Peacock was basking giving good opportunities for photography before it took off and did a disappearing act. My third species of both the day and the year was a Small Tortoiseshell which was sunning itself on dry grasses. It actually landed on my leg at one point for the briefest of moments before it too went on its way. By now I was content with my haul and went back to the weary world of viruses and toilet roll famine.

Small Tortoiseshell