Deene's Delights

 A cool start to the day this morning with a northerly breeze bringing down the temperature. Fancying a bit of a change I took the bus over to Upper Benefield from where I walked home via Deenethorpe and Deene. Not the most exciting day perhaps but there was still enough to keep me interested. 

Yellowhammer and potential murder victim.

My walk along the minor road towards Deenethorpe did not produce much other than a few Yellowhammers and Linnets. The number of newly released Pheasants wandering around suggests that the start of the shooting season cannot be too far away. Quite how the killing of these remarkably tame creatures can be called a sport though is beyond me, I think I could have taken a couple out with a stick! I'm not one for dabbling in politics but calling the massacre of these gormless birds a sport is ridiculous - it's a slaughter of the innocents.

Green Sandpipers and Egyptian Geese.

Deene Lake provided all of the birding highlights today beginning at the inflow where a Snipe and two Green Sandpipers were noted. A pair of Egyptian Geese were taking a bath and there were also a small number of Lapwings. From the dam on the main lake a pair of Black Swans were keeping company with a group of Mutes, one of the birds risked upsetting its neighbours by being very vocal. The weir hosted a Common Sandpiper and a Grey Wagtail briefly before they both shot off on seeing me while two Kingfishers did a flypast. Only one insect was seen here and that was a male Willow Emerald.

Black Swans and Willow Emerald.

Deenethorpe airfield had attracted small numbers of what I presume were migrant Meadow Pipits but there were no other birds to report. A Migrant Hawker was the only ode of note responding to the increasingly sunny conditions. Butterflies fared a little better with Red Admiral, several Small Heaths and Small and Green-veined Whites. Realising that I was unlikely to find much else I took the quicker option of walking back along the A427 rather than across the fields to Bears Lane.

Red Admiral and Small Heath.