Bluebells and butterflies at Cranford Park

I spent seven hours at Cranford Park today. After a stressful week at work, I had a craving to sit in the woods and let the birds sing all around me.

The weather wasn't as warm as it had been all of this week, but it was still pleasant when the wind wasn't blowing.

 

The Bluebells are starting to bloom...

 

 

 

It looks like it's going to be another great display once they've all flowered.

 

The Snowdrops are going over, leaving these wonderful seed heads....

 

 

The last of the wild Violets are also starting to go over....

 

 

The old Magnolia by the Oaks is looking great this year.....

 

 

The Lesser Celandine is spreading a lovely carpet through the graveyard...

 

 

I found a couple of clumps of Primroses...

 

 

and the Marsh Marigolds around the wildlife pond are adding a welcome splash of colour...

 

 

One of the first signs of spring for me is when the Bee-flies start emerging. These are beautiful little critters, completely harmless to humans, who seem to spend more of their time flying very low to the ground looking for pollen. There were loads of them around today...

 

 

 

I saw my first butterfly of the year on the 7th March, a male Brimstone, and I knew today I would see a lot more, and I did.

 

Small Tortoiseshell

Common Blue (male)

Peacock

Peacock (underwing)

Speckled Wood

and the most seen today, the Comma....

 

and this is why it's called the Comma. See the little white 'comma' shaped mark on it's underwing

Bird-wise it was fairly busy too. I caught a brief glimpse of one of the Kingfishers heading up river. I also saw a bird I've never seen at Cranford Park before, a stunning male Mandarin duck. Sadly the moment it spotted me it took off and flew towards Heathrow, so no photos to show just what a beauty this duck is.

 

Elsewhere around the park there were....

 

Song Thrush

Mistle Thrush

one of about 20 Meadow Pipits

Green Woodpecker

Kestrel

my first Blackcap of the year. This one is a male

Wren

one of many Goldcrest

and of course a marmite Parakeet checking out a hole

St Dunstans Church was open today so I had a gander around inside.....

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of my long day, and whilst waiting for the park to empty so I could set up my trail cam, I spent the last hour in the Memorial Gardens. I wasn't alone. As it got later so the Rabbits started appearing including this youngster who seemed quite oblivious of me sitting on a nearby bench...