First butterfly transect of the year plus more from Cranford Park

Today I was at Cranford CP to do my first butterfly transect of the year. This will be a weekly walk until late September and all sightings will be recorded with the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS). I will also be leading a guided butterfly walk and talk at Cranford CP in July this year.

 

Despite starting the transect when it was sunny and fairly mild, by the time I finished it an hour later it was quite cool and very cloudy.

 

Todays tally; 6 butterflies / 2 species

Brimstone x 2

Comma x 4

 

tatty over-wintered Comma

 There were quite a few bees about. I saw three species today....

 

the tiny male Tawny mining bee...

 

male Tawny on Hawthorn. Approx 10mm long

male Tawny on Hawthorn

There were loads of Buff-tailed bumblebees...

 

 

and this other mining bee species, which hasn't had id confirmed yet but which could be andrena ovatula...

 

 

Along the river bank I followed the tracks of a Muntjac in the soft mud...

 

 

 

After I completed the transect I went back to where I found the Long-tailed Tits nest last week. It looks to be completed now. If you look towards the top of the intricate structure you can see the nest hole.....

 

 

There were a pair of Long-tailed Tits near the nest but I didn't witness them going in or out.

 

The fenced off area where the cattle will eventually reside for the summer looks to have been completed. A water trough is in place with a direct hose to the water supply by the Info Centre to ensure it never goes dry. The new 'kissing' gates are also in place....

 

I saw both the female and male Kestrel within the 'paddock' today. The female soon flew off towards the woods but the male was happily perched looking for food. He let me get quite close a few times....

 

In St Dunstans church yard the snowdrops have all gone over and the ramsons (wild garlic) are coming up. The below photo shows the leaves of both. Ramsons on the left with the very fresh bright green leaves, and the snowdrops on the right with the duller almost blue green leaves.....

 

Lastly I must mention the great news that Charlie, the female of the Fulham and Barnes Peregrines (FaB), has successfully laid three eggs this season. Last year was not good for the peregrines, none of their eggs hatched, so fingers crossed for this year. You can follow their progress via their facebook page (link here ).