My birthday at Maple Lodge

Yesterday was my big 50 birthday and all I really wanted to do was hide somewhere outdoors - where better than Maple Lodge NR where there are toilets and a kettle and a microwave

 

The weather was perfect - not too hot and the sun was out for most of the day

 

There were plenty of Yellow and Black Longhorn Beetles around - some were even playing 'piggy back' :)

 

 

As to be expected at this time of year there were plenty of butterflies around too

 

Meadow Brown

Essex Skipper

Essex Skipper

 Up by the Sluice there was a fairly tatty Painted Lady - there has been an influx of these migrant butterflies this year and I've seen them everywhere from a car park in Uxbridge to Cranford CP to Maple Lodge

 

 

Lots of Darters around too - they never seem to mind posing for a photo unlike the larger dragonflies that I rarely get to snap

 

 

Several hoverflies were on the wing too - this is one of the Syrphus species

 

 

At Long Hedge hide one of the Common Terns stopped fishing for a while to pose on a post

 

 

and a small family of Pochard went by

 

 

From the Teal Hide I could see two Little Egrets

 

 

There was also a distant Common Sandpiper but it was too far away to get a decent photo

 

My favourite hide is the Clubhouse where you can relax with a mug of coffee and watch the lake and the coming and goings on the bird feeders

 

Along with this Jay I also saw a Treecreeper and there was the added bonus of a Nuthatch that came down to the feeders along with a young looking Coal Tit

 

The usual Great Spotted Woodpeckers and Stock Doves were also seen

 

 

But the high-light of my day (and my birthday present) was having the Kingfisher all to myself for several minutes - I was going to apologise for the complete overload of photos but it's my birthday so I wont !

 

 

 

A fantastic day and the peace and privacy was very much needed and required - no better way to spend a special birthday