Warm sunshine and a cloudless sky was a great draw. A trip (amble actually) round the Red Route turned out to be the order of the day. I had in my mind a search for Stonechat that had been reported on the raised bog and perhaps a few butterflies might be flying also.
So off I set - bins, camera and iPhone in hand. The iPhone, I've found, is great for the wide landscapes of the Moss that my telephoto lens doesn't tackle. Having first stopped off at the Wetlands Centre for a chat with the volunteers who man it at weekends - just to get an update of today's sightings and, of course, to be sociable - I set off along the Lonning.
Spring flowers at the Wetlands Centre.
First stop was the fence overlooking the arable field. Stephen had recently cut down half the field containing the winter seed crop - leaving the kale in the other half, which was now starting to flower. A busy flock of Linnets with a few Reed Bunting were mopping up the fallen seed from this activity.
Kale starting to flower.
Linnets gleaning fallen seed in the farm arable field.
The Lonning was a delight. The hedges, made up of hawthorn, willow and some wild plum species (possibly damsons), were starting to show their greenery and blossom. The Willow catkins were attracting nectaring queen Bumblebees. Birdsong was everywhere. Wrens, Robins, Blackbirds and Chaffinches were dominant with Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Great and Blue Tit, Tree Sparrow, and Goldfinch holding their own.
Willow in flower - a good source of nectar for insects, particularly the bumblebees that were flying.
One of the many Wrens singing along the Lonning.
A Chaffinch searching for insects amongst the blossom . . .
. . . a Willow Warbler also.
Great Tit in full flow.
Chiffchaff.
Chaffinch making use of abundant sheep's wool left by the Haweswater flock.
Peering through the gaps in the LHS hedge as I went , I could see that the meadows had been extensively flooded (this area is managed as part of a Breeding Wader Project) and Teal, Wigeon and Lapwings were making good use of them. Further along, overlooking an area of more open water, a collection Black-tailed Godwit, Lapwing and a pair of Redshank were using the island in the middle, to preen and feed from. The Black-tailed Godwit (there were 14 currently), a passage migrant, have been using this pit-stop on their way further north to breed, for the past 5 to 6 weeks. Lapwing have been seen engaged in courting flights recently and some seem to be getting down to nesting across the rough meadow.
Pair of Redshank feeding on the flooded meadow.
Black-tailed Godwit preening on flooded meadows.
Reaching the comfort of hide, I settled down to half an hour of observing. The wetlands in front were full of life. Two Little Egret and a Grey Heron were busily feeding amongst the rushes whilst towards the wood groups of Teal, Wigeon and Shoveler were engaged in a lot of chasing and scurrying about.
Two Little Egrets - pool in front of the hide . . .
. . . fishing activity.
Shoveler, Pintail, Wigeon and Teal from the hide.
Suddenly a Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly appeared in my field of view. Shortly afterwards an Orange-tip flitted by too. First ones of the year for me, so I was well satisfied.
Orange Tip Butterfly.
Having achieved one goal of the day, I set off along the Red Route from the hide. Reaching the old pond in front of the Willow Bower, had a quick peek to see if the frogspawn I had seen a few weeks earlier had developed. Unfortunately there were no signs of life - I suspect the recent activity of Grey Heron and Little Egret may have had something to do with that! A very colourful Male Chaffinch was flitting about in the hedge behind the seat. Peering through the Phragmites on the way to the wood, I could see a range of wildfowl at closer hand, without disturbing them.
Bright-looking male Chaffinch in hedgerow.
Path shielded by Phagmites from the birds on the wetlands. . .
. . . and a view through.
Plugging on towards the wood, the bench overlooking a small pool in the glade opposite looked inviting. Whilst sitting there and taking in the ambiance of the scene I almost immediately heard a Willow Tit singing nearby. I could see quick movements in the direction of the sound but it was keeping too well under cover for a good photograph. Its song is very distinctive and stood out from the Blackbird and Chaffinches in the neighbourhood.
Tangled mass of branches from whence the Willow Tit was calling.
Emerging from the wood into the full sunlight of the day is always quite dramatic. The full extent of the Moss lay ahead - the fresh russet catkins of the Bog Myrtle and silver heads of young Cotton Grass contrasting with the deep purples of the old heather stems - it made for an evocative scene in the Spring sunshine. The boardwalk makes for easy progress and I soon arrived at the drier area of heath with its pool, where we had seen Stonechat and Meadow Pipits in previous years. I paused here for a while and sure enough a pair of Stonechats flew over. I could hear their clicking of stones-like call and they individually landed on the top of some saplings - needless to say, keeping a far distance away. Then on the other side of the boardwalk, beyond the dammed pool, I noticed a Reed Bunting flitting about - and, to cap it all, a Meadow Pipit, which had also been flying around, suddenly dropped into the tussocky ground ahead where it was well camouflaged. However I managed to get a few photos of each species - so second goal achieved.
View across the Moss from the boardwalk.
Rich colour of the Bog Myrtle catkins growing along the edge of the Boardwalk.
Cotton Grass starting to develop.
Male Stonechat on sapling . . .
. . . with female nearby.
Silhouetted Male Reed Bunting.
Meadow Pipit on ground nearby.
Resisting the temptation to plug on to the Lily Pool, to check out previous sightings of Willow Warbler and Reed Bunting, I turned off North at the Wooden Compass and headed back to the Centre, Taking in some of the magnificent landscape on my way.
A lone Silver Birch - looking south.
Views looking towards the Eden Valley and the Pennines.
Curlew flying over.
Small pool next to the boardwalk.
View towards estuary, nearing the wood.
Nearing the wood with its everglade-like flooding, I could hear Great Spotted Woodpeckers calling. Two males were chasing a female in the top of one of the sunken Silver Birch trees. Then, across the water of the flooded old peat workings, the unmistakable profile of yet another male Stonechat stood out prominently on top of shrubbery there. Further along a female also was spotted. Then, out of the corner of my eye, a Pied Flycatcher was seen momentarily flying across my field of view.This was more than I had expected - my day was complete!
Flooded Silver Birches, Everglade-like!
A further flooded area adjacent to the track.
Great Spotted Woodpeckers courting.
Great Spotted Woodpecker in breeding plumage.
Flooded old peat workings . . .
. . . and beyond, yet another Male Stonechat.
Walking back across Bushcraft Island now on the Blue Route, yet another Small Tortoiseshell butterfly hoved into view - rapidly working its way along the dried grasses on the edge of the path but not stopping long enough for me to get a fix on it.
Passing a small group of damson trees near the further arable field, I could not help marvelling at the denseness of the blossom they had produced. That bodes well for a good Autumn crop - hard frosts and strong icy winds willing!
Profusion of blossom on damson trees.
However, that was not to be the finish. Nearing the bridge leading into the Discovery field a movement on the water's edge caught my eye. It was a Pied Wagtail preening from the top of a rock. It was so engaged in this activity that it took no notice of me until I actually crossed the bridge.
I was not complaining however, having had a delightful walk on a perfect sunny day, covering a number of different habits with some splendid scenery thrown in too.
Pied Wagtail preening by supply stream to Discovery Pool.