It was an extremely busy Bank Holiday weekend here, and such a nice one with hot sunshine through-out. A few more of those please! We had our Dawn Chorus event on Sunday, with cuckoo, hobby and a good variety of warblers being the highlights for the early risers.
During the day, we had the excitement of a red deer charging across the drive, crashing through the foliage near the Visitor Centre and disappearing across the new heath! Red deer are very scarce here, with only one record of one deer seen over a short period in recent year's.
The heat bought out plenty of common lizards, common toads and frogs, while common newts were the stars of the show at the pools and a few grass-snakes came out in the sun. Long-horned moths and green-tiger beetles were around the heath and I spotted a ruby-tailed wasp warming itself on the shop wall.
We are hoping that the spotted flycatchers are seen soon, they traditionally return anytime around this week, so if you are visiting, keep an eye open for them, or listen for their unobtrusive 'tsee' call. Let us know if you do see one of course!
Here are a recent selection of images, all taken at The Lodge
Garden warbler.Image credit Ray Piercy
Garden warbler Ray Piercy.
Whitethroat Ray Piercy
Cuckoo in flight. Ray Piercy Singing robin; Rob Gilmore.