Venturing Out #7

So I think this is the final Venturing Out, as I have now been to all the bits of  my new area that are within walking distance. 

Once again my day off was dry and sunny so headed through town towards the river.

In town  Bert and Charlie were busy as always, checking the mortar

I got to the river and this time I turned left at the Town Bridge, away from the mill to a designated Local Nature Reserve, which turned out to be quite small.

1) A yellow White and Black Stripy thing

2) A Yellow and Black Stripy Thing

3) With the naked eye I thought this was a very small blue and black snail shell type thing..... apparently not!

There were several Damsels and Demoiselles about

4)

And several Butterflies, Small Tortoiseshell

5) Thought Meadow Brown, but maybe too many  spots.....ladies? :o)

It was a bit meadow-y, alongside the river, and there was the sound of insects buzzing, and clicking,

A Common Green Grasshopper, I think

6) Not sure what this was, but only got half of it in shot, but it was properly BIG, didn't settle, and was nearly as big as the nettle leaves, in length and breadth!

7) A strange looking Crane Fly type thingie

A stumpy bee, with a white tail

I'd reached the far end of the LNR in quite a short time, so decided to head back along the river, towards the mill, where on previous Venturings there had been many demoiselle, and so it proved today

As I crossed the Town Bridge, I peered over the edge, and saw a plethora of fish of different sizes, I was surprised (and disappointed) there were no Kingfisher or Heron lurking, but was pleasantly shocked to see a grey wagtail hunting on the wing (only seen them pecking into the water before).... too shocked to photo it lol, but there was this damsel on a lily leaf

8)

9) There were some bigger flying things... Possibly Black Tail Skimmer (Mum guessed at Emperor Dragonfly)

10)

Some more Small Tortoiseshell around, 3 or 4 playing chase along the river bank

And then I spied a spider, with one he'd prepared earlier...

Overhead the caw-ing of corvids drew my attention, and 3 of them were chasing a buzzard off

I walked on towards the Mill, and was watching a Chaser/Darter/Skimmer in flight, when it came to rest upon a lily pad.... now either they give birth to live young, or another 2 for 1 has snuck in!

'Scuse me....you've something on the end of your beak

There's a sequence now of what I think might be a recently fledged Reed Bunting, but I'm not sure....in some pics it looks quite alien, and it was difficult to see against the background. It started paddling in the water

12)

Then it got startled and fluttered up on to the reed

Where it stayed a moment or two. I was hoping one of the parents may come back whilst I was watching, but a girl jumped in the river 30 yards away, and frightened it off

As I neared the end of the walk a blue butterfly alighted, but I could only see its underwing, but the upper wing looked blue.......

13)

And then there was what I think was a speckled wood, except again, it was only underwing, and it looked too small? (Tough ID from that pic I think!)

14)

And so concluded my Venturing!