Standing in a Woodland Glade

Good news, I’ve found me a bit of ancient woodland to explore! It’s just up the road and is quiet and cool and teeming with life. One of my favourite things to do is to find a stretch of mixed habit, preferably with a good stand of nettles or brambles, and just watch and listen. A vigil for the tinniest movement or the slightest sound.

In this sunny glade last Tuesday, I was treated to 18 species of bird in just 15 minutes:

1. Bullfinch
2. Treecreeper
3. Nuthatch
4. Coal Tit
5. Great Spotted Woodpecker
6. Great Tit
7. Blue Tit
8. Blackcap
9. Song Thrush
10. Blackbird
11. Goldcrest
12. Chiffchaff
13. Robin
14. Wren
15. Long-tailed Tit
16. Woodpigeon
17. Pheasant
18. Swift

Not too far away, in a more open area, near the River Avon, there was a singing Lesser Whitethroat and Reed Warbler.

Butterflies were plentiful too, of 13 species, including half a dozen Silver-washed Fritillary:

1. Silver-washed Fritillary
2. Ringlet
3. Meadow Brown
4. Gatekeeper
5. Small Skipper
6. Large Skipper
7. Large White
8. Small White
9. Peacock
10. Small Tortoiseshell
11. Red Admiral
12. Comma
13. Holly Blue

Behind me at this spot is a lovely big Honey Suckle, so I’m hoping White Admiral might be a possibility on another visit.

Below are just a few of the species that crossed my path during a wander on Wednesday

Silver-washed Fritillary	Mrs Blackcap collecting food for young	Resting Red Admiral
Female Southern Hawker	Hornets visiting an old woodpecker nest site	A super striking parasitic Wasp species
Chiffchaff hide & seek	Song Thrush’s anvil, complete with snail shells	Foraging Treecreeper

The parasitic wasp species was a new one to me and is perhaps Ichneumon extensorius, although narrowing down to species from a photograph isn’t really possible. I think this group of insects requires microscopic examination to positively identify.