Forest of Dean part seven

 A trip to Slimbridge to see the White-spotted Blue Throat that has been returning to the same place for the last five years. It was always distant and the heat haze didn’t help but it was nice to see it. For me (and this is just a personal observation) Slimbridge is more like a zoo than a nature reserve with ornamental ducks etc. however I still enjoyed the day out. Later that evening I went to visit the Nagshead reserve again in the hope of seeing Wild Boar but alas I was disappointed once again. I did however see some of the birds I had seen on a previous visit.

White-spotted Blue Throat.

Sedge Warbler and Reed Bunting on the same stick (again distant).

Please correct me if I’m wrong but I think this could be a Scarce Chaser.

Red-headed Cardinal Beetle.

The best I could get of this Brimstone Butterfly.

Plant Bugs.

And then there were four.

Larvae of a 7-spot Ladybird.

Larvae and Pupa of a 7-spot Ladybird.

7-spot Ladybird.

Frog Hopper.

Little Egret.

Hawfinch from the Nagshead reserve.

Blackcap.

Goldcrest.

Burdon Moor this…

 …time with two Owls and other wildlife.

Barn Owl.

Barn Owl with a Crow in tow.

They still went hunting.

Meadow Pipit minding its own business

An amorous Meadow Pipit getting the brush off.

Whitethroat.

A Sedge Warbler skulking in the brambles.

Dunnock.

Roe Buck.

Brown Hare.

Holidays day two part two

 While we at RSPB Otmoor we saw and heard quite a few Cuckoo, we were talking to someone who saw six together, I on the other hand only managed two. Unfortunately, with the lack of Dragonflies Hobby were in short supply we saw only one. Several different Warblers were seen flitting about but they were mostly heard.  Quite a few Little Egrets and a couple of Great White Egrets were seen around the reserve. As I said in my previous Blog a canny day out.

Cuckoo I was lucky enough to get two in the frame.

A distant Marsh Harrier.

A distant Hobby.

Great White Egret.

Little Egret.

Sedge Warbler in the reed beds.

A different Sedge Warbler singing from a bush.

Heron coming in to land.

Redshank.

Cormorants.

Common Tern having a scratch.

There were a couple of pairs of Tern on one of the ponds.

Yellowhammer from the garden of the cottage.

This was his favourite perch.

He sat there on a morning and on an afternoon.

This Jay kept coming to the feeders in the garden but would not land in the tree so this unfortunately is the only half decent image I got.

Jay flying away from the feeders.