Moor Copse
I've been to Moor Copse (Pangbourne) before but not for ages. There are lots of different walks you can do, and - if you're like us - that includes one where you get completely lost in a boggy bit of ...
Insects
In the garden and at Maiden Erlegh Lake
The weather has been up and down again with some rain and high winds but also some nice sunshine. The birds are very busy in the garden and the pond is gradually looking more interesting. I have used the compost ...
Birdsong, lizard and other bits and bobs
As I was wandering along the edge of the ravine in the centre of Ronda I came to a shaded area where the birds were singing sweetly, so decided to try out the built-in recorder on my phone. Not bad ...
A big beetle
I saw several of these quite large black beetles but so far have not been able to identify them. They look pretty heavily armoured with ridges on the head.
Local and garden activity
The weather is changeable again at the moment with quite high winds and some showers but I have had a couple of little walks at Southlake and the butterfly meadow in Woodley. It is eerily quiet at the moment - ...
Garden activity In the air and in the water
The garden is very active at the moment, butterflies are beginning to arrive (blues, peacock, orange-tip), the birds are either mating or nesting and the pond is teeming with tadpoles. My new pond plants are also growing really well. The ...
Hot and sunny walk at Hosehill Lake
Yesterday was unbelievably hot - today is much cooler and rainy which is more usual! I had a really nice walk around Hosehill Lake and managed to take a few photos despite my bad hand which is preventing me from ...
A very big hopper
I spotted this very large hopper slowly making its way up a steep embankment on my way to the beach and managed to get a few reasonable shots and a short video. And a ...
Aston Rowant and Hambledon
We didn't know where to go the other day so decided to have a look at somewhere we had passed recently en route to Otmoor. Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve turned out to be somewhere Paul has always wanted to ...
Short strolls in the sunshine
I haven't been on any hugely interesting walks recently but have been to a couple of places while the sun has been shining - it is cloudy and damp again today! The first one was along part of Jubilee River ...
Birds, bugs, dragonflies and others
It was a beautiful morning, the sun glistening on the leaves and water, and there were quite a few dragonflies whizzing up and down. This is the Scarlet Dragonfly, Crocothemis erythraea, also known as the Scarlet Darter. ...
A few birds in the garden
All the birds are busy mating and nesting and are quite lively at the moment, hunting round the garden for nesting material. The sparrows nest in the corner of the house roof by the guttering and do the same next ...
Life in the Garden Pond
Now the weather is getting a bit warmer, the pond is coming to life. I have planted three small water plants in one corner which will hopefully grow well but since it is only a small pond, I only chose ...
Superbly sunny spring stroll – Part 2
The sea was almost flat calm, just the occasional small wave drifting in to shore, and the end of Torrecilla beach looked quite picturesque with sun reflecting off the seaweed covered rocks. The seaweed, I believe, is Blidingia minima, a ...
A walk in the fleeting spring sunshine….
Yesterday (Sunday) was warm and sunny for most of the day, with very little wind, so we went to see if any of the snakes had come out of hibernation. Unfortunately, we had great difficulty reaching the site on foot ...
Through fields and groves – Part 2
There are quite a few butterflies appearing on the scene at the moment. Large Whites seem to be everywhere, Red Admirals are beginning to appear, although not in large numbers yet, and I saw one Green Hairstreak as well as ...
