The warp and the weft

One of birding’s many glories is the way it can be fitted around the warp and weft of everyday life.

Unlike fishing, cycling and my (many) other interests past and present, birding require no great preparation, no great amount of equipment and little forward planning. Simply pick up binoculars, notepad & pencil and step out the front door.

Southern Hawker at Snitterfield

So with a spare lunchtime hour on Monday I could head to Ufton Fields; in the same slot on Tuesday I was at Snitterfield Bushes; after dinner that night the fine weather called me to Leam Valley; and Wednesday lunchtime saw me on a canal side stroll near Edstone.

Birding is tough wherever you go at this time of year, but doubly so in woods. I heard plenty but saw few - warblers, Wrens and Song Thrush have all been in good voice. 

The real birding highlight was over water though - a pair of Kingfishers fishing and playing together for a good half hour at Leam Valley.

But non-birding highlights have been plenty, including late season spotted orchids throughout Ufton and Snitterfield, Marbled White butterflies at Ufton and two Southern Hawkers at Snitterfield.

Species of the week: Southern Hawker, simply an astonishing creature. The more you look the more amazing they are, and it’s well worth investigating their ‘back story’ (including most of a life spent underwater, with just weeks in this amazing, prehistoric state).