Sunday, March 09, 2014
I walked through all three woods, and the first good thing I saw was a bright peacock butterfly dancing past and then landing on the leaf litter and bracken. Two comma butterflies and loads of brimstones were also seen.
This large but rather flat ants' nest was in Egypt Woods. Each dark patch is a cluster of wood ants, but there were also plenty roving about - as I found to my cost. I carefully brushed them off my clothes, and recalled that some years ago, I felt a sharp nip on my neck on the drive home; a wood ant had inadvertently hitched a ride. The bite is initially painful but soon wears off. On another occasion I got as far as the back door at home when one fell off my boot. It motored off into the flower border and was never seen again.
The Mandarins and mallards on the moat had been joined by a moorhen.
The lesser spotted woodpecker was glimpsed at some distance and snapped just before it flew.
I saw the woodpecker from the road, having heard a hollow-sounding tapping which I thought was probably a nuthatch. Good job I checked.
// posted by Christine @ 9:31 AM 
