Natural History Diary

2004	entries above
2003	no entries
July 24th.	Walking through a local woodland with my dog, experienced a close encounter with a young fox, less than 2 metres away. Not sure who was the most surprised !! For just a few seconds, eye contact was held by all parties and then our new friend slipped gracefully away, somewhat unperturbed by the event if a little relieved. Camera still swinging at my side, of little use in this situation.
June 20th.	A female great-spotted woodpecker brought two of her young brood to a large peanut feeder, where they feasted for a considerable time, much to the annoyance of a family of great tits, that are regular visitors. Similar activities have been observed on previous years illustrating the merits of bird-feeding throughout the year.
June 15th.	Walking through fields and meadows on this sunny day, I was aware of an abundance of common blue butterflies in unusually large numbers. For some reason, may be the very mild winter, the population of blues in our region are exceedingly high this year.
May 5th.	The melodious sounds of Nightingales heard for the first time this year between 12.30 and 1.30 am. We are fortunate enough to live near their haunts and it's a true delight for perhaps a couple of months, to leave the windows open during the night to listen to them.
March 26th.	A walk in the hills on the first warm sunny day of spring found brimstone, large white and peacock butterflies busily going about their daily duties.
March 20th.	After an apparent two year absence, the Skylarks are thankfully back on Loxton Hill in significant numbers. Is this the result of no disturbance last year, owing to F & M and restricted access to the area?
2002	entries above