PENTYLANDS COUNTRY PARK

Having frequented Highworth's golf course for several weeks, I felt it was time for a change so I decided to drive down the hill to the north of the town ( a few minutes in the car) and visit Highworth's country park. It consists of five fields surrounded by hedge rows and is popular with dog walkers, but also has a newer tree planted area leading to a wilder grassy area with bramble and other bushes. 

Over the past couple of days I have been able to add a few more birds to my slower than usual growing year list. The beautiful weather has made it  a pleasure to be out; birdsong everywhere and more butterflies on the wing. I have been taking my walks in the morning this week to avoid the hottest part of the day.

New species  this week included willow warbler, and whitethroat, also my first swallows of the year. Also my first red admiral butterfly.

whitethroat

willow warbler

wren

part of Pentylands

male and female orange tips

willow warblers favoured the area on the left

view from entrance to park

HOLLY BLUE

Slightly cloudier and cooler for my walk yesterday, hence    the only butterflies seen were two   whites which were not close enough to identify. However, the sun came out again in the evening and I managed to locate a holly blue on the ivy in my garden, I have   been noticing  these little butterflies regularly for the past week, but they have been reluctant to land, merely flying from one side of the garden to the other, then up and over the hedge. This individual stayed around for several minutes in the evening sunshine, allowing me to get up close with the camera on my phone. The dark wing sshow this one to be a female. 

MORE BUTTERFLIES EMERGING

A late morning walk round part of the golf course today, and I was pleased to see    some speckled wood butterflies, five to be precise, presumably they must have emerged since yesterday when I saw none. I also managed to find a female orange tip, and another new species, a small white. albeit with part of its wingtip already  missing! 

Blackcaps singing again along with chiffchaffs and other species. Just caught sight of a couple of red legged partridges which I disturbed on the golf course and which flew off quickly over the hedge. 

just sufficient view of underwing to confirm this is a female orange tip

female orange tip

small white

blackcap

black cap from below!

LOCKDOWN CONTINUES...

With the continuation of 'lockdown' I again ventured out onto the Highworth golf course, after a cold start, it was gradually warming up and I was hopeful of increasing my tally of species found there so far. 

I soon spotted my first butterfly,  a white one, which eventually settled and proved to be my first green veined white of the year. I also found  a couple of small tortoiseshells and peacocks and some orange tips, one of which settled on a daisy long enough for me to get a photo, which was pleasing as they are not a species which you can often photgraph. 

Bird life was much the same, but with the addition of a couple of song thrushes and a few blackcaps singing... spring is definitely here! 

BUTTERFLIES ON THE GOLF COURSE

Today's walk out on the golf course brought me sightings of  all four of the common butterflies I expect to see at this time of year. And amazingly I even managed to get photos of them! Peacocks seem to be most common (three or four seen) while my first comma of the year and an obliging brimstone were in close proximity to each other, although it did mean a quick leap across a narrow ditch of water to get close enough!  As I walked back home,  a tatty small tortoiseshell flew past and landed not too from where I was.

Brimstone

comma

peacock

small tortoiseshell

A narrow ditch runs through the grassy area  (you can just make it out)  so I had to cross that to get to the butterflies which were resting  on the dried grass stalks under the blackthorn bush at the rear.

OUT ON THE GOLF COURSE

Another milder day with some sunshine brought me out again  onto the golf course. I'm quite excited about finding all these new areas to watch and spot wildlife. Today additional birds included a wren and a pheasant (heard). 

Blackthorn is out in abundance and I found a chiffchaff singing amongst the flowers and a peacock butterfly sunning itself on  some willow.