On the walk this morning I didn't get many photos, what I saw was mostly at a distance and against the low sunlight, but I saw lots of woodpigeons and gulls on the fields, a few brown hares (only my second sighting of those!), a great spotted woodpecker, a lot of long-tailed tits, a rabbit, a fox, grey squirrels, plenty of robins, blackbirds (with bald heads... is it a moult thing, all I'm seeing are bald headed blackbirds at the moment!?), plus lots of little birds silhouetted against the sky. I discovered a couple of small spinneys packed with hornbeam trees (very cool!) and when I got to Galleywood I saw a white bird flying away that looked like a Barn Owl, although it wasn't a very good view of it - I don't think it was a collared dove or a gull, it looked pretty 'barny' but I didn't get a good enough view to know. I know there are barn owls in that area as I found a sign saying so but I need to get a better sighting to be sure. I also found a badger sett at the edge of a field, a very recently used one with lots of marks and spoil around the entrance. I think I may have to go back with my walkstool and some peanuts one evening to see if I can get a sighting - that would be amazing if I could but I'm not under an illusion that it'll be easy!
I've been seeing little orange butterflies recently but today was the first time I'd seen one actually settle, out on the heath at Galleywood Common - it was a Small Copper, lovely little thing.
6.
Small Copper
7.
Small Copper... with eggs?
