Common Spotted Orchid

Found at Rufford in small numbers, mixed in with the Ox-eye Daisies.

Bin there, done that

Here at Rufford the bins get emptied every morning and are mostly done by the same individual in the week. On a rare occasion though that a day is unaccounted for we take it in turns to fill in the gaps. It is one way of seeing the whole park in a morning, something which we don't always get to do. So armed with bin bags and a camera I set off around the park. Hundreds of Canada Geese are now on site......but is was the smaller things I was looking for, things which may go unnoticed. Such as;

A single Bee Orchid, providing a splash of colour in an otherwise green section of the park. A Gothic Moth, seen here on the bin bag I pulled out the bin. It was obviously put  back in it's hidey-hole after emptying the rubbish. Rufford is full of hidden gems so keep an eye out.

Quick morning stroll

A quick morning stroll around Rufford proved fruitful with plenty of wildlife activity. This included a Great Tit, many Cinnabar Moths, blooming Ox-eye Daisy and a Swan still nurturing 7 Cygnets. The Broad Bodied Chasers were still bombing about accompanied by lots of Damselflies.

Swallows and.....other stuff

In glorious morning sunshine I took it upon myself to venture down to the Conservation Area before anyone else was about. Recently 4 juvenile Kingfishers were spotted there so I trekked down to scope them out. Unfortunately no Kingfishers were seen but I managed to get photos of a soon to fledge brood of Swallows, a Swan with 7 Cygnets, a Damselfly and a Speckled Wood butterfly.