Winnie

Our usual lay-by down the Southam road was occupied by a lorry so we decided to look around the Baesley smallholding along the flecknoe road and found juvenile Whinchat and Wheatear in the surrounding fields while the lane held 20 Tree Sparrow, Green Woodpecker, 2 Buzzard, Blackcap and Whitethroat.

Draycote Water was blustery with single Teal, Yellow Wagtail and Yellow-legged Gull while the dull plumaged female Red-crested Pochard amongst the Tufted Duck flock in grays barn disappeared in to the thick vegetation no sooner than we had found it and not seen again. Only other birds of interest were 4 Gadwall, female Goldeneye, 100 Swift and 3 Common Sandpiper. After breakfast we had 4 Ravens near Napton on the Hill as we drove past.

I’m not big on or into Orthoptera but Francoise sent me a picture of Roesel’s bush-cricket taken at Draycote Water recently which I had forgotten about it, luckily she reminded me.