Yea that's Green Woodpeckers for ya
Andrew. I wasn't sure I'd managed to pick out the woodpecker until I looked at the picture at home, this new lens continues to impress
3rd April, Walthamstow Marshes
The forecast hinted there might be a bit of sun this afternoon so on my last day of freedom before the return of work I spent the afternoon wandering the local patch for signs of life. The sunny spells did actually appear albeit rather fleetingly but it was definitely significantly warmer than recent days so I hoped something lepidopteran would show itself.
Birdlife was fairly obvious today, lots of Chiffchaff’s chiff-chaffing away, a friendly Blue Tit posed well whilst some of the winter visitors have yet to leave.
When you get close to a Starling you realise what amazing looking birds they are, just a shame the sun didn’t come out properly to make that iridescence even brighter
The more secluded spots, where butterflies traditionally turn up at the beginning of the season, were as waterlogged and muddy as the main paths, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the place this waterlogged (I guess that’s why it’s called a marsh though…). It was whilst exploring one of these areas that an autumnal looking leaf fluttered weakly from under my feet and settled a few feet away. At last, the first butterfly on my local patch this year.
It didn’t hang around for long though and fluttered off in the weak hazy sun over the hedge, the boggy ground making it nearly impossible to do anything other than watch it go. A short while later I noticed a dark butterfly gliding around the top of a blackthorn hedge. It was just a black silhouette to the naked eye but the new lens soon aided the ID. Two butterflies, things were looking up.
It was some time before I saw any sign of more. Having yet to see any kind of Tortoiseshell this year I headed over to the spot where Small Torts normally hang out. It took a lot of wandering, mainly waiting for a break in the thicker cloud but I finally managed a hattrick of species. Again it didn’t hang around for long, had it of done I’d have swapped lenses to get some better shots, but at least I know things are starting to wake up here now.
A forth was seen a while later but it never settled and was some distance away, but it was probably a Red Admiral.
Near the end of my wander I stopped off at an old water treatment works that been turned into a nature reserve which backs onto the marshes. Here I found some very aggressive bathing from some of the wintering Teal
And a good variety of other birdlife (and a bat that I tried and failed to get a picture of). Not sure what the Pochard was looking at, perhaps a bird of prey that I couldn’t see.
Well it’s been a faltering start to the season for me but let’s hope things pick up soon.
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)