Here's looking at you, kid.

Taking in the early afternoon warmth.

I was up at the Rising Sun at 7 yesterday morning on what turned out to be a beautiful day for February. As i passed the Station Road ditches ripples could be seen as my first frogs of the year dived deeper and out of sight. It wasn't exactly the dawn chorus but there was a lot of song in the air which got more pronounced as the morning wore on. A few bubbles coming up from the small dipping ponds by the plantation first thing but on my way home around 1p.m. there were at least a dozen frogs adopting the floating position. Away from the birds i had my first butterfly, a Red Admiral and first Common Wasp. That must have been a queen. Although looking like any other wasp it definitely looked larger, in particular longer. I also had my second Bee, my first passed the kitchen window one day last week.

In conversation with a couple of the lads that frequent the Rising Sun one bird mentioned that had not been noted was Yellowhammer. I did a full circuit whilst there, taking in Scaffold Hill Farm and Hadrian Pond. Not a sniff of a bird near the farm, a Little Grebe the highlight on Hadrian Pond with Swallow Pond holding 5 it transpired later but no Yellowhammers. Grey Partridge noted on two separate occasions made up of a single and a brace and the sad sight of a young fox dead in some undergrowth not far from the A19. Again in conversation with a few of the lads in the hide when i arrived there one of the guys said he saw the poor beast the previous day laying there alive but only just. Rumours of a few foxes being persecuted in the area with poisoning the favoured method.
"Red" the male Red Deer was seen by myself for the first time in a while. Looking lean but with a full set of antlers which will no doubt be shed very soon.