Dorset - Puddletown Water Meadows - Natures Peace!

 

A fresh but warm start to the day produced a trickle of hirundines across the Water Meadows. A Peregrine Falcon was the next visitor gliding as it scanned the meadows for its breakfast.

Another migrant in the form of a Whitethroat began singing from the top of the poles in the field behind me and then worked its way along the hedgerow on either side of the road as it attempted to attract a mate. Incidentally I did not hear a peep from the Lesser Whitethroat today and was left wondering if it had been successful in finding a mate or had moved on to pastures new! Time will tell!

At just before 1030 another Red Kite appeared from the NE circled the Water Meadows before departing SW. The bird appeared to be in moult which would indicate this is yet another individual to grace the meadows with its presence. This is the fifteenth bird I have recorded this year in the area.

A walk up the lane did not produce much more that the now regular Blackcap and Chiffchaff that seem to line the route. I had views of a Cetti’s Warbler today but this skulking bird did not hang around long enough to even raise the camera let alone take a picture.

White Butterflies were numerous in the fields today many I believe to be Green-veined White with only the opportunity to id a couple that took a break from their flittering display! A Speckled Wood was far more obliging on the edge of a clump of trees. Orange Tip and a Little Blue completed the list of butterflies.

I have been taking more notice of wild plants that are flowering along the lane. I am using PlantNet to identify or at least put me in the right direction of identifying each plant. You take a picture of the plant feed it through the app and then choose the element to id the plant eg: flower. A percentage is then displayed as to the validity of the match. The end game is to be familiar and be able to id the regular plants without the use of the app.

Along the path today were the following:-

Herb-Robert

Red Campion

Wood Speedwell