I paid a visit to Brueton Park, Solihull, on Monday afternoon.
As usual there were plenty of ducks and geese loafing around on Brueton Lake
Having a wash and preen
and Canada Goose having a snooze.
Mrs Mallard
Black-headed Gull
Moorhen
Canada Goose
The River Blythe which runs through the park, together with woodland, was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest by English Nature in 1989. English Nature called the Blythe a "fine example of a lowland river on clay".
There are several wooden carvings around the park
The main purpose of my visit was to spend an hour or two wandering round The Marsh Field (designated a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation - SINC) looking for dragonflies and butterflies. The area contains a pond surrounded by marshland, hedgerows, a wildflower meadow and adjoining woodland. This area is on the opposite side of the River Blythe to where I did the Wildflower Survey earlier in the year.
Unfortunately I really should have taken more notice of the weather forecast as within minutes of reaching the area I noticed dark clouds looming on the horizon and claps of thunder could be heard in the distance.
After a few minutes with lightning in the distance and more thunder I reluctantly decided it might be a good idea to return to the car :(
I just had chance to photo a Large White Butterfly (hopefully, its a Large White - I have been known to get my Large, Small and Green-Veined muddled up!!)
12 comments:
The geese and duck photos are so crisp and clear-fabulous. One thing we dont have here is ducks! Sorry you didn't get to see any dragonflies, but the park looks beautiful. I have to go over to Cockington Country Park to get these kind of scenes-so it's reminded me how long it's been since I last went and that I must go again soon!
SeagullSuzie - Thank you so much :) I will try and go back soon when rain not forecast!!! and try and see some butterflies and dragonflies.
Hi that looks like a lovely park to wander around. Your shots of duck and geese are great and the carvings look interesting. The meadow looks great for seeing butterfies etc so perhaps another day you will have more luck
It's a shame that your visit was curtailed, but the images you managed to capture are very good and gave a nice overview.
I always mix up the whites, too.
The Canadas are such elegant birds aren't they? And I loved the Moorhen's green legs! Good old British weather eh? Hot now for a few days :-)
Margaret Adamson - Thank you so much Margaret. I've only explored that area of the park before in the winter so was surprised at how good for butterflies etc. it looked.
Toffeeapple - Thanks so much. Just had revise the Whites before doing another butterfly count in the garden :) They flit around so much too - hard to get a good view!
Countryside Tales - Many thanks. Yes, I like Canadas too :) Its already very hot here!!! Too hot for me :(
Terrific photos of the ducks and geese. This does look an interesting place for wildlife, but its a shame the weather let you down. Hope you get to see a variety of butterflies and dragonflies next time!
Wendy - Many thanks :) Will try and revisit but husband on holiday next week so can't just go gallivanting off - butterflies are not really his thing :( So hopefully, the week after!
First off, great shots of the birds!!:) Second, looks like an awesome park to bird. And finally, I dislike sneaky weather. Over the past weekend, we were on the quest to find more birds and we were at a higher elevation. Every bird disappeared within minutes and then.....downpours!!! Thankfully we struck our tents down before the rain happened. It's a bit frustrating when the weather cuts short an adventure:)
Chris Rohrer - Thanks so much Chris :) I should have been prepared for the weather really as there had been showers all morning but I had given son a lift to the park to interview someone about bats and thought I'd take the chance! Hope your birds returned when the rain stopped.
The weather doesn't always cooperate with any of us:) But I'm really glad you took some shots of the birds here. I'm putting together a picture of birds found around different regions of the world and I'm very appreciative when you post and report about your amazing birds.
Chris Rohrer - Too true!! So glad you are enjoying the birds and your project sounds fascinating :)
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