Brocks Hill 09/05/2009

With it being Nichola's Saturday in work, it fell to me to take the boys to a birthday party in the middle of the day. The party was at the Parkland Leisure Centre in Oadby, so I decided to spend a couple of hours wandering around the LRWT Brocks Hill visitor centre reserve which is literally at the other end of the same car park. I haven't walked around here before and I was quite surprised as to how promising a lot of the habitat is, and will become in the future as there are a lot of plantations of native broad-leaved trees. There are plenty of wide open rides, decent hawthorn dominated hedgerows and open grassy areas around the plantations. Just at the entrance, there are a couple of large ponds. I noted a lot of (presumably) Sticklebacks in there and had a go at getting some shots - not easy with the effect of the water but you get the gist. A gathering of females? I don't know much about fish, but this looks like a breeding plumaged male Three-spined Stickleback to me? The hawthorn blossom and Cow Parsley was attracting a lot of flies, hoverflies and the odd bee. Mesembrina meridiana Nothing unusual on the butterfly front (Orange-tip, Large, Small and Green-veined White, Speckled Wood, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock). Nothing too exciting on the bird front either, but plenty of singing Willow Warblers and a Green Woodpecker at a nest hole. Willow Warbler Green Woodpecker Ribwort Plantain and Dandelions were abundant! Two O'Clock - pick the kids up from the party