A Spring walk round Moor Copse

There was less sun than the weather forecast had promised but it was still quite a mild day (18C) so I went for a troll round Moor Copse. There were plenty of Gymnocheta viridis on sunny fence posts and tree trunks but no other tachinids – just lots of muscids and calliphorids with a few small bibionids. I also counted 1 male Brimstone and 5 male Orange Tip butterflies, fluttering along the forest rides but no vanessids – I had seen Small Tortoishells last weekend at Moor Copse.

The birds were probably the stars of the trip though there was nothing particularly rare – Red Kites, a Buzzard & Kestrels; a close-up view of a pair of Black-Caps in a hedge; lots of Blue & Great Tits and hundreds of Chiff-Chaffs all fluttering through the trees catching insects and singing their distinctive songs. Such strong signs of Spring really put a spring in my step 🙂

Flowers were all around too – carpets of Lesser Cellandine, Wood Anemone, Violets, Ground Ivy, Wild Strawberry, Primroses & Lady’s Smock.

Coming back along the riverbank I spotted that a few of the Comfrey rosettes had been well and truly eaten and on closer inspection found a few Scarlet Tiger larvae sitting out in the sun – their warning colours being enough to keep most predators at bay.