30 Days Wild - Day 15 and 16 - Zooming in on familiar places

Days 15 and most of 16 were about revisiting familiar places and zooming in. In my own garden and on my Uckfield to Birmingham run, I am getting to know the best places to find wildlife. Sometimes experience tells me where to look but often I've been able to see something special because someone was generous with their knowledge.




Monday, June 15

Monday was a working at home day and, as I had another phone conference, I took my note book and a pen and tiptoed outside hoping that the loudly buzzing bees on the flowers wouldn't give me away. One of the others commented on the birdsong, and our client confessed that he'd taken the call in the garden. Emboldened I 'fessed up to being outside too. While I was outside, I saw white-tailed and early bumble bees, a carder bee and a pair of speckled wood butterflies.

Tuesday, June 16

Heading to Birmingham again. In a previous post, I said that a fellow commuter had showed me where to see some grey wagtails. So I looked over the River Uck, where it flows under the platform.

The River Uck from the station platform.

There were swifts screaming overhead and then ... there they were. I was delighted to see a pair of grey wagtails courting on the ledge, partly hidden by the leaves of the tree on the right of the photo.

Grey wagtails

Just before Buxted, where I had previously seen some fallow deer, I saw a fallow doe and her fawn. Then, at Ashurst, a joyous romp of moon daisies.

Moon daisies at Ashurst.

One I got to Birmingham, I took a few moments to check out the wayside flowers, on my way into the office. There are quite a few roses, including both cultivated and wild varieties.

Wild roses between the road and main-line railway.

I paused for a moment by the white roses and noticed an iridescent green beetle.

Fat thighed beetle.

Then straight in to the office. I wanted to get into work as quickly as possible - I had a plan ...