Spring fungus - Veiled Poisonpie

Found in some rough grass between the soft car park and the village glade - the worryingly named Veiled Poisonpie (Hebeloma mesophaeum).

Broad-bodied Chaser & Swallows

There was a Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) in the house yesterday. I wasn't sure whether the poor state of the pond after the dry Winter would support dragonflies but that is an encouraging sign. There's certainly plenty of insects around for it to feed on. Talking of insects we had a pair of swallows around the house for the first time in two years but unfortunatley they only stayed a day. They eschewed the barn with its many places to nest but did investigate the garage as the door happened to be open. It's probably just as well that they didn't settle on the garage as it would have been awkward having the door open all summer.

New Species - Buff Tip

I spotted this magnificent Moth sleeping on a grass stem yesterday. It is a Buff Tip (Phalera bucephala) which passes itself off as a Birch twig when resting. I am not quite sure what it was doing in the meadow rather than in the trees but it is one more moth species for the site. At some point I will get a moth trap and really start adding some species.

RIP female Bullfinch

One of my favourite birds had a fatal accident with one of our windows. The Bullfinches seem to always go around as a pair and they are so beautiful but the female must have flown into a window despite us putting stickers and other objects on them. We have only had two window fatalities so far this year - both in the space of a few days. A Blackbird was the victim previously when it panicked on seeing us outside.

Early Purple Orchids

In a woodland near Usk is a brilliant display of Early Purple Orchids (Orchis mascula).

Mistle Thrush

There's a Mistle Thrush that spends a lot of time in the field I can see from my office window. I tried to take a photo and although it is very poor I sort of like the effect.

More badger evidence

Actually there is plenty of evidence of badgers - there are holes appearing all over the fields. I'm beginning to worry about damage to orchids and fungi which must be taking place given the extensiveness of the diggings. However what caught my eye was a collection of badger fur. I have no idea of how or why. Do badgers fight each other? Was there a confrontation with a fox? Did it catch the fur on some fencing? Was it scratching an itch?