Salcey Stroll

A Sunday morning stroll around Salcey Forest proved to be very productive with a fine mixture of species on offer.  This venue is one I regularly visit with my friend Paul as it is roughly half way between our two homes.
Today we were especially interested in looking for butterflies, particularly Wood White as this is a good site for this delicate flier.  We soon found a number of individuals resting in the ride side vegetation, eventually reaching a total of around a dozen by the conclusion of the walk.
A number of Common Spotted-orchids were coming into flower, mainly in the North-Eastern corner of the wood (where the majority of the Wood Whites are also to be found).
What appeared to be a family party of 5 Ravens flew over with the 2 adults cronking repeatedly to the 3 youngsters.

As we headed towards the Cafe in anticipation of our usual bacon roll and a cup of tea 8 Common Lizards and 3 Grass Snakes were spotted basking on a fallen oak in the weak sunlight.  As the temperature was fairly cool still we were able to approach quite closely without alarming the reptiles and had prolonged close views.
In addition to the Wood Whites, Small and Large White were also seen as well as Orange Tip and Speckled Wood.

     Regards,

                   Neil H.