Darland Banks 11/04/22

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Nice weather again today, albeit with a cool breeze.

My first visit to Darland this year and impressive to see the management carried out on the Banks, with no doubt the ponies and cattle also doing their bit with their grazing. The Longhorn bull is an awesome beast and despite appearance is docile in nature, a characteristic of this breed.

Butterflies were active in the sunny conditions, especially Brimstone with about 10 seen. One of these was a female, while a male settled on a flower by my feet. Also seen were four Peacock plus one Small Tortoiseshell, and in Hoath Woods on the way back a very fresh Speckled Wood.

Nothing unexpected in terms of birds, though singing Chaffinch and Blackcap were welcome sights and sounds, plus several Chiffchaff were also heard. Nuthatch were particularly vocal in both Ambley and Hoath Woods.

As found in recent years Darland Banks seems relatively poor for Adders, with none seen during this visit. I only recall seeing two there, a male last year and a female in 2020. Today the only reptile was, sadly, a dead half-eaten Slow-worm found on a path.







Konik ponies

Longhorn bull

Longhorn cattle

Male Brimstone 

Brimstone feeding on flowerhead

Speckled Wood

Chaffinch

Nuthatch





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