18/07/2020-First day of dog sitting: Walk at Fleming Park and a garden photo/wildlife session
I am dog sitting Missy today and tomorrow as my Mum and her husband are enjoying some time away in line with current restrictions for their wedding anniversary. It gave me a number of opportunities with what to do with the days whilst looking after Missy and not doing normal weekend trips, by coincidence I booked Monday off work as well as the following Monday so I will get a catch up day or walk for my campaigns for seeing birds, butterflies and dragonflies and taking photos. Two centred around the walk I went on with Missy this afternoon a dog walk lead by me by classification so I needed to focus but I did have my camera and binoculars in my bag just in case I had the chance to see something and take a moment for a photo. I managed to meet up with my Dad to do a social distancing walk and the location was another Eastleigh park to our local Lakeside where we used to walk a lot in the late noughties/into 2010s with Missy before we had Ruby really, Fleming Park.
It was great to be back looking at the park and we walked over the old golf course there which has become a brilliant dog walk and and wild and recreation area since the course closed beside the M3. I saw a lot of butterflies here today there were some nice grasses as my wildlife sightings summary shows. But the bird I remember it being a good habitat for was one of my favourites the Green Woodpecker. Sure enough a little way into the walk I saw one skulk into thick vegetation. Then I spotted one fly into a tree. I got my camera out at that moment for the only time in this delightful walk and I could not get a decent focus through trees or close enough before it flew but I managed the record shot in the first picture in this photoset. A nice welcome back here seeing this wonderful bird for me. My Dad still walks here regularly and he said just the other day with Green Woodpecker being one of the few shall we say out of the very ordinary as such birds he knows that he’d not seen one here for ages. So it was potentially the naturalist’s touch a little as my Dad isn’t really into wildlife that I managed to spot two or it could have been the same one it was fairly near but was a long time apart. Great to enjoy seeing it on a very hot and sunny walk.
When home I had a fantastic session in the garden watching birds, butterflies and photographing flowers on a fantastic day. I took the remainder of the photos in this photoset throughout today of; flowers, patch of flowers, hanging basket in the back garden, dahlia on the balcony, Starlings, House Sparrows and Goldfinches three key birds I saw in the garden today, Missy and orange flowers in the garden. I also saw a Large White in and Holly Blue butterfly flying over which I shall include as a big butterfly count in a minute, as well as other birds. I know I am obviously taking unprecedented amount of photos for me this year and every day as I continue to work from home but it was quite striking that today understandably I took one photo on the walk but throughout the day I produced 16 pictures just at home! I guess having more time in with not as much to do this afternoon I played up to this a bit and just enjoyed taking photos today we’ll see what happens tomorrow but I doubt this will be repeated often anyway. It was just something I’d never seen the likes of before really and I was so proud to be able to feel I could take so many more photos at home and enjoy doing it the sunshine brought loads of ideas and chances. It was great to just relax out in the garden maybe more than I would usually on a Saturday. Hearing the birds fly about whilst out there was nice as I heard all their wing beats close up and that. I usually watch the birds in the garden through a window and if I’m honest other than bird’s calls this mutes the experience a little so it felt quite authentic being out and hearing the birds fly and a very precious moment of nature watching. A perfect way to enjoy a hot summer’s day today building on photos in my working day yesterday which I was really happy with.
Wildlife Sightings Summary: One of my favourite birds the Green Woodpecker, Magpie, Jackdaw, Feral Pigeon, Collared Dove, Starling, House Sparrow, Goldfinch, Swifts flying over nicely walking through Eastleigh, Black-headed Gull, Holly Blue, Common Blue, Brimstone on the way home from the walk, Large White, Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper and bees.
