Day 363 - At Coombes Valley

A walk at my nearest RSPB reserve this afternoon, roughly 2.5miles, the furthest I've walked for ages! My feet are still very painful but the knees and ankles are feeling a lot better and the swelling is much reduced - I was so pleased to have a proper walk which included hills!

I was hoping to see the pied flycatchers which breed here every spring, but I wasn't in luck today. Perhaps next time.

I enjoyed the scent of the bluebells as I walked. Many of them were going to seed but there were still plenty of fresh and fragrant ones around.

I love the path that goes by the horsetails. They'll look better in a couple of weeks when more are out and they've grown a bit taller.

I spotted this creature on a log pile whilst looking for longhorn beetles.  I'm pretty sure she's a sabre wasp, Ephialtes manifestator, but if anyone knows better, please correct me.

I watched her make a hole in the end of this silver birch log...

and then lay eggs into it...

I wasn't in luck with the longhorn beetles today (I love these log piles, on sunny June days I've found various species of Rhagium genus on these log piles) but I did see male scorpion fly...

a noon fly (and an ant)

evidence of emerged argent and sable moths. Quite a rare moth which breeds at this site. I've not yet managed to see one, but last year I went on a guided walk and learned a lot about them and to my amazement, remembered a fair bit of that today. One day I will see one!

I was lifting some of the loose logs as well in the hope of finding beetles and found this cardinal beetle larva under one.

I saw a couple of moths too; this brown silver line...

and a tiny one amongst the bilberries, Micropterix aureatella.
 

birdsfoot trefoil

cuckoo flower

Before heading home, I called in at the pond to see what I could see.  I liked this pond. I once did a voluntary day of leading pond dipping session for a family event here and there was so much in this pond! Today I saw great crested newts and lots of dragonfly larva, including the biggest one I've ever seen that I'm sure must have been going to emerge any day!

dragonfly larva amongst the stems

It's been a while since I last visited this reserve (not since Day 196!). I mustn't leave it so long before I go again. I think I'll try to visit again in June as part of 30 Days Wild!

Previous visits since I started this blog...

http://louises30dayswild.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/day-79.html

http://louises30dayswild.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/day-196.html