Basking

A beautiful sunny spring day, which I made the most of. I dragged myself out of bed reasonably early to do the second breeding bird transect at Thorpe Wood. I missed Chris's company, as he has much sharper eyes than me, but I think there were probably fewer birds around than a fortnight ago. I suspect some blue tits and great tits may already be on nests. Nice to see and hear the nuthatches again - I'm sure they're going to breed - and a stock dove and chiffchaff were calling. 

Back home to bake a batch of sausage rolls, and then out to a nearby reserve with Pete, to meet the new warden, who seems excellent. The volunteers were doing the first butterfly transect of the season, but I opted out and went off with my camera. I was lucky to come across three basking adders. This large female was still quite chilly and wasn't too bothered by my presence - I watched her for quite a few minutes, and she kept her eye on me too, eventually slithering into the bushes when I moved away.

Then it was back home for a bit of gardening, before I went to pick up Pete. Just time for a cuppa before taking Alex to see the nurse GP, as he has tonsillitis. She prescribed antibiotics which will hopefully do the trick as he needs to be well for a brush-cutter training course after the Easter break. Finally some algebra with Ben, before collapsing in front of the TV. Needless to say, this is a backblip!