Sparkling morning at Swaddywell

I was up at the crack of dawn to do my bird transect, then off to Swaddywell Nature Reserve for a very dewy morning walk. I had the place to myself, apart from a young fox that I disturbed. The birdsong was glorious - willow warblers, reed warblers, whitethroats, blackcaps, reed buntings and a single cuckoo, but sadly I didn't hear the turtle doves that had been calling recently.

There were plenty of grizzled skippers flittering around the quarry - it was slightly surprising to see them perching on the top of low willow scrub among damp grassland dominated by wood small-reed (see extra) but there were sunny banks full of wild strawberry not very far away, and I suspect they were just trying to shelter from the rather chilly breeze.