Sentinel

Our resident Speckled Wood butterflies have finally emerged, about a week later than those in the river valley. Today two males were executing aerial dogfights in defence of their territories. This one repeatedly returned to this sunlit Redcurrant, which provided an excellent lookout over its domain. 

Another day in lockdown, when the frustration of not being able to get on with life kicked in a bit. We're still due quite a lot of money from last year's projects, but it's not appearing and no-one seems to be responding to calls and emails trying to chase it up. Similarly, there's an absence of dialogue about what's happening with some of this year's work. I know everyone's suffering in the same way, but it doesn't necessarily make it any easier.

In the evening I drove out to Ferry Meadows and had a brisk walk round the lakes. It was lovely to hear the call of the Common Terns, fishing over Gunwade Lake, and the overhead chattering of hundreds of Sand Martins. I was interested to see that the police have now published guidance about how far it is acceptable to drive to go for exercise - the length of time driving should be significantly shorter than the subsequent walk. This opens up the possibility of visiting all my local sites again, which require a maximum of 15 minutes drive - finally a cheering piece of news.