True Transformer

I joined an organised "Walk In The Park" at Fishers Green this morning. It started at 10.30 and was a belated chance to hear the dawn chorus.

The leader turned out to be Roy, who I had accosted a couple of weeks ago when he was releasing moths he had trapped. He has an encyclopaedic knowledge of wildlife. We heard but didn't necessarily see lots of birds, identified for us by Roy from their songs. The highlight was the nightingale with its unbelievably loud, liquid, lilting reedy song.

He also introduced us to a willow warbler that thinks it's a chiff-chaff. Its song is a cross between the two and it might be a hybrid or a mimic. I got a shot of it sitting incongruously, high up on a pylon. Roy has a brilliant way of describing bird song by invoking cartoon-like birdy facial expressions. The sedge warbler sounds as though it is arguing or challenging one, whereas the willow warbler just whistles away calmly.

After the walk was over Roy said he was going to check the ponds for damselflies and I accompanied him. He had been there early this morning watching large red damselflies emerge. No sign of anything on the wing but I got a shot of an exuvia. This is the empty skin, or carapace, of the last larval stage. When the larvae is ready to metamorphose, it first climbs out of the water then the carapace splits along the back and behind the head and the immature adult emerges.

A noisy group is not the best vehicle for togging but I learnt lots. :)