Essence of summer

Up just after five to spend a few hours surveying birds in a nearby private woodland - a magical experience being all alone with the wildlife which included juvenile green and great-spotted woodpeckers, a tawny owl and a nuthatch. I was home by nine, and after stopping for a drink and snack, I took Rosie to Swaddywell Pit, where once again I had the whole site to myself. Just me and thousands of pyramidal orchids - stunning! Capturing the spectacle proved more challenging, but I just love the layers of colour in this version. Mind you there were plenty of other interesting plants, and the pools resounded with the clatter of dragonfly wings, as they courted and jostled over territorial boundaries. Pure soul food...

View in large to get the feeling of lying in the grass...