Playing in the stream

It was such a beautiful sunny day today that we decided to go and have a paddle in the stream and play in the mud.

On the way there the red kites were squabbling with the crows. They really don't get on very well and chase each other away from their nest sites.

Crow chasing a red kite

Hard to see, but this is a crow mobbing a red kite and is on it's back

Some of the kites were more interested in each other and were chasing each other around, making an unusual call, courting each other.

When we got to the stream, lots of shrimp were scurrying around in the mud and water. There were celandines flowering on the banks of the stream, the flag irises had grown a lot since we were last there and we found ground ivy flowering.

Ground ivy

Celandines

Flag irises

Only yesterday we were commenting that there weren't many butterflies around yet, except for brimstones. As usual when you make a comment like that, you then see butterflies everywhere. We must have seen at least a dozen peacocks and a dozen small tortoiseshells, out enjoying the lovely warm sunshine.

Peacock

Small tortoiseshell

There were lots of bees on the celandines and we saw several bee flies - funny looking things, with their furry 'bee' body and long thin proboscis.

Bee fly

Enjoying the celandines!

We played in the water for a while, found a woodpecker hole, then reluctantly left for home.

Can't resist playing in a waterfall!

Woodpecker nest

Walking home

A beautiful, sunny day and the butterflies had all appeared ... suddenly it actually felt like spring at last!

 

Back at home, the tadpoles had hatched and we found a spider eating a fly!

 

The tadpoles had hatched

Yum, lunch!