We couldn't do the work we do here without the help of lots of fantastic volunteers, and last night we thanked them all with a barbecue. Typical summer 2012 weather ensued as we put up the marquees and lit the barbie...Fortunately, we had some respite from the rain and having eaten lots, many felt they should take some light exercise with an evening walk on the heathland trail.
The group were rewarded with great views of nightjar up at the tumuli (not much churring but lots of activity), plenty of bats and this 'twinkling goblin light'. Pete assures me this is a glow worm and not a UFO...
Despite all the wind and rain there seems to be a plentiful supply of mice and voles - good news for our barn owl chicks who must be close to fledging now. The older of the 2 is looking like a proper barn owl now except that he's wearing a pair of fluffy trousers. The younger one is now starting to catch up in terms of size and is changing daily with more flight feathers appearing. David and Janet Shaw took these fantastic photos of one of the adults delivering dinner...
A little upturn in the weather has also brought out some of our incredible insects. A few butterflies have been reported over the last day or so; gatekeepers, skippers, ringlets, commas and even a white admiral. Several of us watched as dragonfly larvae crawled from the black pond on the heath and gradually emerged... thanks to Gareth Hughes for his photos.
We're now getting ready for a busy summer holiday packed full of events - next week's highlights include a session of pond dipping and an insect safari - does anyone want to challenge me to a game of minibeast top trumps?