Easter Weekend

Meadow Pipet (Anthus pratensis)
Mallard (Anas platyrhychos)
Bluebell (Scilla non-scripta)
Reed (Phragmites australis)

We saw this Pipit which we think was a Meadow Pipit althought it was quite close to an area where Rock Pipits live. It is what some bird watchers call an L.B.J. (Little Brown Job), they are called this because a lot of the little brown birds are very difficult to tell apart.

This pair of Mallards were sitting in the sunshine at Parc Slip nature reserve. The male is the one with the green head and the female is the one with the brown feathers. When someone mentions a duck these are what most people will think of.

The wild dafodils over the wood have faded and have now been replaced by Bluebells. The flowers appear just as leaves begin to come out on the trees. British Bluebell woods are famous and are propbably known as one of the best wildflower displays in the whole of Europe.

The Reeds are still brown at the nature reserve but they will be turning green soon as they start to grow. Reeds can grow in fresh water or brackish water. Brackish water is found where rivers meet the sea and has sea water mixed with the riverwater which makes it a bit salty. Reeds can spread by thier roots which are called 'rhizomes'.