What have you seen

We visited a couple of small nature reserves close to Welshpool today. As well as the usual Buzzards and Red Kites we saw a couple of Little Egrets and one Great White Egret, a Great Crested Grebe with a couple chicks, Lapwings, Sand Martins, numerous Grey Herons, Reed Warblers, and a Little Ringed Plover. There were lots of butterflies including  Comma, but  most wouldn't settling long enough to properly identify.During a walk along by the canal I spotted Roe Deer family, a Buck with a Doe and a Fawn feeding together. 

Sounds like a day well spent Nellie.

Our cottage overlooked the River Rothay and when we opened our upstairs bedroom curtains this morning we saw 11 Red Breasted Mergansers floating around below us, some of them preening their feathers, some diving for fish, which was great to see as you could follow them as they chased the fish (and usually caught them). I assume some of them were juveniles as they all had the ginger crest. No adult males with them. We watched them for about 10 minutes before they disappeared upstream.

Drove over to Stanton Novers where 2 x Honey Buzzards have been spotted for the last few days.  No luck for us although we did find out later we were in the wrong spot.  The count for these lovely birds has now risen to 4.  Another visit called for tomorrow.  

Continued on to the coast, to Trimingham quarry to look in on the Bee eaters, saw 5 flying and perched on cables.  Spoke to the RSPB information guy and he thinks there maybe 1 chick and possibly a second.  Good news indeed but still a long way to go.  

couldn’t get any meaningful photos due to distance and I can’t yet hold the camera still

Returned to the proper site to view the Honey Buzzards and saw 4 of these magnificent birds.  The were way too distant and high to get any photos, but good views through binos/scope.  

if anyone interested I will post directions to the site

Saw this crawling along a compressed footpath - it was slim and about an inch long and appeared to have only 6 legs that I could see - the front ones quite short.  It seemed to have 'antlers' .  I've no idea what it was so if anyone has any ideas or maybe where to look on www I'd be grateful.   I have emailed local butterfly/moth group as I thought it might be moth related but the site said may take some time to get back to queries 

I saw one of those many years ago. It's a moth caterpillar but I've forgotten which one.

Rusty Tussock Moth. As a Moth it looks like it has eyes on the bottom of its wings👍🏻😊

Is it not a Vapourer Moth caterpillar? I get them on my blueberries. If not it is very, very similar.

One & the same⤵️. That had ‘vapourer/ rusty tussock caterpillar’ written under the photo but good old CT photos blanked it ou🤷🏻‍♂️

Three wild boar sows in the mountains near me.Never seen or heard of any before. I wonder how they got there? More culling for me and my farming friends unfortunately before they become a pest.