THE NATURE
REPORT
July 2006
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As you may already know if you have read previous nature reports he is very enthusiastic when it come to nature and photography.
On this occasion while I was busy photographing him he captured this image of a Lapwing (Peewit). Seconds later it was heading for cover as the third member of our little group arrived on the scene.
She has a natural tendency to want to scare off most of the wildlife
It was one of a pair that we spotted together
I have to say that it is not often that I have seen Kestrels flying together as a pair. They are easy to spot when they are hunting, as they can bee seen hovering as they look for their prey.
It was being quite vocal when this photograph was taken and I suspect that it may have been nesting not too far away.
They have become a common sight over Greenheyes, and indeed The county of Cheshire as a whole in recent years.
They are a common moth, although missing the bright colours found in other species of moths and most butterfly's it they are easy to overlook. They can be found throughout the year, often in houses attracted by light sources.
The lack of rainfall had reduced the depth of the river to just a few inches, making it easily fordable in places. I have not seen it this low for some time.
On the way back we came across this group of local brownies enjoying a free visit to the farm nature trail. Here they are down by the pond enjoying some pond dipping. The pictures below show some of the pond life they found
The first, on the left is of a very young frog. although not visible in this photograph it still had the vestigial remains of the tail it had as a tadpole. On the right the photograph shows some immature newts. if you look closely you can see the external gills that they use to extract the Oxygen from the water with in order to breath.
Hope you have enjoyed our brief walk. Why not take a camera with you the next time you have a walk. You don't need expensive equipment to make a start, and you may surprise yourself with what you can capture through the lens. Bye for now, Andy
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This
month on my walks around the farm, I have been accompanied by James
my youngest son. 
He
also seems to be able to be in the right place at the right time. 
I
mean Smidge. While she loves to come on walks with us her presence can
be, how can I put it, er frustrating to be polite about it.
Staying
on the subject of lapwings I caught this one pretending to be a swallow,
or was the swallow pretending to be a lapwing?
Still
in the air and a little higher was this Kestrel.
They
can be seen in this wide angle shot. 
Also
easy to spot while we were out was my old friend the Buzzard.
This
second picture was taken by James when it returned a couple of minutes
later.
Back
down to earth and feeding on a nice tasty thistle flower is this White-shouldered
moth.
Down
by the River Dane now. this photograph is unusual in that it is taken
from the opposite bank.
Our
final picture this month is another one by James. this time he caught
an young immature starling on the roof of the barn.