Loom bands, watercolors, monks, biscuits and apostrophes.

These are only half the topics discussed on our (normally) weekly Monday walk group.
This group of keen walkers have been coming to the park most Mondays for quite a while now. They do a different circuit every time and we try to get a different staff member to take them each time. Monday 30th was my turn.
I was adamant on taking them to see a new sculpture we have had carved out of a recently felled Lime Tree. It was in the shape of a monks head. The weather was glorious so we spent the first half of the walk in the sunshine and then diverted to the shade for the second half. 

On the walk back many things were discussed but the real joy is when you get back to base and we all sit down for a cuppa and 2 biscuits. The two biscuits are heavily monitored by the walkers. I then just sit there and listen to the indepth discussions they have, all sorts of topics are discussed, last time I took the walk politics and Dynamo the illusionist were discussed.
This time though it was the new craze 'Loom bands' which kicked off proceedings. One of the walkers was sporting a very fetching multicoloured Loom band bracelet. The conversation then moved on to painting and watercolours. Nearing the end of their tea break I handed out a piece of paper with the blog address on. So when this gets published they can see themselves.

Going Cuckoo!!

This bird had been eluding me all day, every time I got the binoculars out he would fly further away. He looked like a very dark bird of prey at first until I saw the beak. It was longer than a bird of prey's beak so it must of been a Cuckoo. Although not heard "Cuckooing" it was identified through the binoculars. I then attempted to take a picture with my phone through the binoculars, here is the result. It is a Cuckoo, honest.

Also spotted were a load of Peacock Butterfly caterpillars nibbling on the nettles.

Common Spotted Orchid

Found at Rufford in small numbers, mixed in with the Ox-eye Daisies.

Bin there, done that

Here at Rufford the bins get emptied every morning and are mostly done by the same individual in the week. On a rare occasion though that a day is unaccounted for we take it in turns to fill in the gaps. It is one way of seeing the whole park in a morning, something which we don't always get to do. So armed with bin bags and a camera I set off around the park. Hundreds of Canada Geese are now on site......but is was the smaller things I was looking for, things which may go unnoticed. Such as;

A single Bee Orchid, providing a splash of colour in an otherwise green section of the park. A Gothic Moth, seen here on the bin bag I pulled out the bin. It was obviously put  back in it's hidey-hole after emptying the rubbish. Rufford is full of hidden gems so keep an eye out.

Quick morning stroll

A quick morning stroll around Rufford proved fruitful with plenty of wildlife activity. This included a Great Tit, many Cinnabar Moths, blooming Ox-eye Daisy and a Swan still nurturing 7 Cygnets. The Broad Bodied Chasers were still bombing about accompanied by lots of Damselflies.

Swallows and.....other stuff

In glorious morning sunshine I took it upon myself to venture down to the Conservation Area before anyone else was about. Recently 4 juvenile Kingfishers were spotted there so I trekked down to scope them out. Unfortunately no Kingfishers were seen but I managed to get photos of a soon to fledge brood of Swallows, a Swan with 7 Cygnets, a Damselfly and a Speckled Wood butterfly.