soil hill-very, very dry!!

my mum was busy this morning so I took one off my solo visits to soil hill. the sun was golirious but it still felt slightly chilly. you could tell that the hill had suffered from the recent heat
-see below-

as I entered the hill, I heard skylarks singing. If you read this then you have probably read my previous posts and so know about my epic quest to get a skylark photo. no sooner had I entered the hill I spotted one sat on the stone circle. i sneaked closer but it unfortunatly must have spotted me. I managed to take a decent shot but still not what i'm really looking for...


as I walked down the hill to the pools I spotted these tracks in the dust. Based on the size of the print I am guessing a crow. it is certainly not one of the passerines frequent on the hill

I decided to wait at the pool for a reed bunting to emerge. as I waited a spotted two peacock butterflys having a drink on the yellow flowers that seem to have sprouted everywhere...

eventually my waiting paid off and two stuning reed buntings appeared. unfortunatly only one was in a position to be photographed but luckily i managed to get it anywhere..

You may also know about my quest for a mipit photo. luckily I spotted this bird. it is not as good as i had hoped but still it is a decent record shot.

as i walked back up i spotted two skylarks feeding in some short grass. I had also seen them there on the way down so assumed that they would come back. I crept closer but they flew away. I waited paitiently but with no luck. I decided to try and lie down so that i was such an obvious feature. As i did i spotted a weasle coming towards me along the wall. I was completely taken aback. I snapped him as he made his way along the wall towards me, then he ran across the dirt track and continued his wall run along the wall over that side. i was in such a flurry that very few off my photos came out at all but just as proof I have saved some of the more....resonable ones! it was so special to see

i left soil hill ahppy that i had seen the weasle but sad about the lack of decent mipits and skylarks. as i walked out i spotted two skylarks flying over the feild. one of them landed and i decided to have one last try. i crept along the wall. suddenly i spotted one on the ground quite close. i decided to go behind the wall ,where it could not see me and try and get closer. i was completly surprised to see it sat right behind a gate, hidden in the grass. see below the photos. i can now say that i have finally got the skylark pictures that i have wanted

I left soil very happy. as i walked down though a mipit came and landed on the wall quite close. a hatrick!! I managed to get a couple of quick shots, and leave that mandate complete as well.

all in all a really good day. also there were:

2 lapwings

4 goldfinches

and a kestrel

what a smashing day