On the banks of the Serpentine

The weather was perfect; windy and cool under a heavy cloud cover, just the sort of day for a long walk in the open. The Serpentine Fen beckoned. It's been quite a while since we visited.

Serpentine River, facing northeast.

It's a wildlife area, a wetland following the meandering path of the Serpentine River, home to thousands of birds, even in midsummer. But not today. I walked the entire circuit, 4 kms, and saw two swallows, one heron, three sandpipers, a gaggle of geese, a hawk and a crow. And a white feather. That was all. The rest - I caught a glimpse of them from the highway as I was leaving - were congregated in the No Public Access area.

Never mind; the bugs made up for it; I came home with 250 photos to sort. Bees, bee mimics, flies, soldier beetles, all very busy pollinating the tansy. I'll be busy for a bit.

Tansy, grass, and blackberry leaves. No bees on this one.

Goldenrod and tansy

Hardhack, dried flower heads. They bloomed early this year.

What else I saw, tomorrow.

A Skywatch post.