This Pied Wagtail was the first to greet me this month, and it certainly lived up to its wagtail name.

I think this one was attempting to fly using solely its tail.

I had to smile a few weeks ago concerning a wagtail. I overheard a young child ask its mother "what's that bird?" the answer to his question was "I think its a baby magpie" An easy mistake ;-)

This is something you don't see very often, a flying caterpillar.

Actually it was suspended from the branch of a tree by a very fine thread of silk.

These are amongst the strongest of natural fibres, some are much stronger than the equivalent diameter steel wire.

Despite this "strength" silk makes a very soft, much prized fabric when woven.

This next photograph shows a hoverfly feeding on the nectar of a Hogweed flower.

The Hogweed is part of a large family of plants which include the likes of Carrots, Parsnips, Celery and Parsley.

While they may be tasty members of the family others such as Hemlock and Giant Hogweed present a serious threat to health and should be left well alone.

A little further along this young squirrel froze to the side of an oak tree when it spotted me in order not to attract attention to itself.

Obviously its tactic was a little late, its movement in my peripheral vision had already gained my attention, and I was able to snap several photographs while it held its position.

(Note: Peripheral vision is basically what you see outside of your central field of view or gaze. While what you see in this area of your sight is not particularly distinct, it is very sensitive to movement. Any unexpected movement in this area tends to cause a reflex glance in that direction probably to determine if the movement constitutes a threat.)

An example of how sensitive this peripheral vision can be is this Dandelion seed.

It was drifting serenely along on a gentle breeze but despite its relatively small size and slow movement it was still noticeable.

You can have the best camouflage in the world, but move at the wrong time and...

Down by the river now, and this male mallard definitely didn't see me coming, at least not until after I managed to take this snapshot.

Then with a disgruntled quack he left for presumably quieter waters.

Lastly for this month, I think that this pair of damselfly demonstrate what spring is all about :-)

 

 

 

Well that's all for now

See you next time, Andy

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