Flummoxed

The Safari had a day with Wifey and some friends yesterday up north. More socialising than safari-ing but the lawn at the front of their house has a good variety of wildflowers including this one we ought to know but can't place - didn't make it any easier by not being able to find any leaves. If anyone knows please let us know...should really rummage out the field guide.

Note the heavy drizzle dropets on the petals - not the nicest of days to be out and about although we did manage to sit outside at a pub and enjoy our lunch with a nice pint in the only dry half hour of the day.

A meadow we passed by the edge of was covered in Crosswort with loads of Yellow Rattle just out of arms length over the fence

Along a roadside we found something we were unable to find last time we were up this way - a Wood Ant's nest...sorry AB! And no, we weren't going to put our foot too close to it to give you a scale comparison, suffice to say the mound is over 2 feet across by about one foot high (60+ x 30+ cm)

The surface was seething with adults waiting for some sunshine (hahaha) to make their mating flights.

Back at our mate's his feeders were alive with House Sparrows...we asked if he ever got Great Spotted Woodpeckers but he said he'd never seen one. within quarter of an hour one was giving his suet block a right old going over...how weird is that.

Where to next? Monika has pulled away into a serious lead with a good lead in our annual challenge but weather conditions and time are sill putting the mockers on any catch-up safaris.

In the meantime let us know what the massed multitudes are upto in your outback