Early summer treasures...

Late May is a great time for wildlife watching. A visit to a nature reserve in the Meon Valley east of Winchester was long overdue - it's home to the largest colony of Narrow-leaved helleborines in Britain...





Narrow-leaved helleborine Cephalanthera longifolia






I also managed, at last, to find Bird's-nest orchid, a common species in the beech woodlands of Hampshire.


Bird's-nest orchid Neottia nidus-avis



Also came across this beautiful example of Greater butterfly orchid at a woodland site just west of Winchester...




Greater butterfly orchid Platanthera chlorantha

Sulan geese

A wedding party in Pembrokeshire? I don't need any excuse to head out west, even if we did get fleeced driving across the Severn bridge...

Anyway, weather was bloody terrible and the boats to Skomer were cancelled due to the high winds and stormy seas. Nevertheless, inbetween the squally showers and gale-force winds I did manage to get some fantastic views of some seabirds not easily seen in Hampshire...

You have to love gannets!