Despite it being cloudy for the majority of the trip, the wildlife showed really well! I didn't think I'd be taking full frame shots today but that is exactly what you need when the sun isn't out. It is Cuckoo mad up the Blorenge right now and boy, do the Pipits know about it! They actively attack any cuckoo without sight as they defend their nests which will likely already have eggs in, maybe even chicks in some. The Yellowhammer wasn't on the photography list today but you just have to lap up what is presented to you and this guy was singing like a trooper and feeding pretty close to the car so we didn't even have to move! Upon walking the valley, Tom Whinstone (photography friend) and I almost stepped on this large beetle which turned out to be a Minotaur Beetle. This beetle is our very own equivalent of a Dung Beetle and it does exactly the same as a dung beetle by rolling up balls of dung and dragging/pushing it down a hole which will end up being the home for their young and the next generation of Minotaur Beetles. They are absolutely fascinating beetles and well worth me making a fuss about them.
