Short walk along Nottingham canal and damselflies, birds and flowers in Attenborough Nature Reserve - 26th and 27th May 2026

I travelled to Nottingham with a few friends for a three-night stay towards the end of May

After checking into the hotel, we wandered along the Nottingham canal

This boat had been on fire and was sinking at the side of the canal

Strange bird on one of the canal boats

The next morning we got a bus to the Attenborough nature reserve, where a power station could be seen at the other side of the main lake

There were lots of damselflies in the reserve - here are several Blue-tailed damselflies

and a pair of mating Common damselflies

and a male Banded Demoiselle

A pair of Tufted ducks could be seen on the main lake

Further round the reserve, we came across several Painted Lady butterflies

A Great Crested Grebe was sitting on a nest at the edge of one of the little islands in the lake

Female Banded Demoiselle damselfly on leaves in front of one of the bird hides

Two female Banded Demoiselles

Little Egret standing in shallow water at the edge of the lake

Silver-ground Carpet moth on a leaf at the edge of one of the paths in the reserve

Rear view of a Great Crested Grebe

Another Great Crested Grebe on a nest in the middle of the lake

and a Great Crested Grebe on a nest near the Visitor Centre - with a helpful nest-building mate!

Lovely Water Irises in front of the Visitor Centre

and Water Lilies at the back of the Visitor Centre

Common Terns were perching on a Tern Raft on the lake

Female Mallard with seven small ducklings on the pond near Attenborough village

Mauve Rhododendrons in front of Attenborough church

Beautiful flowers in a front garden in Attenborough village

Wildlife at Walthamstow Wetlands on 14th August 2025

I visited Walthamstow Wetlands on a sunny day in the middle of August and firstly went to the bridge  over the stream on the main road.  

There I saw of pair of mating Willow Emerald damselflies

also a female Banded Demoiselle damselfly

and a male Banded Demoiselle damselfly

and a Migrant Hawker dragonfly

Over the road in the other part of the Wetlands, I saw a beautiful Waterlily in a small pool

I walked along a path at the edge of one of the reservoirs where a young Grey Heron was hiding from me

It moved onto a shrub near a blackberry hedge at the edge of the stream

A tiny blue butterfly was resting on the edge of a leaf

View of one of the imposing tall electricity pylons on the site

Multi-spotted Ladybird on a patch of yellow flowers

Three juvenile Tufted ducklings swam in unison along the stream

A juvenile Grebe was lurking near some waterlily pads

A parent was skulking near reeds at the edge of the stream

I was lucky enough to get a view of a Kingfisher with a fish in its beak

A Little Egret was standing in nearby shallow water

A Terrapin came up for some air - I originally thought it was dead because it was motionless for some time but, when I went past the same spot a little later, it had gone

Pair of mating Common Blue damselflies attached to a twig

Large juvenile Great Crested Grebe swimming in one of the reservoirs

There was an adult Great Crested Grebe with two unevenly-sized chicks in the distance