Male Common Goldeneye, black and white duck with prominent white patch on face and a striking golden eye, swimming on still water, illuminated by warm evening sunlight.

Male Common Goldeneye, black and white duck with prominent white patch on face and a striking golden eye, swimming on still water, illuminated by warm evening sunlight. A female, mostly brown but still with the bright eye, swims behind.

Today's #birdoftheday theme is #winterlight represented by these Common Goldeneye taken at Deeping Lakes @lincswildlife.bsky.social #localnaturereserve
#birds #birding #birdsSeenIn2026

A rainbow arcs across trees beside a lake, with reeds in front, under blueish cloudy skies.

Great Cormorants perch in a large bare tree bathed in warm evening light against a dark, cloudy sky.

The sun setting behind clouds and trees casting rays upwards. Scattered clouds are fringed in orange and reflected in a river.

The evening light was fabulous at Deeping Lakes @lincswildlife.bsky.social #localnaturereserve yesterday, illuminating the Great Cormorant roost. #birdsSeenIn2026 #rainbow #landscapes

Trees springing into their Summer greenery at #edgbastonreservoir . Lovely to have a stroll through the woodland areas on the fringes off the main path .
#friendsofedgbastonreservoir
#localnaturereserve

A beautiful evening walk. Just a few miles outside of #Birmingham city centre and tonight it’s so tranquil with just the sound of the birds settling in. Worth protecting ? A jewel yet still threatened by inappropriate development.
#edgbastonreservoir
#localnaturereserve
@bosfonline.bsky.social

So pleased the weather held for our Friends of Lye Valley picnic and guided walk at Rock Edge this afternoon. Thanks as always to @judyweb32049878 for leading it, and hopefully everyone got home before it started to rain!
#GreenSpaces #LocalNatureReserve #SSSI #OX3

The Slade entrance to the Valley is a sight to behold at the moment. We must have reached peak Cowslip! Worth a look if you're anywhere close by.
#WildFlowers #SignsOfSpring #WildOxford #GreenSpace #LocalNatureReserve @RosalindRogers

We seem to have Seven-spot Ladybirds (Coccinella septempunctata) just about everywhere you look in the Valley at the moment. This pair were nestled in the opening bud of White Comfrey.
#Coleoptera #WatchOutAphids #LocalNatureReserve

So. Not only did someone decide that the Lye Valley Nature Reserve was a good place to dump their Leylandii cuttings, they also decided it was OK to use (presumably stolen) #NHS bin liners to do so. 😠
#FlyTipping #OX3 #GreenSpaces #LocalNatureReserve #SSSI

A little late to the party maybe, but the tiny female Hazel (Corylus avellana) flowers are just starting to open both here in the Valley, and at Rock Edge. 😍
#SignsOfSpring #WildflowerHour #OX3 #LocalNatureReserve

A couple of our volunteers were working on the slope down from the Peat Moors entrance to the Valley this week. Here, moving an old log pile further up the slope and off the grassland, and scything last year's growth to clear the path. Thanks!
#LocalNatureReserve #WildOxford

The Lye Valley this week. Hard to believe that within a couple of months it will be a flower-filled riot of colour...
#OxfordshireFens #WildOxford #LocalNatureReserve #OX3

A rather shy Redwing (Turdus iliacus) at Rock Edge #SSSI #LocalNatureReserve in Headington this morning. It seemed much more interested in the few remaining Holly berries than the abundant Cotoneaster berries about a metre away...
#WinterMigrant #BirdsSeenIn2022

A Winter's scene: crystal clear blue sky, freezing cold, and a Robin (Erithacus rubecula) perched on Cotoneaster berries. Rock Edge #SSSI #LocalNatureReserve, Headington, Oxford.
(It eventually took one, then flew away with it!)
#BirdsSeenIn2022

Female Blackbird (Turdus merula) feasting on Cotoneaster berries at Rock Edge #SSSI yesterday.
#BirdsSeenIn2022 #LocalNatureReserve #OX3

An abandoned @waitrose shopping trolley admiring our Cowslips at Rock Edge #LocalNatureReserve in Headington Oxford today. We suspect it should be getting back to work soon though. Perhaps @Trolleywise could help? #OX3

The cherry blossom at Rock Edge is looking fantastic at the moment! Definitely worth a visit if you're local. Try the lower path near the rock exposure itself.
#BlossomWatch #LocalNatureReserve #SignsOfSpring
@RosalindRogers @MarkLygo @LabLinda75

Lots of butterflies at Rock Edge LNR in Headington this afternoon, like this Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines) and Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria). Also male + female Brimstone, Holly Blues and Peacocks!
#SignsOfSpring #LocalNatureReserve #StayLocal #GreenSpaces #Butterflies

If you go to Rock Edge in the next few days, please tread carefully. We've got hundreds of Cowslips (Primula veris) just starting to poke their heads through the turf. Should be great display in a week or so!
#SignsOfSpring #WildFlowers #LocalNatureReserve

Nice to see this pair of Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) butterflies cavorting in the sunshine at Rock Edge LNR this afternoon. Let's hope they find somewhere cosy to shelter for the next couple of very cold days!
#LocalNatureReserve #Headington #GreenSpaces