Sex and the City

Today I joined a group of naturalists looking at the Cinderella of Sheffield's 5 rivers - the Sheaf. The river corridor is designated a Local Nature Reserve, which means that a survey of the flora and fauna of the area needs to be undertaken at regular intervals . Towards the confluence with the River Don in the city centre, the Sheaf largely flows beneath the streets, but as you go upstream, it emerges in short sections. To join these up requires quite a bit of ducking and weaving through some city streets. There were mostly much needed botanists amongst our number, so I was happy to be the designated bird recorder. The highlights here were Dippers and Grey Wagtails, but there wasn't a great deal for me to worry about. I  took the opportunity to look for some street photography opportunities and this mysterious pair of seemingly abandoned boots was my favourite shot of the day. 
My title refers to my "extra" for today - a pair of Hawthorne Shield Bugs only a short distance from the start of our walk not far from the main railway station.