Sunday May 20

Another warm sunny day, this time the very light breeze being southerly.

Dave joined me and quickly proved his worth. While I was watching a circling Sparrowhawk, Dave got onto a pair of Swifts among the hirundines seeing it off. This is the latest first date for Swift since I have been coming here.

We set off on the usual circuit and as we reached the pond we were greeted by the song of a Reed Warbler coming from the bulrushes at the back of the pond. Not exactly ideal breeding habitat, this could be a late arrival unable to find a place in more traditional reed habitat. We stood around trying to see it, and although I eventually did, the views were too brief for a photograph. A singing Blackbird on the other hand, couldn't have been more co-operative.

Blackbird

A few metres further on Dave located the adult Tawny Owl close to where we had seen it last week. The next tree contained, as I had hoped, two fluffy fledglings.

Tawny Owl chicks

We continued towards the flash field, taking in several Small Tortoiseshells on the way. They may have had a slightly better winter.

Small Tortoiseshell

The flash field contained virtually the same as on Friday; two Shelducks, a Gadwall, two broods of Lapwings, a brood of Coots, and three broods of Mallard. A party of 17 Canada Geese were charged by the herd of frisky bullocks now occupying the field. They waddled away in alarm.

The walk back along the tall hedgerow is always great for insects, and today was no exception. We saw two moths; Mother Shipton and Silver-ground Carpet, and numerous Large Red Damselflies, Beautiful Demoiselles, and Azure Damselflies, with a single Broad-bodied Chaser.

Silver-ground Carpet

Azure Damselfly

Also we saw the most extraordinarily colourful fly (at least I think it was a fly). In fact it wasn't too hard to discover it was actually a wasp of a group called Ruby-tailed Wasps, Chrysis spp. I also found out that they are pretty much unidentifiable to species level without detailed examination.

Ruby-tailed Wasp spp

Shortly afterwards birds came back into focus. There must have been a lot of flying ants because about 20 Lesser black-backed Gulls, 10 Black-headed Gulls, and two distant Hobbies were helping themselves. Then Dave spotted a female Whinchat perched on birch saplings in the young forest now gaining a foothold in the ridge field.

Whinchat

We ended the morning at the dragonfly pools where several blue damselflies defied identification by refusing to settle, but a male Broad-bodied Chaser and a Four-spotted Chaser were more obliging.

Four-spotted Chaser

I had almost forgotten to mention butterflies. As well as several Small Tortoiseshells, we saw four Brimstones, an Orange-tip, a Green-veined White, and about 15 Small Heaths.

Small Heath

The three new birds for the year represent the last hurrah of spring I should think. Summer is just around the corner, so its time for Springwatch!