Local Patch news

Another glorious week weather wise and I recorded the first Swallows, House Martins and Whitethroats for the year, as I mentioned before the Sand Martin colony looks really good this year and they have thankfully moved away from the main sandbank they used to use where all the fishermen and kids gather and have found a new one a bit further up and across the river, dont know how many pairs there are but there is certainly more than I've ever seen before. A bit of unusual behaviour observed this week when a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew out over the flood basin in a slow gliding flight, hovered briefly before returning to the trees, I dont know what it was all about but it was more akin to the larger Kingfishers than Woodpeckers. Again the sunny weather brought hordes of insects out and as well as the Butterflies seen previously there was a profusion of Orange-tips out this week although no early Dragonflies but most unexpected were 12 Waxwings which flew up from the little pond on Rawcliffe Meadows this evening, they flew to the tops of some trees by the Paddock and looked to be feeding on the buds or flowers maybe.

On the river

A few patches of Bluebells appearing, remnants of an old wood again

A selection of the Butterflies this week

Although not much posing passerine wise

in the Cornfield NR

part of the Sand Martin flock over the river

trying for the flight shots again