A wet summer beckoning?

Hello

A bit more showery stuff today than I was expecting but some nice weather in between. The rain will be a feature for tomorrow seemingly with a particularly wet afternoon forecast.

Today and the Grasshopper Warbler was still 'reeling' at Stanford Reservoir and where a fishing Osprey was at lunchtime. Other birds were two Oystercatchers and a Cuckoo.

Single Sanderlings were noted at Eyebrook Reservoir and Clifford Hill Pits, two Oystercatchers were in the Welland Valley below Cottingham and a pair of Peregrines were on St Dionysius church spire at Market Harborough with no apparent indication of breeding there.

Whiston Wetlands/Earls Barton New Workings today held seven Avocets, two Dunlin, four Oystercatchers, four Redshanks, a Peregrine and two Barn Owls.

Six Common Cranes seen flying over Grendon Lakes this evening was a good record and this afternoon an Osprey was seen to catch a Bream at Hollowell Reservoir. During the last three days over a hundred Common Swifts have been busy feeding north of the causeway at Pitsford Reservoir, a small percentage of the huge flocks we used to see there on cool June days twenty or more years ago!

In a good year for Black Hairstreak butterflies, a number of new sites have been found which included Twywell Hills and Vales and Stanwick Pits as this species begins to extend it's range after years of stubbornly being found only at a couple of key sites. Although it's not happening in our garden yet, Scarlet Tiger moths are now being seen on the wing, mostly in urban and sub-urban gardens. Among other butterflies, Marbled White emerged at Collyweston quarry today.

Odonata on the wing in the Welland Valley just upstream from Gretton Weir included Hairy Hawkers, White-legged Damselflies and Banded Demoiselles.

Regards

Neil M

Peregrine courtesy
of Robin Gossage.

Black Hairstreak butterfly
courtesy of Neil Hasdell.

Marbled White butterfly
courtesy of David Arden.

Swallow courtesy
of Dave Jackson.