Love Is Swift Arrows *

 * Be Bop Deluxe 1974 from Axe Victim

It was great to see quite a few Common Swifts this morning in the north west corner of first field, despite the gusty northerly wind. I stayed a while and got a few more photos as they were flying pretty low.

Probably my best effort to date of a Common Swift

Sand Martins, House Martins and Swallows were also feeding but numbers were low as you'd expect at this time of year.

A Curlew flew over going west, I was alerted by its song as it passed overhead.  Three Little Egrets at the Mere with one on Swan Island and two over by the outlet. Common Terns were fishing at the west end, one at least was successful and flew back east with a fish.

This afternoon's walk was good for butterflies and dragonflies with the sun shining down strongly. It was still breezy but there were plenty of places out of the wind for the insects to fly and feed.

Common Blue

Black-tailed Skimmer dragonflies

Meadow Brown butterfly

Orchids are out everywhere it seems - here's a Common Spotted Orchid hosting a Buff-tailed Bumblebee

Common Spotted Orchid with a heavy bumblebee on board

Coots and Moorhens are tending their chicks and they are growing fast. A couple of Moorhen chicks were showing well.

Muuuuuuum!!!

The Elusive Butterfly *

* see end of post 

At last I saw a Speckled Wood this morning. After a poor start to Spring butterflies have been really down in numbers and in variety of species seen too, so an addition of two this morning was a nice surprise. Red Admiral was the other new species.

Red Admiral is about the right time but I usually see Speckled Wood in April or first week in May so this is a month late. 

Speckled Wood at last

I saw 4 dragonflies this morning - a Broad Bodied Chaser and 3 other large dragons which would not settle so I didn't get an id on them.

Damselflies are now out in numbers with 90% of them Common Blue, 9% Blue-tailed and 1% the good ones that I've missed 😂
 

female Blue-tailed Damselfly

Common Blue Damselfly

male and female Common Blue with an onlooker

This time of year is good for seeing young birds and Starlings seem to have had a really good breeding season with lots of youngsters on the wing. I'm having to fill my feeders twice a day to keep pace with their appetites.

Starlinglet

 

 

young Carrion Crow

young Long-tailed Tits

young wabbit

 The Sand Martins will also be producing young 'uns soon but are busy incubating at the moment.

Sand Martin at nest hole

Orchids are sticking their heads up all over the place and Common Spotted Orchids were the first to be spotted by me:

Common Spotted Orchid at Wassand

The Bee Orchids I used to enjoy seeing on the cliffs here at Hornsea have no chance of being seen again, as where they grow has been cleared by a bulldozer starting work on a new set of caravan pitches at Hornsea Lakes - even though planning permission has not been given yet  😒 the plans show the caravans sited quite a way from the cliff edge so why they have to ruin the cliff top habitat I have no idea 😠

South Cliff top soil and vegetation cleared

* The Elusive Butterfly was a song written and recorded by Bob Lind back in 1966.

Cuckoo at home

 A great morning and an even better evening today.

As I arrived home from an early morning walk, still before 8am, I heard a cuckoo calling from behind the house. It was in a tree very close by but was obscured by foliage. It flew out as two Blackbirds got fed up and saw it off.

Cuckoo flying off towards Freeport this morning

I'd just finished eating this evening when I heard it again - even closer this time and sitting out in the top of the tree:

Better views this evening

 

 

 

Quiz from my previous post

Agree to disagree. But disagree to part - which song does this line come from?

The answer is: The Things We Do For Love by 10CC